CinEast 2014 overview

OVERVIEW OF THE 2014 EDITION

CinEast 2014 – OVERVIEW

1

Introduction

CINEAST 9–26 October 2014 Luxembourg www.cineast.lu

100 screenings over 18 days 55 feature and 40 short films from 18 countries Over 9 800 participants and 25 special guests Numerous special events

(including 4 concerts and an exhibition)

During its seventh edition, the CinEast (ciné-East) festival (9-26 October 2014) presented Luxembourg audiences with a rich and varied selection of some of the best recent films from Central and Eastern Europe.

Over 18 days the festival presented more than a hundred screenings of films of various genres from 18 countries that would otherwise have had little chance of being shown in local cinemas. The main objective of the festival is to present the most remarkable films from this part of Europe.

However, it also strives to provide an opportunity to explore the cultures of the participating countries and to provide a space for encounters, conviviality and exchange between the different communities residing in Luxembourg.

That is why CinEast also presents concerts, DJ nights, exhibitions, gastronomic events, debates, activities for young audiences and more.


2

Official opening Neimënster, 9 October

The 7th CinEast festival was officially inaugurated in Salle Krieps at the Neimënster cultural centre by Ainhoa Achutegui (Neimënster’s director), Bob Krieps (director at the Ministry of Culture) and Claude Bertemes (director of the Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg). The official ceremony was followed by a screening of the festival’s opening film Life Feels Good.

Over 250 people attended the event, including numerous representatives of the cultural scene, media and the diplomatic corps.

The opening ceremony was accompanied by the vernissage of the photographic exhibition "So Far, So Close", produced in collaboration with Neimënster, and installed at the Agora and Caves voûtées of the cultural centre where a cocktail was held after the screening of the opening film.

The official opening was supported by Comarch.


1

Introduction

CINEAST 9–26 October 2014 Luxembourg www.cineast.lu

100 screenings over 18 days 55 feature and 40 short films from 18 countries Over 9 800 participants and 25 special guests Numerous special events

(including 4 concerts and an exhibition)

During its seventh edition, the CinEast (ciné-East) festival (9-26 October 2014) presented Luxembourg audiences with a rich and varied selection of some of the best recent films from Central and Eastern Europe.

Over 18 days the festival presented more than a hundred screenings of films of various genres from 18 countries that would otherwise have had little chance of being shown in local cinemas. The main objective of the festival is to present the most remarkable films from this part of Europe.

However, it also strives to provide an opportunity to explore the cultures of the participating countries and to provide a space for encounters, conviviality and exchange between the different communities residing in Luxembourg.

That is why CinEast also presents concerts, DJ nights, exhibitions, gastronomic events, debates, activities for young audiences and more.


2

Official opening Neimënster, 9 October

The 7th CinEast festival was officially inaugurated in Salle Krieps at the Neimënster cultural centre by Ainhoa Achutegui (Neimënster’s director), Bob Krieps (director at the Ministry of Culture) and Claude Bertemes (director of the Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg). The official ceremony was followed by a screening of the festival’s opening film Life Feels Good.

Over 250 people attended the event, including numerous representatives of the cultural scene, media and the diplomatic corps.

The opening ceremony was accompanied by the vernissage of the photographic exhibition "So Far, So Close", produced in collaboration with Neimënster, and installed at the Agora and Caves voûtées of the cultural centre where a cocktail was held after the screening of the opening film.

The official opening was supported by Comarch.


3

Official competition, jury and awards

The official competition of the 2014 edition of CinEast included seven films: Barbarians by Ivan Ikić, Land of Storms by Adám Császi, Life Feels Good by Maciej Pieprzyca, Quod Erat Demonstrandum by Andrei Gruzsniczki, The Tree by Sonja Prosenc, The Way Out by Petr Václav and Viktoria by Maya Vitkova.

The international jury of CinEast 2014 was presided over by renowned Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa and also included producer Claude Waringo, director Christophe Wagner, journalist Karolina Markiewicz and actor Gintare Parulyte.

The Awards Ceremony was held on 24 October at the Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg in the presence of many personalities from the world of cinema and culture.

The Grand Prix of the CinEast 2014 went to the film The Way Out by Petr Václav, while the Special Jury Prize was awarded to the film Viktoria by Maya Vitkova. The Audience Award went to the film Life Feels Good by Maciej Pieprzyca.


4

Film highlights

During the 2014 edition of CinEast over 55 features and 40 short films were screened in Luxembourgish cinemas (Cinémathèque, Ciné Utopia, Neimënster, Ancien Cinéma, Ciné Ariston and others). Many of the films had received major awards at international and national festivals and most of them had their Luxembourg or Benelux premieres during the festival. The programme also included several documentaries and animated films, as well as some classics and special programmes for young audiences. In addition, special school screenings were organised in cooperation with the European School in Mamer and Kirchberg, the Lycée classique of Diekirch and the International School of Luxembourg.

Among the most noteworthy films in the programme (apart from the official competition) were:

Ida (best Polish film of 2013, Grand Prix Warsaw IFF and London IFF 2013, Oscar candidate, 5 nominations for European Film Awards), Maidan (official selection Cannes IFF 2014), Le Grand Cahier (Crystal Globe, Karlovy Vary IFF 2013), Class Enemy (best Slovenian film of 2013, Fedeora Prize Venice IFF 2013 etc.), Free Fall (Special Jury Prize, Karlovy Vary IFF 2014), An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (Silver Bear, Berlinale 2013), La Vénus à la fourrure (César 2014 for Best Director), The Golden Horse (national premiere)..


3

Official competition, jury and awards

The official competition of the 2014 edition of CinEast included seven films: Barbarians by Ivan Ikić, Land of Storms by Adám Császi, Life Feels Good by Maciej Pieprzyca, Quod Erat Demonstrandum by Andrei Gruzsniczki, The Tree by Sonja Prosenc, The Way Out by Petr Václav and Viktoria by Maya Vitkova.

The international jury of CinEast 2014 was presided over by renowned Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa and also included producer Claude Waringo, director Christophe Wagner, journalist Karolina Markiewicz and actor Gintare Parulyte.

The Awards Ceremony was held on 24 October at the Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg in the presence of many personalities from the world of cinema and culture.

The Grand Prix of the CinEast 2014 went to the film The Way Out by Petr Václav, while the Special Jury Prize was awarded to the film Viktoria by Maya Vitkova. The Audience Award went to the film Life Feels Good by Maciej Pieprzyca.


4

Film highlights

During the 2014 edition of CinEast over 55 features and 40 short films were screened in Luxembourgish cinemas (Cinémathèque, Ciné Utopia, Neimënster, Ancien Cinéma, Ciné Ariston and others). Many of the films had received major awards at international and national festivals and most of them had their Luxembourg or Benelux premieres during the festival. The programme also included several documentaries and animated films, as well as some classics and special programmes for young audiences. In addition, special school screenings were organised in cooperation with the European School in Mamer and Kirchberg, the Lycée classique of Diekirch and the International School of Luxembourg.

Among the most noteworthy films in the programme (apart from the official competition) were:

Ida (best Polish film of 2013, Grand Prix Warsaw IFF and London IFF 2013, Oscar candidate, 5 nominations for European Film Awards), Maidan (official selection Cannes IFF 2014), Le Grand Cahier (Crystal Globe, Karlovy Vary IFF 2013), Class Enemy (best Slovenian film of 2013, Fedeora Prize Venice IFF 2013 etc.), Free Fall (Special Jury Prize, Karlovy Vary IFF 2014), An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (Silver Bear, Berlinale 2013), La Vénus à la fourrure (César 2014 for Best Director), The Golden Horse (national premiere)..


5

Short film programmes

Besides feature films, CinEast 2014 also presented a large variety of short films. The programme featured four marathons of short films (one dedicated to documentary shorts, one to animated shorts and two to feature shorts), each offering about 150 minutes of carefully selected recent short films from the participating countries. The marathons were divided into two parts with snacks and drinks offered to viewers during the break.

The audience had the opportunity to vote for the Audience Awards for Best Short Film in each of the three categories.

Moreover, a special short films evening was organised at the Ancien Cinéma in Vianden and a selection of Balkan short films was shown at the (M)eat the Balkans event at Carré Rotondes. Altogether, the festival-goers had the opportunity to see almost 50 fresh short films from Central and Eastern Europe.


6

Festival guests

CinEast 2014 hosted over 25 well-known directors, actors and producers, among others:

Sergei Loznitsa, Ulay, Igor Cobileanski, Vilnis Kalnaellis, Aliette Armel, Helena Sujecka, Jiří Mádl, Ivan Ikić, Gil Darnell, Adis Djapo, Peteris Krilovs, Sonja Prosenc, Dragan von Petrović, Nevio Marasović and Andrej Chertov.

In addition, several Luxembourgish guests took part in debates during the festival. Many film professionals from CEE countries and Luxembourg also participated in the 3rd co–production workshop "CinEast Pro" organised at Cercle Cité on October 20, a networking event aimed at enhancing collaboration between producers from Luxembourg and their colleagues from the East (with the support of Film Fund Luxembourg).


5

Short film programmes

Besides feature films, CinEast 2014 also presented a large variety of short films. The programme featured four marathons of short films (one dedicated to documentary shorts, one to animated shorts and two to feature shorts), each offering about 150 minutes of carefully selected recent short films from the participating countries. The marathons were divided into two parts with snacks and drinks offered to viewers during the break.

The audience had the opportunity to vote for the Audience Awards for Best Short Film in each of the three categories.

Moreover, a special short films evening was organised at the Ancien Cinéma in Vianden and a selection of Balkan short films was shown at the (M)eat the Balkans event at Carré Rotondes. Altogether, the festival-goers had the opportunity to see almost 50 fresh short films from Central and Eastern Europe.


6

Festival guests

CinEast 2014 hosted over 25 well-known directors, actors and producers, among others:

Sergei Loznitsa, Ulay, Igor Cobileanski, Vilnis Kalnaellis, Aliette Armel, Helena Sujecka, Jiří Mádl, Ivan Ikić, Gil Darnell, Adis Djapo, Peteris Krilovs, Sonja Prosenc, Dragan von Petrović, Nevio Marasović and Andrej Chertov.

In addition, several Luxembourgish guests took part in debates during the festival. Many film professionals from CEE countries and Luxembourg also participated in the 3rd co–production workshop "CinEast Pro" organised at Cercle Cité on October 20, a networking event aimed at enhancing collaboration between producers from Luxembourg and their colleagues from the East (with the support of Film Fund Luxembourg).


7

Photographic exhibition and charity project

For the fourth time in a row, the CinEast festival featured an extensive photographic exhibition, this time related to the thematic cycle "So Far, So Close" reflecting on how things stand in the reconciliation process between the “East” and the “West” a quarter of a century after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was organised in collaboration with and with the support of CCRN.

Over 220 works by 16 artists from Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic as well as Luxembourg, Italy and the Netherlands were exhibited in the Agora and Caves voûtées of Neimënster for the duration of the festival (9 to 26 October). The exhibition

was freely accessible and was seen by thousands of visitors.

On the last festival day the exhibition photographs were put up for auction to support the festival’s charity project. All the money collected (over 4,000 EUR), including donations from festival-goers as well as proceeds from the sale of the photos, was used to buy equipment and presents for an orphanage in the village of Udaitsi in Ukraine.


7

Photographic exhibition and charity project

For the fourth time in a row, the CinEast festival featured an extensive photographic exhibition, this time related to the thematic cycle "So Far, So Close" reflecting on how things stand in the reconciliation process between the “East” and the “West” a quarter of a century after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was organised in collaboration with and with the support of CCRN.

Over 220 works by 16 artists from Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic as well as Luxembourg, Italy and the Netherlands were exhibited in the Agora and Caves voûtées of Neimënster for the duration of the festival (9 to 26 October). The exhibition

was freely accessible and was seen by thousands of visitors.

On the last festival day the exhibition photographs were put up for auction to support the festival’s charity project. All the money collected (over 4,000 EUR), including donations from festival-goers as well as proceeds from the sale of the photos, was used to buy equipment and presents for an orphanage in the village of Udaitsi in Ukraine.


8

Balkan Night with Fanfara Transilvania Melusina, 11 October

The first special event of the festival was a live performance by Fanfara Transilvania, a 10-member gypsy brass band from Romania, followed by a DJ set by DJ Gaetano Fabri.

The audience had the unique chance to enjoy a genuine blend of traditional gypsy music and Balkan brass entertainment executed at breathtaking speed. The band’s energetic performance met with an immense

response from the crowd and culminated with the band leaving the stage and playing all around the club among the audience, extending the show to 2.5 hours. The night then continued with an eclectic Balkan music set delivered by Brussels-based DJ and musician Gaetano Fabri until 3 a.m.

The event was attended by more than 500 people and was a remarkable success.

Indie-rock (ciné-) concert by Kristen Exit07, 16 October

The second musical evening of the festival was a concert by the Polish indie rock band Kristen, which presented a very special double performance: a live soundtrack to a classic film and a concert of the band’s own repertoire.

In the first part the band performed an inventive live accompaniment to the film The Last Day of Summer by Tadeusz Konwicki (Grand Prix at Venice Film Festival in

1958), prepared specially for CinEast and performed as a world premiere.

Following a break the band came back onstage with a regular concert, including songs from their brand new album, and submerged the audience in their majestic raw alternative rock sounds. The double concert attracted around 130 people.


9

Milcho Leviev Jazz Trio Neimënster, 17 October

The evening with the world famous Bulgarian jazz pianist Milcho Leviev was a real treat for jazz lovers. More than 200 fans came to see the man who had played with jazz legends such as Don Ellis, Bill Cobham, Art Pepper and Dave Holland. Milcho Leviev was joined onstage by Luxembourgish musicians Boris Dinev on drums and Rom

Heck on bass and the trio performed an interesting selection of jazz standards, their own compositions and improvisations. The artists also participated in an informal discussion with the audience after the show, which was warmly received.

Closing Event with Polonia Rocks, Zapaska and INclusion Sang & Klang, 25 October

The Closing Event, which attracted almost 300 people, included three concerts as well as Polish and Ukrainian food and drinks.

While the band Polonia Rocks enchanted mainly the Polish audiences with reinterpretations of all-time

favourite rock and pop hits, the Ukrainian duo Zapaska came up with an experimental take on alternative pop and INclusion, a multinational ensemble from Luxembourg, won the crowd over with their infectious vibes mixing funk, hip-hop and soul.


10

Gastronomy events

The CinEast festival also presented opportunities to explore the cuisines of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. A gastronomy evening at the Brasserie Le Neumünster attracted over 70 people who enjoyed a selection of traditional dishes from across the region as well as regional beers and wines. The (M)eat the Balkans! event, attended by 280 people, was a great

occasion to try out a variety of Balkan specialities, witness an entertaining cooking presentation and learn more about the Balkan countries. In addition, culinary encounters were also held directly in the cinemas before or after selected screenings, with home-made Bulgarian banitza, Serbian ajvar, Ukrainian pareniki and other regional snacks and drinks available to the festival-goers.

Media coverage

The 7th edition of the CinEast festival was covered by a large number of different media outlets in Luxembourg, the Greater Region, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as international media specialising in cinema (Cineuropa, Film New Europe and others).

In addition to wide coverage by the media partners of the festival, many articles have been published in all major newspapers in the country and numerous magazines. The festival was also extensively covered by radio stations, TV stations (RTL and Air TV) and a large number of web portals.


9

Milcho Leviev Jazz Trio Neimënster, 17 October

The evening with the world famous Bulgarian jazz pianist Milcho Leviev was a real treat for jazz lovers. More than 200 fans came to see the man who had played with jazz legends such as Don Ellis, Bill Cobham, Art Pepper and Dave Holland. Milcho Leviev was joined onstage by Luxembourgish musicians Boris Dinev on drums and Rom

Heck on bass and the trio performed an interesting selection of jazz standards, their own compositions and improvisations. The artists also participated in an informal discussion with the audience after the show, which was warmly received.

Closing Event with Polonia Rocks, Zapaska and INclusion Sang & Klang, 25 October

The Closing Event, which attracted almost 300 people, included three concerts as well as Polish and Ukrainian food and drinks.

While the band Polonia Rocks enchanted mainly the Polish audiences with reinterpretations of all-time

favourite rock and pop hits, the Ukrainian duo Zapaska came up with an experimental take on alternative pop and INclusion, a multinational ensemble from Luxembourg, won the crowd over with their infectious vibes mixing funk, hip-hop and soul.


10

Gastronomy events

The CinEast festival also presented opportunities to explore the cuisines of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. A gastronomy evening at the Brasserie Le Neumünster attracted over 70 people who enjoyed a selection of traditional dishes from across the region as well as regional beers and wines. The (M)eat the Balkans! event, attended by 280 people, was a great

occasion to try out a variety of Balkan specialities, witness an entertaining cooking presentation and learn more about the Balkan countries. In addition, culinary encounters were also held directly in the cinemas before or after selected screenings, with home-made Bulgarian banitza, Serbian ajvar, Ukrainian pareniki and other regional snacks and drinks available to the festival-goers.

Media coverage

The 7th edition of the CinEast festival was covered by a large number of different media outlets in Luxembourg, the Greater Region, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as international media specialising in cinema (Cineuropa, Film New Europe and others).

In addition to wide coverage by the media partners of the festival, many articles have been published in all major newspapers in the country and numerous magazines. The festival was also extensively covered by radio stations, TV stations (RTL and Air TV) and a large number of web portals.


11

Partners

The 2014 edition of the CinEast festival would not have been possible without the support of our partners and we would like to thank them warmly for their trust, support and encouragement.

We would especially like to thank our two main institutional partners: the Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg and the City of Luxembourg, whose commitment to our project over the last few years has allowed the festival to keep going and continue to evolve.

We would also like to thank our main screening partners (Cinemathèque, Neimënster and Utopia SA), the film institutions that support us (especially the Polish Film Institute and Film Fund Luxembourg) and our main private sponsors BGL BNP Paribas, Orange, Commerzbank and Comarch, as well as the embassies, the cultural centres and all other partners which made the 7th edition of CinEast possible.


11

Partners

The 2014 edition of the CinEast festival would not have been possible without the support of our partners and we would like to thank them warmly for their trust, support and encouragement.

We would especially like to thank our two main institutional partners: the Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg and the City of Luxembourg, whose commitment to our project over the last few years has allowed the festival to keep going and continue to evolve.

We would also like to thank our main screening partners (Cinemathèque, Neimënster and Utopia SA), the film institutions that support us (especially the Polish Film Institute and Film Fund Luxembourg) and our main private sponsors BGL BNP Paribas, Orange, Commerzbank and Comarch, as well as the embassies, the cultural centres and all other partners which made the 7th edition of CinEast possible.

Documents

CinEast 2014 overview