The 25th anniversary edition of #goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film concluded in Wiesbaden with Holy Electricity (GEO, NLD 2024) by Tato Kotetishvili winning the prestigious Golden Lily for Best Film. The jury, chaired by director Jasmila Žbanić, praised its vivid cinematography and subtle humour, awarding the top prize along with €10,000.
The festival, marking its final edition under director #Heleen Gerritsen# before #Rebecca Heiler# takes over in June 2025, featured 83 films and over 200 international guests. More than €25,000 in prizes were distributed across categories celebrating fiction, documentary, and emerging talents.
Other major winners included The Black Hole by Moonika Siimets, honoured with the Award of the City of Wiesbaden for Best Director (€7,500), and Everything Needs to Live (POL, UKR 2024) by Andrii Lytvynenko and Tetiana Dorodnitsyna, which took Best Documentary.
Uzbek director Khusnora Rozmatova’s The Song Sustxotin received both a Special Mention and selection for 3sat’s broadcast program. Meanwhile, the FIPRESCI Critics’ Awards went to Eighty Plus by Želimir Žilnik (fiction) and A Year in the Life of a Country by Tomasz Wolski (documentary).
Full List of Winners:
- Golden Lily for Best Film: Holy Electricity – Tato Kotetishvili
- Best Director: The Black Hole – Moonika Siimets
- Best Documentary: Everything Needs to Live – Andrii Lytvynenko, Tetiana Dorodnitsyna
- Special Mention: The Song Sustxotin – Khusnora Rozmatova
- 3sat Broadcast Selection: The Song Sustxotin – Khusnora Rozmatova
- FIPRESCI Award (Fiction): Eighty Plus – Želimir Žilnik
- FIPRESCI Award (Documentary): A Year in the Life of a Country – Tomasz Wolski
- RhineMain Short Film Award: Grandmamauntsistercat – Zuza Banasińska
- Special Mention (Short Film): Ludmila’s Apple Pie – Loukia Hadjiyianni
- Pitch-the-Doc Award: Dust in the Showcase – Daniel Pavlić
- Renovabis Research Grant: The Story of the Wild Rose – Kristen Aigro, Liis Nimik
- Special Mention (East-West Talent Lab): Dala – Almira Saifullina
