The 19th edition of the CinÉast – Central and Eastern European Film Festival, taking place in Luxembourg from 9 to 25 October, will present over 65 feature films and 60 shorts from 20 countries spread over more than 120 screenings. The festival will also welcome around 40 international guests and host six debates, six concerts, screenings dedicated to young audiences and an extensive photography exhibition revolving around this year’s central theme, “Crossroads”. Part of the selection will also be available online via CinEast Online Cinema.

The official opening ceremony, scheduled for 14 October, will feature a screening of Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where the Polish filmmaker won the Best Director Award.  It will be preceded by the Warm-Up Weekend (9-11 October), which will include a tribute to the Oscar-winning production designer Allan Starski and a concert by Shantel & Bucovina Club Soundsystem.

This year, seven films are vying for the Grand Prix and the Special Jury Prize: Cecilia Ștefănescu’s A Safe Place,, Blerta Basholli’s Dua, Bohdan Karásek’s Everything As It Should Be, Igor Jelinović’s Honey Bunny, Ivan Ostrochovský’s Only Beautiful Things to Look At, Visar Morina’s Shame and Money and Łukasz Ronduda’s Tell Me What You Feel.

The international jury which shall bestow these awards, chaired by Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi, also includes Bulgarian director Petar Valchanov, Macedonian filmmaker Georgi M Unkovski, Italian-Luxembourgish director and producer Fabrizio Maltese and Luxembourgish actress and screenwriter Jeanne Werner.

The press jury, tasked with awarding the Critics’ Prize, consists of Paulo Lobo, Marko Stojiljković (Cineuropa) and Öykü Sofuoğlu (Outskirts Film Magazine/Emitaï).

Meanwhile, the Young Talents Competition will bring together five first or second features: 17 by Kosara Mitić, Flood by Martin Gonda, I Matter by Alina Şerban, My Father’s Shoes by Hristo Simeonov and No Ghosts on Good Street by Emi Buchwald. They will be evaluated by four students from the BTS Cinéma et audiovisuel course at the Lycée des Arts et Métiers: Elvin Gil Aires, Kiana Konter, Amin Licina and Mary Rodriguez Usselmann.

Following last year’s focus on Poland, CinEast is dedicating this year’s country focus to Bulgaria, showcasing seven feature films and several shorts and featuring meetings with Bulgarian filmmakers as well as two concerts. The directing duo Kristina Grozeva-Petar Valchanov will also be at the centre of a Tribute. The special programme dedicated to Ukraine, which has been presented in various forms since 2022, shall continue with six feature films and two debates.

Other highlights include a six-film retrospective marking the centenary of the birth of Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, as well as a tribute to Allan Starski, known for his work on Schindler’s List and The Pianist. The festival will also host the local premieres of two Luxembourgish co-productions: 3 Weeks After by Miroslav Terzić and Guria by Levan Koguashvili.

Finally, the industry strand will return with the 15th edition of CinEast Pro, the co-production meeting organised in collaboration with Film Fund Luxembourg, a number of professional organisations and various film institutes. The initiative aims to foster encounters between Luxembourgish professionals and their counterparts from Central and Eastern Europe, as well as nurture new collaborations.