The programme for the 23rd edition of the goEast Film Festival has officially been presented by festival director Heleen Gerritsen. The event will run from April 26 to May 2 and feature 110 films from 18 countries, 16 German premieres, one international premiere and one world premiere. goEast will include a number of film talks, film-historical sections, lectures and the second edition of the Cinema Archipelago supporting programme, which offers new spaces for the reception of cinema and audio-visual art forms. The festival will be attended by around 350 guests from the Central and Eastern European film industry. goEast’s Competition will award the festival’s three main prizes: the «Golden Lily» for Best Film, the Award of the City of Wiesbaden for Best Director and the newly created CEEOL Award for Best Documentary Film.
Chairing the international goEast jury will be Rada Šešić, founder of the documentary film competition at Sarajevo Film Festival and lecturer at the Netherlands Film Academy in Amsterdam. Šešić will be joined on the jury by last year’s Golden Lily award winner, Kaltrina Krasniqi, filmmaker Mikhail Borodin, documentary filmmaker Andrei Kutsila and producer Justine Waddell. Attendees can expect a range of films that offer a look at the inhabitants of Central and Eastern European countries and their stories. Festival director Gerritsen explained that goEast’s motto is “Encountering Eastern Europe on an equal footing – that means talking WITH Eastern Europe, and not just ABOUT Eastern Europe.” In times of war and cultural misunderstandings, she added, «forums for dialogue like ours are more important than ever.»
