The festival is organising competitions in the categories New Voices in Documentary Cinema, Central and Eastern European, Romania (with 11 films including four world premieres and two national premieres), and Docschool. Several dozen other films will be screened as part of Astra Film Junior, in the training and development programme Doc Tank, and in the immersive space of the Cinema DOM built in the Large Square of the city.
In 2021, the festival was included by the European Film Academy on the list of festivals eligible to make direct nominations for the European Film Awards.
The International Documentary Festival Astra Film is organised by Astra Film, CNM Astra, and the Astra Film Foundation, under the High Patronage of the President of Romania. It has the Ministry of Culture as a strategic partner and it is supported by the Sibiu County Council, the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), the Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in Sibiu, the Romanian Cultural Institute, AFCN, and the Romanian Filmmakers’ Union (UCIN). The event is co-financed by the Sibiu Local Council through the Sibiu City Hall.
New Voices in Documentary Cinema Competition Section:
Flying Lessons (USA)
Directed by Elizabeth Nichols
My Stolen Planet / Sayyareye Dozdide Shodeye Man (Germany, Iran)
Directed by Farahnaz Sharifi
Shahid (Germany)
Directed by Narges Kalhor
I'm Not Everything I Want to Be / Ještě nejsem, kým chci být (Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia)
Directed by Klára Tasovská
Ever Since I Knew Myself / Rats Tavi Makhsovs (Georgia)
Directed by Maka Gogaladze
Fragments of Ice / Fragmenty lyodu (Norway, Ukraine)
Directed by Maria Stoianova
Intercepted (Canada, France, Ukraine)
Directed by Oksana Karpovych
Savannah and the Mountain (Portugal, Uruguay)
Directed by Paulo Carneiro
Rising up at Night / Tongo Saa (Belgium, Germany, Burkina Faso, Congo, Qatar)
Directed by Nelson Makengo
Henry Fonda for President ( Austria, Germany)
Directed by Alexander Horwath
Central and Eastern European Competition Section:
Ship / Brod (Croatia)
Directed by Elvis Lenić
Smiling Georgia / ღიმილიანი საქართველო (Georgia, Germany)
Directed by Luka Beradze
House with a Voice (Germany)
Directed by Kristine Nrecaj, Birthe Templin
We Call Her Hanka / Bei Uns Heisst Sie Hanka (Germany)
Directed by Grit Lemke
Songs of the Slow Burning Earth / Пісні землі, що повільно горить (Denmark, France, Sweden, Ukraine)
Directed by Olha Zhurba
Photophobia (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine)
Directed by Ivan Ostrochovský, Pavol Pekarčík
Of Caravan and the Dogs (Germany)
Directed by Aslkod Kurov, Anonymous1)
Forest / LAS (Czech Republic, Poland)
Directed by Lidia Duda
TATA (Romania)
Directed by Radu Ciorniciuc, Lina Vdovîi
Limits of Europe / Hranice Evropy (Czech Republic, France, Slovakia)
Directed by Apolena Rychlíková
Leo Records: Strictly for Our Friends (Romania)
Directed by Ioana Grigore
Romania Competition Section:
Bloodied Photographs / Fotografii însângerate (Romania)
Directed by Copel Moscu
An Almost Perfect Family / O familie aproape perfectă (Romania)
Directed by Tudor Platon
Forbidden / Interzis (Romania)
Directed by Anelise Sălan
Family Movies / Pelicule de familie (Romania)
Directed by Dan Curean
Triton (Romania)
Directed by Ana Lungu
24 Hours / 24 Stunden (Austria)
Directed by Harald Friedl
Imaginary Youth / Vis. Viață (Romania)
Directed by Ruxandra Gubernat
A Cautionary Tale / Cum să fiu mort, dacă-s viu? (Romania, UK)
Directed by Ilinca Călugăreanu
Zagor's Death / Moartea lui Iosif Zagor (Romania)
Directed by Adrian Dohotaru
Between Silence and Sin / Între tăcere și păcat (Romania)
Directed by Diana Nicolae
Alice On & Off (Romania)
Directed by Isabela Tent
Maia - Portrait with Hands / Maia – Portret cu mâini (Germania, Romania)
Directed by Alexandra Gulea
As The Clock Runs / Ahogy az óra jár (Romania)
Directed by Fecső Zoltán
Click HERE to see the Docschool Competition selection and HERE for the press release.