Astra Film Festival brings again the Dome-type cinema to Piața Mare in Sibiu and proposes, between October 9-16, the special AFF New Media program, dedicated to viewers of all ages who want to be initiated in digital cinema - Concept Art, VR, Augmented Reality. The International Documentary Film Festival in Sibiu will thus be an exceptional itinerant excursion, from classic non-fiction cinema to immersive, unconventional cinema that uses the latest creative technologies, from viewings in the cinema to the unprecedented 360-degree cross-media projections experience. Tickets for AFF2022 films and events have gone on sale and can be purchased here: https://bilete.astrafilm.ro/.
Started six years ago, as the only program of its kind in Romania, the films created and projected in the format of new technologies are grouped this year under the aegis of Astra Film NewMedia, signaling the fact that, after 6 years, the production of films dedicated to immersive stories has changed, it has diversified and evolved.
"If 2020 was the year of a reinvention forced by the pandemic, and we had Astra Film Online and Astra Film Outdoor, in 2022 we are returning to the digital education platform and transforming Piața Mare into the most intense point of interaction for fans of unconventional cinematography. In the dome located in the heart of Sibiu, immersive and 360° films will be projected, a selection of the best productions of the moment, relevant for the New Media area", declares Dumitru Budrala, director-founder of Astra Film Festival.
AFF New Media audiences will enjoy an immersive cinematic experience, watching some of the newest and most immersive 360° films. It will basically be a continuous journey. From the microcosm to the macrocosm, from the microscopic to the celestial, on the rhythms of electronic music and jazz ("Black Mantis" - UK, 2021). We will immerse in a spiritual journey, triggered by a dose of ayahuasca ("Ayahuasca, Kosmik journey" - France, Luxembourg, 2019 - film selected at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in 2019), or into the story of the endless journey of the two Voyager space probes, which carry with them the interstellar message sent from Earth to possible extraterrestrial civilizations ("Voyager: the never ending journey", Ukraine, 2019).
The audience will be drawn into a hypnotic and immersive experience where questions are raised subtly, with fantasy and lyricism ("I don't understand" - Spain, 2022), in a visual feast that amazes with the instant connection with the sky and nature, through music ("Piano Under the Stars" - Chile, Spain, 2020), or directly into the mysteries of the Universe, as they are revealed by scientists from the largest radio telescope in the world, together with the Yamaji people - on whose land the telescope is built ("Star Dreaming" - Australia, 2021).
There will be screenings dedicated also to younger audiences, invited to find out curiosities and explanations about light and the way we perceive it, in a unique fulldome experience ("Travelling with light" - Spain, 2020), traditions and scientific methods derived from a journey in the footsteps of Captain Cook and the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman ("Ngā Tohunga Whakatere - The Navigators" - New Zealand, 2021), the story of the seasons, with a strong educational character ("Magic globe - a story of the seasons" - Poland , 2020) or "Legend of the Enchanted Reef" - Germany, 2021, an adventure film to be watched with the whole family.
About Astra Film Festival
Astra Film Festival Sibiu, launched in 1993 as an innovative project, is one of the most important non-fiction film festivals in Europe, and was included by the European Film Academy on the list of festivals that have the right to make direct nominations for European Film Awards.
Astra Film Festival is placed under the High Patronage of the President of Romania and is organized by Astra Film, CNM Astra and the Astra Film Foundation, with the support of the Sibiu County Council, The Ministry of Culture, The National Center of Cinematography, The Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in Sibiu and The Filmmakers Union. The event is co-financed by the Sibiu Local Council through the Sibiu City Hall and by the European Union through the Creative Europe Program.
Sponsors: Campari, Promenada Sibiu, Ursus, Cotnari, Cinelab, CineGold, Sonne, Kulinarium, Cafe Pardon, Nod
Main Media Partners: PRO TV, VOYO
Supported by Europa FM
Media Partners: HotNews, Radio România Cultural, News.ro, G4Media, Edupedu, Spotmedia, PressHub, TV5 Monde, Film New Europe, Cineuropa, All About Romanian Cinema, Movienews, Observator cultural, LiterNet, Films in Frame, Film Menu, Cinefilia, Capital cultural, Turnul sfatului, Tribuna, Sibiu 100%, Ora de Sibiu, Știri de Sibiu, Sibiul azi, Zile și nopți, Transilvania, Hermanstadter Zeitung, A List Magazine
Press monitoring partner: MediaTRUST
Delivery partner: DPD România
Travel partner: Nordis Travel
Reading partner: Cărturești
Communications Partner: PiArt Vision
