13th Edition of Eastern Neighbours Film Festival

The Eastern Neighbours Film Festival celebrates the best films and most talented filmmakers from East and Southeast Europe. The festival takes pride in not only connecting the East with the West but also connecting genres and themes. At ENFF, the viewer can encounter historic rarities next to experimental art house films, political dramas next to romance, and comedies.

ENFF aims to be the forum where people of all backgrounds can meet to enjoy the creations of Eastern European makers, discover original stories, and meet new friends. Films full of passion, creativity, and talent – and often with a tinge of humour. All films are subtitled in English.

Highlights

Still from Willow

The Dawn

The Dawn is the latest feature from renowned Croatian filmmaker Dalibor Matanic, continuing the trilogy that began with his Cannes-winning High Sun. Casting the same actors, the trilogy on love and politics is continued in this psychological thriller set in the near future.

Willow

Willow is the latest film from the ground-breaking Macedonian filmmaker Milcho Manchevski. Divided by their different experiences, three Macedonian women in the past and present, are united by their collective experience of motherhood.

I Never Cry 

I Never Cry follows teenage Polish girl Ola, who is tasked with bringing back her father’s body from Ireland, where he worked in construction. Talented director Piotr Domalevski shows the human impact of the exodus of Poland’s workforce through this bittersweet drama.

Spagat

Spagat exposes the contradictions of Swiss society that immigrants experience through a marvellously acted drama. A gripping, award-winning film about love, betrayal, and living a double life.

Oscar and Lili 

Oscar and Lili and their mother have fled to Austria from Chechnya but are separated by the authorities. In this audience favourite, the two children start a determined journey to reunite with each other.

Havel

Havel is based on the life of dissident and former Czech president Vaclav Havel. The film focuses on his life from 1968 to 1989, when he was a dissident under the Communist regime, as well as his relationship with his wife Olga.

In solidarity with Ukraine

Because ENFF stands in solidarity with Ukraine, they will also present two beneficiary screenings with films by female directors from Ukraine.

This Rain Will Never Stop

This Rain Will Never Stop is the Winner of the First Appearance Award at IDFA 2020. Alina Gorlova, a young director whose debut got acknowledged around the World, is in Kyiv capturing images of the horrible reality of the war around her. Her film narrates an intimate story of a Syrian / Ukrainian man whose whole family ran away from the war and got caught in another country in conflict.

The Earth is Blue as an Orange

The Earth is Blue as an Orange by Iryna Tsilyk , is the winner of the director’s award at Sundance, and dozens of other awards. Shot in the region of Donbas, the film depicts the life of a family on the first front-line and the role of art in these dire circumstances.  

Opening film by Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic

Not So Friendly Neighbourhood Affair

Devoted to the director’s city Sarajevo, Not So Friendly Neighbourhood Affair explores the best of Bosnian humour and self-mockery (cameo Goran Bregovic, Elvis J Kurtovic, and several other celebrities). As the old town recovers after a difficult pandemic year, a female influencer from Zagreb decides to judge whose kebabs are the best, leading to chaos, broken hearts, and plenty of laughter. Brilliant performances of Izudin Bajrovic and Branko Djuric, Goran Navojec.

Closing Film

Toma

A Balkan box office hit! Famous actor Dragan Bjelogrlic and Zoran Lisinac directed a memorable story of the iconic singer Toma Zdravkovic, known and loved in the whole ex-Yugoslavia. Toma explores both the beginnings and the fame peak of the legendary Serbian folk singer, famous for his songs and beautiful voice, but also for his bohemian lifestyle.

Soviet Man and Fear

Homo Sovieticus

Homo Sovieticus explores the mentality of the post-Soviet people. Well-known Latvian filmmaker Ivo Briedis sets on a quest to find out whether the increasing popularity of totalitarian rhetoric has a geographical boundary in modern Europe.

Fear

Fear, a film from Bulgaria, depicts xenophobia in a small town. This compelling story puts a funny spin on the serious topic and stands for a pan-European attitude towards the migrant crises.

Female Directors Rock in East Europe!

Andromeda Galaxy

Andromeda Galaxy is a remarkable debut about the struggle of a father's relationship with his daughter, set against the backdrop of rampant unemployment and widespread corruption in post-war Kosovo.

Preparation to be together for an unknown period of time

Preparation to be together for an unknown period of time is an award-winning psychological thriller from Hungary directed by the amazingly talented Lili Horvát. A woman leaves her life behind for the man she has fallen madly in love with, but when she meets him in Budapest he claims they have never met before.

Tereza 37 and discovery of Lana Baric

An absolute winner of the National festival in Croatia, the film launched main actress and scriptwriter Lana Baric to the European film scene. Living in a patriarchal Split, Tereza is shaken by her gynaecologist’s joke that she should try to conceive with a different partner. The narrative tackles taboo topics with sensitivity, intelligence, and emotion. The film is directed by Danilo Serbedzija.

Celts

Celts by Milica Tomovic premiered at Berlinale and won the Heart of Sarajevo. In her debut, she deals with her country’s breakup and observes, with lots of humour, the desires and prejudices of three generations who are desperately trying to make sense of their lives.

Sunny

Sunny by Keti Machavariani is a 60-year-old former teacher who now works as an interviewer for sociological studies. The documentary follows her into Georgian citizens’ homes and lets us learn about the country behind each door.

Czech humour in a serious investigation

Once Upon a Time in Poland

Once Upon a Time in Poland is a comedic road-trip documentary asking questions about the deep religiosity of the Polish people, from the perspective of the typically atheist Czechs. Like previous films by Filip Remunda and Vit Klusak, it’s bold, serious, but also hilariously funny.

IN FOCUS: Slovenian New Vibrant Cinema

ENFF's special programme highlights the new works from a small country with a great tradition of cinema. Today, many new Slovenian cinema voices are being discovered by big European festivals like Venice, Cannes, and Locarno. For this programme, they are especially putting young female directors under the limelight, as they are telling important and daring stories.

As well as several award-winning shorts, they are also screening new fiction feature films - among them Sanremo, which was the Slovenian candidate for the Oscars 2022. Once we were Human by well-known writer-director Goran Vojnovic and Don’t Forget to Breathe by Marin Turk.

Still from Vesna goodbye by Sara Kern

New Talents Competition

ENFF is back with the second edition of the selection of great short first films by young filmmakers from Eastern and Southern Europe. They will compete for an Audience Award (1000 euros). This year, they selected 10 films, 10 exciting new voices.

Find out more about ENFF

Find out more about ENFF on their website. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram @easterneighbours to keep up to date. Click here for the catalogue with the full programme and time table.