From 21 January to 8 February 2017, the 9th Festival of Culture and Art Education Beavers (Bobri) is taking place in Ljubljana with 68 producers preparing 225 events open to over 17,000 visitors.

The main theme of this year’s festival is multiculturalism. Visitors are going to learn about the wealth of cultures in different countries, and the programme of the festival is going to be marked by reflection on cultural diversity and the significance of understanding other cultures and coexisting with them. The emphasis is going to be on diversity, tolerance, migrations and refugees. At some events the visitors are going to have the opportunity to meet the artists and migrants coming from foreign countries.
The festival is again starting at the Mladinsko Theatre (Slovensko mladinsko gledališče), on Saturday, 21 January, with the animated film My Life as a Zucchini (Ma vie de courgette, directed by Claude Barras, distribution by Demiurg), the opening event of the Beavers and the premiere of Cinemabaloon (Kinobalon), on the topic of trust, belonging and the search for one's family. It is going to be accompanied by the Slovenian short animated film Farewell (Slovo, directed by Leon Vidmar, produced by ZVVIKS) and the Beavers festival announcement prepared, in cooperation with Kinodvor for the Kinobalon programme, by a group of schoolchildren from Ljubljana under the mentorship of Andreja Goetz and Jelena Dragutinović from the Association for Providing Film Education Elephant (Društvo za izvajanje filmske vzgoje Slon), and the children from the Asylum Centre Vič also took part in the preparations. The opening event is developed in cooperation with Kinodvor’s Mobile Cinema. It is going to be followed by a workshop on animated films in the Lower Hall at the Mladinsko Theatre.
Traditionally the festival is ending on our cultural holiday, on Wednesday, 8 February, in the Centre for Urban Culture, namely, again with a premiere concert performance of selected children’s songs by Svetlana Makarovič with the title The Dog Procession (Pasja procesija). The songs in modern arrangements by Uroš Baloh are going to be performed by outstanding vocalists from the Mladinsko Theatre. The songs are all part of a story familiarizing the children with the hot topics of the world around us and encouraging reflection on issues of tolerance, integration and acceptance of otherness.
Beavers are again joining the Small Size Days project with numerous events for the youngest organised around the world between 29 and 31 January.
Again this year foreign artists are performing at the festival. At the Centre for Urban Culture Šiška the Croatian play titled The killer in me is the killer in you, my love is performing a day after the opening, and at the Slovenian Theatre Institute (Slovenski gledališki inštitut) the Japanese artist Izumi Mizuki is presenting her kamishibai play.
The festival is organised by the City of Ljubljana, the executive producer is the Mladinsko Theatre and the co-producer Kinodvor; part of the programme is supported by the Embassy of Japan in Slovenia.