30/09/2024 - Among this year’s offerings are new film productions from Central and Eastern Europe, a master class with Alexander Nanau and a selection of urgent Ukrainian films

Unspooling in Luxembourg from 6-23 October, the 17th edition of CinÉast will showcase this year’s finest cinematic and artistic creations from Central and Eastern Europe. Over the course of 18 days, 65 features and 45 short films by directors from 20 countries will be screened in venues in and around Luxembourg. Part of the programme will also be available online on the festival’s dedicated VoD platform, CinÉast Online Cinema.

This year’s edition will centre on the theme “United We Stand”, addressing broader concerns of division and polarisation, the need for unity in Europe – marking the 20th anniversary of eight CEE countries joining the EU – and solidarity with Ukraine. The theme will be examined through a selection of fiction and documentary films, an eponymous photography exhibition, and a ciné-debate (find more information about other ciné-debates here).

Staying true to its tradition of highlighting a specific country each year, this edition will focus on Croatia. The festival will present a tribute to Croatian director Rajko Grlić, screening his latest film, It All Ends Here [+see also:
film review
film profile], alongside his 1984 work In the Jaws of Life. The Croatia focus programme rounds up eight feature-length films, including such notable titles as This Is Not a Love Song [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Nevio Marasović (screened during the Croatian evening in the presence of lead actress and co-writer Lana Barić), Hotel Pula [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Andrej Korovljev, The Holy Family [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Vlatka Vorkapić, Celebration [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bruno Anković
film profile] by Bruno Anković and Frka by Svebor Mihael Jelić. The focus programme also features three acclaimed Croatian short films, including the winner of the Short Film Palme d'Or at Cannes, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent by Nebojša Slijepčević, and two children’s programmes, Cow on the Moon and episodes of the Professor Balthazar series, produced by the Zagreb Film animation studio. As part of the spotlight on the country, there will also be an exhibition by Croatian artist Ivan Radman and a film-concert by Croatian jazz group Chui, performing the live soundtrack to Walter Ruttmann’s silent film Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927). 

The festival reaffirms its commitment to Ukrainian filmmakers and artists at this year’s edition. Several Ukrainian films will be highlighted as part of this effort, including Lessons of Tolerance [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Arkadiy Nepytaliuk, Intercepted [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Oksana Karpovych, Porcelain War by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev (the winner of Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize), and Songs of Slow Burning Earth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olha Zhurba
film profile] by Olha Zhurba (screened during the Ukrainian evening and followed by a ciné-debate). A special concert by Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra (the winners of Eurovision 2022) on 29 September prefaced the programme, with part of the proceeds going to the CinEast4Ukraine charity project. The Tamara Lukasheva Quartet will perform on 13 October for a “Pause Meets CinÉast” matinee. 

This year’s main competition features seven films: 78 Days [+see also:
film review
interview: Emilija Gašić
film profile] by Emilija Gašić, a debut feature about three sisters in Serbia starting a Hi8 video diary after their father is drafted during the 1999 NATO bombing; the Berlinale Forum-premiered Holy Week [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrei Cohn
film profile] by Andrei Cohn, a historical drama unfolding in a 19th-century Romanian village; Lesson Learned [+see also:
film review
interview: Bálint Szimler
film profile] by Bálint Szimler, an independently financed film involving ten Hungarian production companies, which received a Special Mention and the Leopard for Best Performance (for Anna Mészöly) at the Locarno Film Festival; Minghun by Jan P Matuszynski, an intricately filmed story that delves into the clash of two cultures within one family, celebrating its international premiere at CinÉast; the Tallinn Black Nights First Feature Competitor Mr. And Mrs. Stodola [+see also:
film review
interview: Petr Hátle
film profile] by Petr Hátle, the director’s fiction-feature debut that presents a psychological drama expanding the confines of true-crime narratives; Locarno’s Golden Leopard winner Toxic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Saulė Bliuvaitė
film profile] by Saulė Bliuvaitė; and the Karlovy Vary-premiered title Windless [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pavel G Vesnakov
film profile] by Pavel G Vesnakov, the director's sophomore feature that centres on a young man’s redemptive homecoming. The seven films are competing for the Grand Prix, the Special Jury Prize and the Critics’ Prize.

The international jury will be led by Romanian director Alexander Nanau, who will also hold a master class at CinÉast. The other jury members are Estonian director Anna Hints, Luxembourgish director Jacques Molitor, Hungarian director Szilárd Bernáth and Luxembourgish actress Hana Sofia Lopes.

More information about this edition’s programme can be found here.