The 2^nd edition of the Warsaw Kids Film Forum, an international pitching forum for films and series for young viewers, will be held on 26-28 September 2018 in Warsaw during The Kids Film Festival. Submission of projects that want to take part in the Pitching (in the Development or Work-in-Progress phase) or at the Script Exchange is open until 31 May.

The Warsaw Kids Film Forum brings together representatives of the film industry from countries producing a lot of high-quality movies and series with film makers from countries where production is just gaining momentum.

At the Forum you can:

• present your project and find a co-producer, distributor, sales agent or television partner,
• meet representatives of film institutes and regional funds,
• consult the project being developed with professional script advisors in individual meetings,
• learn the latest trends in the market of production for young viewers
• win one of the best pitching prizes (incl. participation in The Financing Forum for Kids Content 2019 in Malmö, or at the EAVE Producers Workshop 2018 in Luxembourg, as well as the possibility to conduct production and post-production services in the Audiovisual Technology Center in Wrocław for a total amount of PLN 160,000 ).

The three-day program of the Warsaw Kids Film Forum consists of a first day of conferences, the so-called Inspiration Day, used to present case studies for the most interesting co-productions for children – animation, live action or documentaries, dedicated to a cross media approach to telling stories, building a marketing campaign or analysing the European production market for children. The second and third day of the Forum are dedicated to pitching of 28 qualified projects (series and full-length films – live action, animated and documentary) and individual meetings of Forum participants with representatives of the Polish and foreign film industry. A novelty in this year's program will be the Script Exchange reuniting screenwriters and directors with producers, and the Producers' Meeting aimed at starting co-production.

Over 80 projects from 25 countries submitted in 2017 and over 200 participants in the Forum – including representatives of sales agents Sola Media, Global Screen, Canal + television, NRK, YLE, NDR and Netherland Film Funds, as well as the Polish Film Institute, indicate the growing need to establish contacts between developed film industries and new emerging markets. Only in Poland, in the last 3 years, the first productions for young viewers that have achieved commercial success have been created, as well as an allocation by the Polish Film Institute dedicated to the family audience was given its own category, to which approx. 50 projects were submitted just in the first year.

Submission of projects for Pitching and the Script Exchange is open until 31 May. The registration form and a list of required attachments is available at www.warsawkidsff.pl.

Observer registration starts on 4 June and lasts until 16 September.

At the initiative of the Polish Film Institute, the New Horizons International Film Festival is  one of the 9 international film festivals to present selected films in the prestigious The Goes to Cannes at the biggest film market, Marchédu Film, during the 71^th Cannes International Film Festival.

The Goes to Cannes is a program that invites the largest festivals to present domestic films to the international film industry, films that do not yet have agents, distributors or set premiere dates.

The New Horizons International Film Festival and the Polish Film Institute will present a selection of Polish films in various stages of production (works-in-progress) during New Horizons’ Polish Days Goes to Cannes, which will be a preview of the New Horizons’ industry event called Polish Days held during the Wrocław festival.

The program of the New Horizons’ Polish Days Goes to Cannes on May 13 consists of six films, including: „Fisheye” - a fiction debut by Michał Szcześniak, “Huray, we’re still alive!” – a fiction debut by Agnieszka Polska,  “Of Animals and Men”– a documentary film directed by Łukasz Czajka, “The Language of the Birds” – a fiction film directed by Xawery Żuławski (co-directed by Jan Komasa, Jacek Borcuch, Piotr, Kielar),  “Werewolf” – a fiction film directed by Adrian Panek as well as the latest film from Jan Jakub Kolski “Pardon”.

New Horizons’ Polish Days Goes to Cannes screening will be held on May 13 at 10 AM - 12 noon at Palais K- level 4 in the Festival Palace during the 71^th Cannes International Film Festival. Entrance for market badge holders.

More information

Polish Days will be held on July 30 – August 1, 2018, during the 18^th New Horizons International Film Festival (July 26 - August 5, 2018).

Polish Days, the most important industry event at the New Horizons International Film Festival, is organized jointly with the Polish Film Institute. During closed screenings, film industry representatives from around the world watch the latest Polish films at various stages of production, including completed works as well as fragments of films in postproduction; they also participate in pitching sessions of projects in development. As each year, organizers expect about 200 guests, including sales agents, distributors, film festival programmers as well as producers. Polish Days is an excellent opportunity for Polish film producers and filmmakers to promote their projects, plan festival strategies and network with international partners.          

Application deadline: May 25, 2018.

More information

Film Agents are people who care for film culture and have outstanding ideas. Their projects are often created in a direct response to the most current film-related needs. They build and strengthen local structures and have great impact in enhancing the European production. Since 2013 SOFA offers them a tailor-made workshop programme.

TBILISI WORKSHOP / April 22-28, 2018

For the second time the Georgian edition of SOFA workshops will take place in Tbilisi. The participants of the 2017 edition: Agnieszka Sękowska (Poland), Nikolai Lavreniuk (Belarus), Liina Maria Lepik (Estonia), Nino Chichua (Georgia), Angelos Tsaousis (Greece), Gitit Wainer (Israel) and Tara Karajica (Serbia) will continue developing their projects with the support of the professionals from the film industry. This year they will include: Sonja Heinen (European Film Promotion); Renaud Redien Collot (Novancia Business School); Oliver Baumgarten (Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival); Natalia Ames and Melik Karapetyan (Golden Apricot Film Festival Pro Industrial Platform).

The programme of the workshop will include two public events. The first one will take place during the presentation of the European Film Promotion and will be led by its head – Sonja Heinen. The second one will be dedicated to young filmmakers and will cover the subjects of macro budgeting and guerilla filmmaking. Additionally, Alexey German Jr. will introduce his new film – “DOVLATOV” – to Georgian audience. The event will be followed by a meeting with the producer of the film – Artem Vasilyev.

SUCCESSFUL SOFA ALUMNI

Tara Karajica came to SOFA with an idea of creating an institution that would focus on supporting women in Serbian film industry and ended up creating the “Fade to Her” online magazine. It is about celebrating successful women working in the film industry – says Tara about the “Fade to Her” initiative. The website was launched two days before Berlinale – on February 13, 2018 and has been running ever since on: www.fadetoher.com.

6th SOFA EDITION – CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Film-related cultural managers are invited to apply for the 6th SOFA edition that will be held August 26-31, 2018 in Warsaw, Poland and in April 2019 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Project submission deadline: June 18, 2018. More information on: www.joinsofa.org. Don’t sit on your coach, join SOFA!

Belgrade, April 2018. – This year’s 11^th Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival will presents to the Serbian audience as many as 98 films in 14 programmes at 10 cinemas, with more than 100 guests and a rich programme for film professionals.  The Beldocs Festival will be held from 7 to 14 of May at the following venues: Belgrade Youth Centre, Belgrade Cultural Center Yugoslav Film Archive, Uzun Mirkova, Yugoslav Film Archive Museum, Kosovska, Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, Sava Centre, Kombank Cinema, Cultural Centre Vlada Divljan, Cinema Fontana, Art Cinema Kolarac, Cineplexx Usce.

A WORD FROM THE SELECTOR

Mladen Vušurović, the Festival founder and director said on this occasion:

’Beldocs keeps going strong, led by a great ambition to create a new vision for another forthcoming 10 years. Selectors have worked hard for several months and seen numerous films to choose 98 films to be screened at the Festival in 14 programmes.

The selectors of this year’s Beldocs Marko Grba Singh and Igor Stanojević were in charge of providing stylistic and thematic diversity.

While introducing the programmes of this year’s Festival, Marko Grba Singh said: 'International Competition Programme is characterised by diversity in thematic and stylistic approach, as well as by the perfect balance between great, established authors (Agnes Varda, Abel Ferrara, Claude Lanzmann) and talented, young debutants.

Nine films will compete in the Serbian Competition Programme, five of which are world premieres and one Serbian premiere - the film '4 years in 10 minutes'  (Mladen Kovačević), whose international premiere is  eagerly awaited next week at the festival  Visions du Reel in Nyon.

The programme at old Cinotheque is divided into three selections: Front Page (current political and sociological themes), Planet Earth (nature and anthropology films) and Fireworks (films dedicated to exhilarating or incredible people or events).

The Festival guests in the Retrospective Programme are the Austrian director Ulrich Seidl and the Slovenian director Vlado Skafar.  With a view to connecting a common cultural space of former Yugoslav countries, the Festival’s idea is to dedicate one retrospective each year to directors from these countries.

This year, a new selection - entitled ‘Meteors’ - has been introduced, consisting of radical documentaries and hybrid genres, which will be screened at the Video Hall of the Museum of Contemporary Arts and the new Cinotheque.  This selection’s special quest will be a great Portuguese director Joao Pedro Rodrigues, known to Belgrade audience for his film 'Ornithologist' screened at FAF in 2016.

Igor Stanojević points out that, in creation of the concept of the entire festival, the selectors were guided by the ambition to present the complete wide array of the world documentary films.

‘The Festival will include global blockbusters such as 'Kedi' about Istanbul cats, arthouse sensations 'L. Cohen', as well as everything that goes between.  The main criterion was quality.

Although this year's competition programme is exceptionally intense, a particularly interesting theme, pervading several films, imposed itself:  the growing up is present in films 'Of Fathers and Sons' by Talal Derki, Simon Gillard’s 'Boli Bana' and Viktor Jakovleski’s 'Brimstone & Glory' – growing up in a tribal society, growing up in ISIS, growing up in a small place involved in a dangerous profession of making fireworks – growing ups dispersed across the globe that are very different, but in a certain way essentially very similar.

A Festival’s guest and one of the most important female documentary film-makers Ruth Beckermann is bringing with her the film 'The Waldheim Waltz', which sheds a new light on the official history of Europe.  In addition to Beckermann's film,  the Biographical Documentaries Selection presents  films dedicated to people who have already channelled the course of mankind, through films such as Lorna Tucker’s 'Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist', which will have its international premiere at Beldocs, but also to people who are still doing that, like Israeli writer Etgar Keret.  

The Planeth Earth Programme, which aims at presenting the diversity of life worldwide, is epitomised in a small film 'Small Planets' by Dirk Manthey, which will have its world premiere at this year's Beldocs and which managed, by exceptionally effective concise vignettes, to convey the colour range of all planet Earth's microcosms.'

Marija Vukić, the programme director of Beldocs' Human Rights points out that with this programme the Festival joins in marking 70 years since the signing of the Declaration of Human Rights.

 'In accordance with the programme concept, we have selected the films that address the topics such as genocide, human trafficking and capital punishment.  In addition to film screening and talks with authors after the screenings, we will also organise three moderated panel discussions on the above topics.  The central aim of this programme is to encourage the general public to reflect and take a critical stance, as well as to increase the readiness of an individual and society to recognise and respond to a crime against humanity.’  

Đorđe Marković, the director of the film ‘Who Framed Kaktus Kid?’ which, together with the film ‘In Praise of Nothing’ by Boris Mitić, officially opens the Festival at ‘Sava Centar’ on 7 May, said on this occasion:

 ‘I am exceptionally pleased that my film ‘Who Framed Kaktus Kid’, together with Boris’ film, will open Beldocs Festival. It is my directorial debut produced by Tuna Fish Studio from Belgrade and made with the support of Media Fund and Film Centre Serbia. The Croatian co-producer is Nukleus Film from Zagreb. The theme of the film is the World War Two and a mysterious fate of a cartoonist from that era.  You will be guided through the film narrative by Aleksandar Zograf, one of the most eminent Serbian comic strip authors.’

INDUSTRY PROGRAM

This year’s Industry Programme will gather, as in previous year, numerous documentary film authors who will exchange their professional experiences at Beldocs.  The head of this year’s Industry Programme is M. Đem Uztufekći, who says that ‘Beldocs in Progress’ will be the most important segment of this Programme.

 ‘Beldocs in Progress (BIP) is a platform for presentation of Serbian development-stage documentary films to film professionals from Serbia and abroad. The aim is to facilitate support to production, post-production, distribution and the share of Serbian documentary films at film festivals, televisions and VOD platforms, both in form of presentation of projects to festival programme directors, sales agents, distributors, TV channel directors and prospective co-producers and in form of financial support. This year’s awards are: EUR 2,000 by the Serbian Film Centre and EUR 4,000 by ‘Living Pictures’ production company.

11. BELDOCS PROGRAMME SECTIONS

SERBIAN COMPETITION PROGRAMME

The contemporary Serbian documentary film-making abounds with both original and stylistically diverse, but nevertheless equally provocative works. Films by Serbian authors will compete for three awards: Best Film, Best Camera and Best Editing.

When Pigs Come
Biljana Tutorov, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 72’

Wizard from Mutanj
Branko Lazić, Srbija, 2017, 56’

Who Framed Kaktus Kid?
Đorđe Marković, Serbia, 2018, 65’

4 Years in 10 Minutes
Mladen Kovačević, Serbia, 2018, 63’

Occupied Cinema
Senka Domanović, Srbija, 2018, 87’

Guidance Through the Black Hole
Zlatko Pranjić, Aleksandar Nikolić, Serbia, 2017, 74’

The Chinese Will Come
Tanja Brzaković, Serbia, 2017, 72’

In Praise of Nothing
Boris Mitić, Serbia, Croatia, France, 2017, 78’

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME

The programme consisting of 12 exceptional films, a well-balanced selection of works comprising both films by established authors, who are undoubtedly already a part of film history, and stylistically mature young authors.

·         Faces  Places,  Agnès Varda & JR, France, 2017, 89 min

• Human Flow, Ai Weiwei , Germany 2017, 140 min
• Piazza Vittorio, Abel Ferrara, Italia  2017, 75 min
• Brimstone & Glory, Viktor Jakovleski, USA, Mexico, 2017, 67 min
• Vivre Riche, Joël Richmond Mathieu Akafou, France, Burkina Faso, 2017, 60 min
• Meteors, Gürcan Keltek, Turkey, Netherlands, 2017, 84 min
• Boli Bana, Simon Gillard, Belgium, France 2017, 60 min
• 14 Apples, Midi Z, Taiwan, Myanmar, 2018, 84 min
• Distant Constellation, Shevaun Mizrahi, Turkey Netherlands, USA, 2017, 80 min
• Of Fathers and Sons, Talal Derki, Germany, Siria, Lebanon, 2017 98 min
• Happy Winter, Giovanni Totaro, Italia 2017, 91 min
• Napalm, Claude Lanzmann, France 2017, 100 min

FRONT PAGE

From uprising against the dictatorship in the Democratic Republic of Congo to impact of Brexit – the Front Page Selection presents front pages of the global current political and sociological events, bringing closer to the audience the problems, doubts and dead-ends in which the contemporary society is wandering.

• Golden Dawn Girls, Havard Bustnes, Norway, Denmark, Finland, 2017, 95 m
• When the War Comes, Jan Gebert, Czech, Croatia, 2018, 80 min
• Brexittania, Timothy George Kelly, UK 2017, 80 min
• The Red Soul, Jessica Gorter, Netherland 2017, 90 min
• Moldovan Miracle, Stian Indrevoll, Moldova, Norvay, 2017 82 min
• Phoenixxx, Mihai Gavril Dragolea, Romania, 2017, 50 min
• Stories Our Cinema Did (Not) Tell, Fernanda Pesoa, Brazil 2017, 80 min
• Kinshasa Macambo, Dieudo Hamadi, Congo, Norway, Germany, CH, Qatar , 2018, 75 min
• Laila At The Bridge, Gulistan & Elizabeth Mirzae, Afganistan, Canada, 2018, 98

PLANET EARTH

The films in this selection are characterised by both a committed approach to nature and anthropological research of densely populated and virtually unpopulated areas all around the planet.

• Obscuro Barroco, Evangelia Kranioti, Greece France, 2018, 60 min
• Small Planets, Dirk Manthey, Germany 2018, 97 min
• Habaneros, Julien Temple, UK, 2017, 126 min
• Dusk Chorus – Based on Fragments of Extingtion, Nika Saravanja, Alessandro d’ Emilia, Italia, 2017, 62 min
• The Ancient Wood, Mindaugas Survila, Lithuania 2017, 85 min
• Loving Lorna, Jesica & Annika Karlsson, Ireland, Sweden , 2017, 61 min

FIREWORKS

Multi-coloured film explosions that constitute this programme narrate about rapturing, incredible or dynamic people and events, proving that even seemingly small stories can in its essence be magnificent.

• Kedi, Ceyda Torun, Germany USA, Turkey, 2016, 79  min
• Prince of Nothingwood, Sonia Kronlund, France Germany, 2017, 85 min
• Nokia Mobile – We Were Connecting People, Arto Koskinen, Finland 2017, 92
• Avec L’Amour, Ilija Cvetkovski, Makedonija 2017, 66 min
• The Ugliest Car, Grzegorz Szczepaniak, Poland, 2017, 47 min
• A Modern Man, Eva Mulvuc, Danmark, Germany, 2017, 85 min
• Donkeyote, Chico Perreira, Spain, Germany UK, 2017, 86 min
• On the Edge of Freedom, Anita Mathal Hopland & Jens Lengerke, Demnark, Russia, Ukraina, 2017, 75 min
• Majči, Josip Lukić, Hrvatska 2018, 52 min
• The Lovetts, Igor Bezinović, Hrvatska 2018, 16 min

METEORS

Just as meteor rains illuminate a night sky, so does this selection of radical arthouse documentaries, hybrid genres and documentary-fictional forms represent some sort of lighthouse that provides the viewer with the insight into diversity and freedom that film expression can have.

• Gens Du Lac, Jean Marie Straub, Belgium, CH, 2018, 17 min
• Cohen, James Benning, USA 2018, 48 miN
• Our Beloved Month of August, Migel Gomes, Portugal, 2008, 150 min
• Mjesta (na kojima nisam bio), Dane Komljen, Srbija 2010, 22 min
• China, 87. The Others, Jean-Pierre Outers, Violaine de Villers, Belgium 2017, 60
• Babylon, Ala Eddine Slim, Ismael & Youssef Chebbi, Tunis 2012, 112 min
• Let the Summer Never Come Again, Aleksandre Koberidze, Georgia 2017, 202 min
• Where Do You Stand Now, Joao Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal, 2017, 21 min
• Last Time I Saw Makao, Joao Pedro Rodrigues & Joao Rui Guerra Damata, Portugal, 2012, 85 min

RETROSPECTIVE: ULRICH SEIDL

In his work, Seidl is predominantly focused on people on the edge of society and through their individual stories he speaks about the many. The retrospective includes six films, while the author himself will honour the programme with his presence.

• Der Ball, Austria,  1982,  50 min
• Good News, Austria,  1990,  130 min
• Loss is to be Expected, Austria,  1992,  118 min
• Animal Love, Austria, 1996, 120 min
• Jesus, You Know, Austria, 2003, 87 min
• In the Basement, Austria Germany, 2014, 81 min

RETROSPECTIVE: VLADO ŠKAFAR

As one of the most important authors from former Yugoslavia, Škafar with his meditative and subtle non-narrative films shapes the world in which lie is doomed to fail. The director with the deep sense of humanity enters into psychological characterisation and even words become images.

• A Girl and a Tree, Vlado Škafar, Slovenia, 2012, 83 min
• Letter to a Child, Vlado Škafar, Slovenia, 2009, 100 min
• Nighttime with Mojca, Vlado Škafar, Slovenia, 2012, 83 min

FOCUS: BALTIC STATES

This year Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia mark 100 years of their first declaration of independence. This special programme dedicated to the cinematography of these countries presents 6 films, which represent the finest works of contemporary documentary film-making in Baltic States.

• Wonderful Losers: A Different World, Arunas Matelis, Lithuania, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium,

       Latvia, Northern Ireland – UK, Ireland, Spain, 2017, 72 min

• Paradise Gowns, Albina Griniute, Lithuania, Finland, 2016, 61 min
• One Ticket, Please, Matiss Kaža, Latvia, USA, 2017, 65 min
• Varpa – Promise Land, Bruno Aščuks, Latvia, 2017, 95 min
• Soviet Hippies, Terje Toomistu, Estonia, 2017, 75 min
• Rodeo, Raimo Joerand, Kiur Aarma, Estonia, Finland, 2018, 74 min

BELDOCS HUMAN RIGHTS

On the occasion of marking 70 years since the signing of the Declaration of Human Rights, Beldocs presents this programme of films and panel discussions with eminent experts on the topics of genocide, human trafficking and capital punishment.

• Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial & Depiction, Joe Berlinger, USA 2017, 115 min
• Hanaa, Giuseppe Carrieri, Italia, 2017, 87 min
• Tricked, John Keith Wasson, Jane Wells, USA Sweden, 2013, 76 min
• Mirsada, Danilo Marunović, Crna Gora 2017, 52 min
• The Penalty, Will Francome, Mark  Pizzey , USA UK, 2017, 90 min

BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARIES

• Born Just Now, Robert Adanto, USA 2018, 84 m
• The Waldheim Waltz, Ruth Beckermann, Austria 2018, 93 min
• Big Time, Kaspar Astrup Schroder, Denmark, 2017, 90 min
• Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story, Stephane Kaas, Izrael, Netherland,2017, 54
• Rezo, Leo Cabriadze, Georgia, Russia, 2017, 63 min
• Mapa puna snova, Danilo Lola Ilić, Hrvatska 2017, - Premijera u Centru za kulturu Vlada

       Divljan

• Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist, Lorna Tuker, UK, 2018, 78 min

MUSIC AND DANCE DOCUMENTARIES

• Bobbi Jene, Elvira Lind, Denmark,Sweden, 2017, 94 min
• Matangi/MAYA/M.I.A. , Steve Loveridge, Sri Lanka, UK, USA, 2018, 95 min
• Festiwal, Anna Gawlita, Tomasz Wolski, Poland 2017, 85 min
• Conny Plank: The Potential of Noise, Reto Caduff, Stephan Plank, Germany 2017, 92 min
• Alive in France, Abel Ferrara, France 2017, 79 min

·         Capoeira, Jorge Itapuã,  Brazil 2017, 73 min

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

• Hotel Jugoslavija, Nicolas Wagnieres, CH 2018, 78 min
• Blok 70, Zhi Wang, China Serbia, 2018 75 min
• Sarajevo, Mustafa Mustafić, BH 2017, 70 min
• Our New President, Maxim Pozdorovkin, USA, Russia, 2018, 77 min
• Glasnije od oružja, Miroslav Sikavica, Hrvatska 2017, 86 min
• Road Movie, Dmitrii Kalashnikov, Belarus, Russia, Serbia, BH, Croatia, 2016, 67
• Hram cvijeća, Irena Škorić, Hrvatska, 2018, 56 min

Main Award for NOVEMBER, Best Director goes to Bernadett Tuza-Ritter for A WOMAN CAPTURED

The 18th edition of goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film came to a successful conclusion on 24 April with an extensive awards ceremony at Wiesbaden’s Caligari FilmBühne. Following an exciting week of cinema, virtual reality, lectures, discussions and workshops featuring 103 films and over 200 guests from the international film scene, the winners of the competitions were honoured at the festive event, where awards representing a total value of 30,000 euros were presented. 

The Golden Lily, the Award for Best Film, went to NOVEMBER (Estonia, Netherlands, Poland 2017, Director: Rainer Sarnet; Production: Katrin Kissa). The five-member jury headed by Ildikó Enyedi explained its decision with the exceptional, outstanding realisation by the director, for the courage of the producer to fight for this vision. “For the powerful vision, the true poetry, the free humour, and to the whole team believing in it and giving their talent and passion, the Award for the Best Film goes to the film NOVEMBER”, according to the jury. Rainer Sarnet's dark folklore fairy tale in high-contrast black and white receives prize money of 10,000 euros.

Director Bernadett Tuza-Ritter won the Award of the City of Wiesbaden for Best Director, endowed with prize money of 7,500 euros, with her film A WOMAN CAPTURED (Hungary, Germany 2017). In particular, the jury emphasized the accuracy and wisdom of the selection for the best expression to tell the story. “For the bravery of the minimalistic approach, and for directing in a tender and a patient way not only the film, but also the life of the protagonist, the Award of the City of Wiesbaden for Best Director goes to Bernadett Tuza-Ritter.”

Festival director Heleen Gerritsen emphasised: “I am enthusiastic about the loyal goEast core audience, who met with great passion in the cinema, participated in film talks and was very open-minded about our innovations such as virtual reality. As a new director, you feel right at home. Every evening, star directors, young filmmakers, documentary filmmakers, animation artists, VR artists and festival guests from various countries met at the festival center and talked and celebrated with vodka until late at night. goEast is really a festival of encounters!”

The film THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING (Serbia, France, Qatar 2017; Director Mila Turajlić) on the protests that led to the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević won the Award of the Federal Foreign Office for Cultural Diversity (4,000 euros). According to a statement from the jury, the film captures a deeply personal story. “The film gives a unique view into the life of a strong woman swimming against the tide. It draws attention to an important topic of today:  the fragility and vulnerability of democracy.”

In addition, the jury honoured REZO (Russia 2017; director: Levan Gabriadze) with honourable mentions. “The heart-warming family story set among the waves of the history of the 20th century, told with humour and humanity. The form of the film fits the topic brilliantly.”

The International Film Critic's Award (FIPRESCI Prize) went to ICE MOTHER (Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, France 2017; director: Bohdan Sláma) in the fiction feature category. A middle-aged widow breaks the constraints of stifling conventions and enjoys her discovery of another life-style. “The mise en scène of her hilarious choices, with its strong echo of the absurd, leads to surprising changes.” The social satire inspires with its vitality, so the jury.

A WOMAN CAPTURED (Hungary, Germany 2017, director: Bernadett Tuza-Ritter) won the FIPRESCI prize for best documentary. The film about the exploitation of an unpaid servant in a latter-day family is a striking portrait of a brave woman’s struggle for freedom. “We have chosen this German-Hungarian production because of the coherence of its point of view, for its artistic rigor and its social impact.”

Artist duo Denis Semenov and Natalia Severina won the Virtual Reality Competition’s Open Frame Award, made possible with the generous support of BHF BANK Foundation for their work NOMINAL EMPIRE (Russia 2018). The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros. The jury statement states: "The imaginative engagement with one's own history is consistently translated into expressive pictorial worlds. The viewer has the opportunity to gain aesthetic experience in a postmodern world and to move freely in the dystopian mind-set of the makers.” With the first place the jury honours the exceptional conceptual and technical achievements of this artist couple.
An honourable mention was received HERE AND THERE (Belarus 2017) by Kiryll Halitsky. The threatening victory of everyday life over the creative work of an author will be implemented excellently.

The project RETURN MY HANDS by Konstantin Selin was awarded the goEast Development Award (3,500 euros) with the kind support of Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, for the best pitch at the East-West Talent Lab. The protagonist of RETURN MY HANDS uses his skills as a surgeon specialised in fingers and limbs to attract an audience for his filmmaking. "Two opposing worlds: microsurgery and filmmaking – Konstantin Selin's view on the Russian health care system is humorous and disturbing”, explained the jury. An honorable mention was given to INHABITANTS by Mery Aghakhanyan. Strong in both social relevance and visual style, this documentary project brings us to the forgotten inhabitants of an Armenian container settlement for displaced persons.

The 18th edition of goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film took place from 18 to 24 April in Wiesbaden, Germany. Among the festival’s many highlights were personal appearances by internationally celebrated filmmakers such as Boris Khlebnikov, Ildikó Enyedi and Ābrams Kleckins. Under the title “Hybrid Identities – Baltic Cinema”, this year’s goEast Symposium was also met with great interest by both film scholars and the general public alike.

--
An overview of all goEast 2018 prize winners:

Best Film
NOVEMBER
Estonia, Netherlands, Poland 2017; Director: Rainer Sarnet; Production: Katrin Kissa

Award of the City of Wiesbaden for Best Director 
A WOMAN CAPTURED
Hungary, Germany 2017; Director: Bernadett Tuza-Ritter

Award of the Federal Foreign Office for Cultural Diversity
THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING
Serbia, France, Qatar 2017; Director: Mila Turajlić

International Film Critic's Award (FIPRESCI Prize) – Feature Film
ICE MOTHER
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Franc 2017; Director: Bohdan Sláma

International Film Critic's Award (FIPRESCI Prize) – Documentary
A WOMAN CAPTURED
Hungary, Germany 2017; Director: Bernadett Tuza-Ritter

Open Frame Award
NOMINAL EMPIRE
Russia 2018; Denis Semenov and Natalia Severina

goEast Development Award
RETURN MY HANDS
Konstantin Selin

American Film Festival for the fourth year in a row got on the prestigious list of the “MovieMaker” Magazine’s “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.”

“MovieMaker” is one of the most important American trade magazines, with a wide range of readers also outside the US. The “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” list prepared by “MovieMaker” includes original events that are characterized by creativity and unconventional solutions, keeping the pulse of film life, while remaining in an open dialogue with the viewers. The magazine appreciated American Film Festival (among others) for a fresh look at the American cinema, screenings of new films from the USA long before their Polish premiere, presentation of the work of independent directors from across the Ocean or extensive cooperation with artists within the US in Progress. Importantly, the list prepared by “MovieMaker” includes only 8 events from outside the United States (among them also Camerimage from Bydgoszcz in Poland).

The 9th American Film Festival will  take place in October 23–28. You can read more about AFF at americanfilmfestival.pl.

Submit you movie here. Free of charge. Open till July 15.