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FESTIVALS Germany

The goEast Film Festival gears up for its 17th edition

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- The upcoming edition of the German gathering in Wiesbaden will hand the limelight to women filmmakers and female main characters

The goEast Film Festival gears up for its 17th edition
My Happy Family by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß

Female filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe and leading female on-screen characters will be the main focal point of the 17th goEast Film Festival, which takes place from 26 April–2 May in Wiesbaden and the surrounding area. The festival is aiming high this year, with an expanded competition programme that covers the whole region, special screenings, workshops, lectures, discussions and an engaging industry section.

The international competition, which includes 16 entries – ten fiction features and six documentaries – will kick off with My Happy Family [+see also:
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interview: Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon G…
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]
by Georgian-German directorial duo Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß, well known on the festival circuit for their debut, In Bloom [+see also:
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interview: Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simo…
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. Another entry from Georgia is the Berlinale-premiered documentary City of the Sun [+see also:
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by Rati Oneli. Central Europe is the leader of the pack in terms of competition entries, with four feature-length fiction films (The Citizen [+see also:
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by Hungary’s Roland Vranik, The Teacher [+see also:
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interview: Jan Hřebejk
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by acclaimed Czech director Jan Hřebejk, the Rotterdam hit Filthy [+see also:
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interview: Tereza Nvotová
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by debutant Tereza Nvotová and The Sun, The Sun Blinded Me [+see also:
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interview: Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal
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, a Polish adaptation of Camus by Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal) and two documentaries: Paweł Łoziński’s latest, You Have No Idea How Much I Love You, and Teaching War by the Czech Republic’s Adéla Komrzý. South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans will also enjoy a strong presence, with three fiction films (The Fixer [+see also:
film review
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interview: Adrian Sitaru
interview: Tudor Aaron Istodor
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by Romanian auteur Adrian SitaruQuit Staring at My Plate [+see also:
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interview: Hana Jušić
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by Croatian debutant Hana Jušić and Bojan Vuletić’s sophomore effort, Requiem for Mrs. J. [+see also:
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interview: Bojan Vuletić
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) as well as the Croatian documentary Islands of Forgotten Cinemas by Ivan Ramljak. Russia is taking part with two documentaries, All Roads Lead to Afrin by Arina Adju, and Russia as Phantasma by Andrey Silvestrov and Daniil Zinchenko. Finally, Dāvis SīmanisExiled [+see also:
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, a World War I drama co-produced by Latvia and Lithuania, and A Father’s Will by Bakyt Mukul and Dastan Zhapar Uulu, a drama set in the Kyrgyz highlands, round off the line-up.

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Focusing on feminism and female directors, the goEast Homage has chosen to pay tribute to acclaimed Hungarian screenwriter and director Márta Mészáros. Her films, which consistently feature female main characters, have always focused on key social topics, addressed from a direct and critical point of view. Alongside this, the goEast Symposium examines the topic of “Reluctant Feminism: Women Filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe” through 26 films, and nine lectures and discussions. In addition, Czech cinema will be this year’s focus country.

In conjunction with the screenings, goEast organises parallel industry and educational activities. The innovative OPPOSE OTHERING! section raises awareness of key human rights issues via five films by young directorial duos that will be having their world premieres. Furthermore, the new edition of the East-West Talent Lab will allow 30 professionals to explore the film industry through discussions, pitching workshops and master classes. Finally, the third edition of Young Filmmakers for Peace will focus on bringing together filmmakers from areas that are, or have been, affected by armed conflict.

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