The 2025 edition of goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film marks a major milestone, celebrating 25 years of championing cinematic voices from the region. Held from 23–29 April in Wiesbaden, the festival continues to be one of Europe’s most important platforms for Central and Eastern European cinema, blending film screenings, symposia, and talent development with a politically conscious and artistically rich program.
Since its founding in 2001, goEast has grown beyond its regional roots, engaging with diaspora communities across Germany and drawing international industry professionals. Its 2025 edition places particular emphasis on the role of cinema in reflecting social and demographic change, artistic heritage, and post-Soviet realities.
A central highlight of this year’s festival is the Symposium titled «Omas, Babas, Babushkas – Gender & Ageing in European Cinema.» Supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain and hosted in collaboration with the AGE-C research project and Goethe University, the event brings together film scholars, gerontologists, producers, and directors to explore the representation of ageing women in European film. Curated by Dr. Asja Makarević, Boglárka Angéla Farkas, and Dr. habil. Andrea Virginás, the Symposium features panels such as «The Promise of the Golden Years» and «Can Women Age in Eastern European Cinema?» alongside screenings of contemporary and classic films addressing female ageing and intergenerational care.
Accompanying the Symposium is the RhineMain Short Film Competition, now in its sixth year, which adopts the playful yet poignant theme «Revenge of the Babushka». The competition calls for recent short films centering on older women, including grandmothers, witches, and senior protagonists, offering a €2,500 prize and a regional cinema tour for the winning work.
The East-West Talent Lab, under Andrea Wink’s leadership, also returns to foster emerging talent in non-fiction and documentary cinema. Two key awards—the Renovabis Research Grant (€3,500) and the Pitch-the-Doc Award—will be presented to support projects engaging with human rights and minority issues.
Another significant thread is the continuing exploration of post-Soviet cinematic legacies. With the backdrop of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Symposium’s thematic expansion into decolonial frameworks takes on renewed urgency. A dedicated special issue of Apparatus. Film, Media and Digital Cultures of Central and Eastern Europe titled «Decolonizing the (post-)Soviet Screen» will accompany the festival.
