BRATISLAVA: The Slovak/Czech/Ukrainian coproduction 107 Mothers / Cenzorka directed by the acclaimed Slovak director Peter Kerekes has been sold by Films Boutique to Switzerland and the Benelux. The film received the award for best script, for Peter Kerekes and Ivan Ostrochovský, in the Orizzonti section of the 78th Venice International Film Festival (1-11 September 2021).
SIBIU: Night Nursery by Bourkinabe director Moumouni Sanou received the Best Film Award in the New Voices in Documentary Cinema Competition of the 28th edition of the International Documentary Film Festival - Astra Film Festival, which took place in Sibiu, Romania, 5-12 September 2021.
Us Against Us (Andra Tarara, Romania), Night Nursery (Moumouni Sanou, Burkina Faso), Wolves at the Border (Martin Páv, Czech Republic) and Milkless (Lidia Ilie, Romania) are the big winners of AFF2021.
Best directors: Olga Lucovnicova („My Uncle Tudor”) – Romania Section and Maja Novaković („Then Comes the Evening”) – DocSchool Section
Ten awards were offered at the Astra Film Festival at the end of eight days in which the audience had the opportunity to participate in 200 cultural events. The jury, made up of cultural personalities from Romania and abroad, had to evaluate 41 films entered in the four competition sections - most of them presented in Sibiu in national or world premiere. The best film of the Romania Section was awarded to `Us against us` (directed by Andra Tarara - Romania, 2021).
Cel mai bun film_noi împotriva noastră - The best movie_Us against us
The award for Best Director of the Romania Section was given to Olga Lucovnicova, author of the film `My uncle Tudor` (Belgium, Hungary, Portugal - 2021). The best documentary in the New Voices in Documentary Cinema Section was awarded to a production from Burkina Faso, `Night Nursery` (directed by Moumouni Sanou, 2021). The best documentary of the Central and Eastern Europe Section was awarded to `Wolves at the Border` (directed by Martin Páv - Czech Republic, 2021). The production `Milkless` (directed by Lidia Ilie - Romania, 2021) was awarded best documentary of the DocSchool Section.
VENICE: FNE has teamed up with FIPRESCI critics attending the Venice Film Festival to rate the films in the Main Competition, Orizzonti, Venice Days and Critics Week giving the films 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 stars. 5 is the best and 1 is the worst. The ratings give an overview of critics’ opinions from a large number of countries and provide insights to what critics in many different countries think about the programme.
PODGORICA: The second season of Debt to the Sea by Gorčin Stojanović is being screened on the Serbian channel Superstar TV. The second season of the popular series was shot in Montenegro using the country's cash rebate within the Filming in Montenegro programme launched by the Film Centre of Montenegro.
RIGA: The 25th Baltic Sea Forum for Documentaries, which ran in Riga and online from 1 to 12 September 2021, has announced its winners. Eighteen film projects from 17 countries including Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Georgia were presented at the training and pitching forum.
Taking place in hybrid format, the 25th edition of Baltic Sea Forum for Documentaries (Baltic Sea Docs) brought together filmmakers from the wider Baltic Sea region, Eastern Europe and Caucasus region. 18 film projects participated this year, representing film studios in 17 countries including Latvia, Poland, Armenia, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Georgia, Russia, among others.
The Romanian rowers medalled at the Tokyo Olympics rowed towards the Astra Film Festival screens
Festivals 10-09-2021AFF2021 continues in Sibiu with a dense weekend,
which can be considered a festival in itself
A special event at the Astra Film Festival. The Romanian rowers medalled this summer at the Tokyo Olympics came to row on the lake in Dumbrava Sibiului. This time, not to win new medals, but to see a film screened during the special Lifeboats Programme. We are talking about the documentary made by journalist Alex Dima (Pro TV, Romania, I love you!), which shows how Romania's forests and our children's right to breathe fresh air gets stolen. Astra Film Festival continues in Sibiu with a weekend that can be considered a festival in itself: on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday there will be over 40 cultural events (film screenings, concerts, DocTalks, Q&A sessions).
Campionii înainte de îmbarcare pentru Astra Film_foto AFF Rares Helici
News from The Astra Film Festival. `The Lifeboats` Special Programme has started
Festivals 09-09-2021The films produced by journalists can be watched
from boats and pedal boats floating on the lake
or from Casa Podarului, located near the screen
The Lifeboats Programme at the Astra Film Festival has begun. During this programme, the audience can watch films projected on a huge screen placed between windmills, directly from boats floating on the lake. Tonight, those who will come to the screening will board the boats on the chords of the `Zece Prăjini` Marching Band, and after the film, starting at 10pm, they will enjoy a unique concert offered by Corina Sîrghi and Taraful Jean Americanu. The special Lifeboats programme began last night, with the screening of the investigation "The Genocide of Secular Oaks", conducted by Alex Nedea, journalist for Recorder. Today, the public can watch for the first time a report made by Paul Angelescu, from "Romania, I love you", about the forest fires in Greece. And tomorrow, a documentary produced by Alex Dima (Pro TV, `Romania, I love you!`) about the way wood gets stolen in the forests surrounding Sibiu will be screened.
Zece_Prăjini_foto_AFF
BELGRADE: Oasis, the sophomore feature by writer/director Ivan Ikić, has been selected as Serbia’s candidate for the 94th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category. The film is a coproduction between Serbia, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and France.
