The 17th edition of the Central And Eastern European Film Festival (or CinEast) is set to launch on Thursday. Lasting until Sunday, 20 October, the programme offers a host of films, guests, debates and live music.
The festival’s artistic director, Hynek Dedecius, spoke with the Luxembourg Times about the festival’s beginnings, its unique benefits and challenges, and the ongoing context which continues to define film in Central and Eastern Europe.
A place in Luxembourg’s cultural landscape
Dedecius said festival organizers started with very little experience and a DIY approach. “We started off as a small showcase of films from four countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia – organised by a few movie fans.”
But since its first edition, the festival has grown considerably in scope and diversity – attracting a broader audience each year. “Throughout the years we have added new countries and gradually increased the number of films and screenings as well as various events.”
Today, the festival brings to Luxembourg films from 21 post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It attracted over 10,000 visitors during its 2023 edition.
“Over the years we have gathered a lot of experience and we do our best to present an interesting programme each year to make our audiences happy, even though there is a lot of work to do behind the scenes.
“We are proud of the fact that we have managed to bring many renowned filmmakers, actors and also music bands to Luxembourg audiences and we hope that CinEast has found its place in Luxembourg’s cultural landscape, bringing something valuable as well as enjoyable.”
Something for everyone
“There is something for everyone,” Dedecius said. “The 17th edition presents a ‘Focus on Croatia’ with ten films, six guests, a tribute to director Rajko Grlić, two programmes for children (animations from Zagreb Film) and a ciné-concert with the band Chui.”
Ukraine, Dedecius added, continues to be a focus of attention for the festival, too. The special Ukrainian programme includes “five feature films, a debate, several guests and a concert by the Eurovision 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine, playing 29 September at Rockhal.”
Another musical highlight will be the opening concert with Lidiya Koycheva & Balkan Orkestra, which the artistic director predicts will be a highly energetic show.
“Then, of course, we have plenty of exceptional films, starting with the seven films in competition and five films in our Young Talents Selection, catering to lovers of all genres and cinema-goers of all ages.”
Children’s and teen-oriented films, comedies, documentaries, dramas and classics are all on the menu this year. “Moreover, there is the ‘Luxembourg meets CinEast’ programme with three avant-premieres of films co-produced by Luxembourg with special guests attending.
“Mother Mara by and with the Serbian star Mirjana Karanović, Tarika by Milko Lazarov and the documentary Zinema by Kornii Hrytsiuk. Over 20 screenings will be followed by Q&As with our guests, and the audience will also have the opportunity to attend six ‘national evenings’ ending with get-togethers with drinks and authentic snacks. There is something for everyone.”
‘United We Stand’
The theme of this year’s CinEast Film Festival is “United We Stand”, which Dedecius points out is the opposite of the expression “Divided We Fall”. Stressing a sense of unity and solidarity, “it stems from the current situation and developments in the world – and specifically in Europe. The theme is reflected in our extensive photographic exhibition at Neimënster on Wednesday, 2 October at 18:30.”
The political context remains salient. This year marks the 20th anniversary of many Central and Eastern European countries’ accession to the EU, Dedecius noted, and the festival’s broader scope keeps such historical themes in mind.
“Besides the incontestable need for solidarity with Ukraine and unity in Europe,” he said, “the thematic cycle also broaches broader societal concerns: the vital importance of shared values, the need for dialogue and communication, the prevention polarisation and fragmentation of our societies, and fighting intolerance.”
Luxembourg, in this respect, is a unique place to hold a multilingual film festival. At first, Dedecius said, the core audience were people from Central and Eastern Europe coming to see films from their home country.
“But this has changed dramatically over the years and now you can hear all possible languages in the corridor before our screenings. We are so happy to see people of all the different nationalities coming to our screenings and events – for us it has always been very important to bring together the different communities co-existing in this unique country and provide an opportunity for them to get out of their bubbles, meet new people, learn about other cultures, discover new things, broaden perspectives and also simply have a good time.
“This element of cultural exchange, learning from each other and facilitating new friendships,” he added, “is something that we value very much.”
Artistic freedom and charity
“The context and developments in the region are naturally reflected also in artistic creation,” he explained in regards to the region’s evolving political situations.
“We have always been attentive to presenting independent works that might often contain critical views and depictions of the current reality in the region. We value artistic freedom as well as original and inventive approaches, and are eager to contribute to reflection and discussions as with our ciné-debates and screenings followed by talks on a certain topic with experts.
“This year,” he continued, “we have prepared four such events – a women’s event focusing on crises in relationships, a discussion about environment and carbon tax, a talk about the current developments in Belarus and a debate on the situation in Ukraine.”
Like last year, CinEast is to continue its charitable work with its project “CinEast4Ukraine”. So far, the festival has successfully collected the funds for two ambulances which were sent to help people in Ukraine – and Dedecius hopes they will be able to finance another one this year.
“People can support our charity simply by purchasing a festival pass (€1 from each pass goes to the project), attending the charity concert of Kalush Orchestra, adding a donation when buying tickets, or directly in cinemas by contributing to our on-site donation boxes.”
The Central and Eastern European Film Festival launches on 3 October, and lasts until 20 October. You can find the full programme here.
Source link : https://www.luxtimes.lu/culture/cineast-film-festival-launches-its-17th-edition/21185944.html
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Publish date : 2024-10-02 10:34:11
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