Eye For Film >> Festivals >> SSFF >> 2014 >> Thematic Retrospective - Eastern Promises: Portrait Of Eastern Europe In 50 Films
A look at movies produced since 2000 in the countries that lived under Soviet influence post-World War II. The full line-up - visit the official website to see it - contains 50 films.
View other San Sebastian Film Festival Films by strand: Culinary Zinema: Film and Gastronomy, Horizontes Latinos, Made In Spain, New Directors, Official Selection, Pearls, Savage Cinema, Special Screening and Galas, Velodrome, Zabaltegi, Zinemira
Katalin Varga and Control
12:08, East of Bucharest (A Fost Sau N-a Fost?, 12:08 Bucharest)
(Country: Romania; Year: 2006; Director: Corneliu Porumboiu; Writer: Corneliu Porumboiu; Stars: Mircea Andreescu, Teodor Corban, Ion Sapdaru,)
Three men search for the truth about the Romanian Revolution - and has anything really changed?
Adrienn Pál
(Country: Hungary, Netherlands, Austria, France; Year: 2010; Director: Ágnes Kocsis; Writer: Ágnes Kocsis, Andrea Roberti; Stars: Éva Gábor, István Znamenák, Ákos Horváth, Lia Pokorny, Izabella Hegyi)
A nurse who cares for dying patients undertakes a search for her childhood friend.
Amnesty (Amnestia)
(Country: Albania; Year: 2011; Director: Bujar Alimani; Writer: Bujar Alimani; Stars: Luli Bitri, Karafil Shena, Todi Llupi)
For the first time in Albania, a new law is passed that allows sexual intercourse for married couples inside Tirana prison. Elsa travels once a month, from distant Pogradec, to meet her huband at the prison. Spetim also visits the same prison to meet with his wife. A love story between the two visitors will start to grow from the prison walls, until the new Amnesty ruling for the prisoners makes it very difficult for them both.
Beyond The Hills (Dupa dealuri)
(Country: Romania, France, Belgium; Year: 2012; Director: Cristian Mungiu; Writer: Cristian Mungiu, Tatiana Niculescu Bran; Stars: Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur, Valeriu Andriuta, Dana Tapalaga, Catalina Harabagiu, Gina Tandura, Vica Agache, Nora Covali, Dionisie Vitcu, Ionut Ghinea, Liliana Mocanu, Doru Ana, Costache Babii, Luminita Gheorghiu, Alina Berzunteanu)
The story of two female orphans and their friendship in a remote Romanian monastery.
The Blacks (Crnci)
(Country: Croatia; Year: 2009; Director: Goran Devic, Zvonimir Juric; Writer: Goran Devic, Zvonimir Juric; Stars: Ivo Gregurevic, Kresimir Mikic, Franjo Dijak, Rakan Rushaidat, Niksa Butijer, Emir Hadzihafizbegovic, Stjepan Pete, Sasa Anocic)
A Balkans war era army unit disintegrates in the woods.
The Wedding and Vogelfrei
Black Brush (Fekete Kefe)
(Country: Hungary; Year: 2005; Director: Roland Vranik; Writer: Roland Vranik; Stars: Csaba Hernadi, Gergo Banki, Andras Rethelyi, Karoly Hajduk)
A group of stoner friends take a trip in pursuit of their boss' missing money.
Bread And Milk
(Country: Slovenia; Year: 2001; Director: Jan Cvitkovic; Writer: Jan Cvitkovic; Stars: Peter Musevski, Sonja Savic, Tadej Troha, Perica Radonjic, Andra Istenic, Matja Zuodar, Brane Gruber, Reana Strukelj, Jasna Glavac, Aleksandar Buletovic, Dario Mlakar, Predrag Radonjic, Ivan Volaric-Feo, Anton Leban, Marko Celik)
The tale of a man who went out for bread and milk and lost himself to alcohol.
California Dreamin' (Endless) (California Dreamin (Nesfarsit))
(Country: Romania; Year: 2007; Director: Cristian Nemescu; Writer: Catherine Linstrum, Cristian Nemescu, Tudor Voican; Stars: Armand Assante, Jamie Elman, Razvan Vasilescu, Maria Dinulescu, Alexandru Margineanu, Ion Sapdaru, Alexandru Dragoi, Andi Vasluianu, Sabina Branduse, Gabriel Spahiu, Radu Gabriel)
A NATO transport train becomes detained at a rural station.
Children Of Sarajevo
(Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany, Turkey; Year: 2012; Director: Aida Begić; Writer: Aida Begić; Stars: Marija Pikić, Ismir Gagula, Nikola Đuričko)
A devout young woman discovers that her younger brother is keeping worrying secrets in a country where neither have experienced any stability in their upbringing.
Circles
(Country: Serbia, Germany, France, Croatia, Slovenia; Year: 2013; Director: Srdan Golubovic; Writer: Srdjan Koljevic, Melina Pota Koljevic; Stars: Aleksandar Bercek, Leon Lucev, Nebojsa Glogovac, Hristina Popovic, Nikola Rakocevic, Vuk Kostic)
Five people are affected by a tragic heroic act. Twenty years later, all of them will confront the past through their own crises. Will they overcome guilt, frustration and their urge for revenge? Will they do the right thing, at all costs?
12:08, East of Bucharest and California Dreamin' (Endless)
The Class (Klass)
(Country: Estonia; Year: 2007; Director: Ilmar Raag; Writer: Ilmar Raag; Stars: Vallo Kirs, Pärt Uusberg, Lauri Pedaja, Paula Solvak, Mikk Mägi, Riina Ries, Joonas Paas, Kadi Metsla, Triin Tenso, Virgo Ernits)
Powerful tale of how bullying can lead to violence in the classroom.
Control (Kontroll)
(Country: Hungary; Year: 2003; Director: Nimród Antal; Writer: Jim Adler, Nimród Antal; Stars: Sándor Csányi, Csaba Pindroch, Zsolt Nagy, Gyözö Szabó, Eszter Balla, Lajos Kovács)
A bizarre fictional insight into the idiosyncratic lives of Budapest’s underground train inspectors.
Czech Dream (Cesky sen)
(Country: Czech Republic; Year: 2004; Director: Vit Klusak, Filip Remunda; Writer: Vit Klusak, Filip Remunda; Stars: Vit Klusak, Filip Remunda, Martin Prikryl, Jitka Vysekalova, Vladimir Spidla and residents of the Czech Republic)
Two young filmmakers play an elaborate practical joke on modern Czech shopaholics.
Death Of A Man In The Balkans
(Country: Serbia; Year: 2012; Director: Miroslav Momčilović; Writer: Miroslav Momčilović; Stars: Emir Hadžihafizbegović, Radoslav Milenković, Bojan Žirović)
A composer commits suicide, first setting up a camera to capture the incompetence of the officials who investigate his death.
Death Of A Porno Gang (Zivot i smrt porno bande)
(Country: Serbia; Year: 2009; Director: Mladen Djordjevic; Writer: Mladen Djordjevic; Stars: Mihajlo Jovanovic, Ana Acimovic, Ana Jovanovic, Predrag Damnjanovic, Radivoj Knezevic, Srdjan Jovanovic, Ivan Djordjevic, Bojan Zogovic, Natasa Miljus, Aleksandar Gligoric, Mariana Arandjelovic, Srdjan Miletic, Nemanja Jovanov, Ranko Kovacevic, Ana Sakic)
A frustrated filmmaker begins to make porn films, since he can't pursue the genre he really wants, a move that leads him to take a porn show on the road...
Johanna and The Death Of Mr Lazarescu
The Death Of Mr Lazarescu (Moartea domnului Lazarescu)
(Country: Romania; Year: 2005; Director: Cristi Puiu; Writer: Cristi Puiu, Razvan Radulescu; Stars: Ion Fiscuteanu, Luminita
Gheorghiu, Gabriel Spahiu, Doru
Ana, Dana Dogaru, Florin
Zamfirescu, Clara Voda, Adrian
Titieni, Mihai Bratila, Mimi
Branescu, Rodica Lazar, Alina
Berzunteanu, Mirela Cioaba)
The Romanian health service is
exposed as a sixtysomething
borderline alcoholic progresses
through the grim reaper’s waiting
room.
Grbavica
(Country: Austria; Year: 2006; Director: Jasmila Zbanic; Writer: Jasmila Zbanic; Stars: Mirjana Karanovic, Luna Mijovic, Leon Lucev, Kenan Catic, Jasna Beri, Dejan Acimovic, Bogdan Diklic, Emir Hadzihafizbegovic, Ermin Bravo, Semka Sokolovic-Bertok, Maike Höhne)
A chilling story of a woman and her daughter as they fight to survive in the painful aftermath of the recent Balkan war.
The House
(Country: Slovakia, Czech Republic; Year: 2011; Director: Zuzana Liov; Writer: Zuzana Liov; Stars: Miroslav Krobot, Tatjana Medveck, Judit Brdos, Marin Mita)
A father and a daughter come into conflict about whether she should stay in rural Slovakia or leave for England in Zuzana Liov's award-winning debut.
Hukkle
(Country: Hungary; Year: 2002; Director: Gyorgy Palfi; Stars: Ferenc Bandi, Jozsefne Racz, Jozsef Forkas, Ferene Nagy)
An exploration of the interwinning life of a Hungarian village
Johanna
(Country: Hungary/Germany; Year: 2005; Director: Kornel Mundruczo; Writer: Kornel Mundruczo, Viktoria Petranyi; Stars: Orsi Toth, Zsolt Trill, Ildiko Cserna, Denes Gulyas, Istvan Gantner )
An operatic hospital saga, in which junkie nurse prescribes sex as life-saving treatment.
No Man's Land and My Dog Killer
Katalin Varga
(Country: Romania, UK, Hungary; Year: 2009; Director: Peter Strickland; Writer: Peter Strickland, Peter Strickland; Stars: Hilda Péter, Norbert Tankó, Tibor Pálfy, Sebastian Marina, Melinda Kántor)
A woman is disowned after it is discovered that she has been raped, prompting her to seek revenge.
Lost And Found: Six Glances At A Generation
()
Short films from Central and Eastern Europe. Featuring The Ritual (Nadejda Koseva), Turkey Girl (Crisitan Mungiu), Shortlasting Silence (Kornel Mundruczo), Birthday (Jasmila Zbanic), Fabulous Vera (Stefan Arsenijevic)
My Dog Killer (Môj Pes Killer)
(Country: Slovakia, Czech Republic; Year: 2013; Director: Mira Fornay; Writer: Mira Fornay; Stars: Adam Mihál, Marián Kuruc, Libor Filo, Irena Bendová)
A troubled teenager with violent friends discovers a secret about his absent mother than makes him contemplate a cruel act.
No Man's Land
(Country: Belgium/Bosnia/France/Italy/Slovenia/UK; Year: 2001; Director: Danis Tanovic; Writer: Danis Tanovic; Stars: Branko Djuric, Rene Bitorajac,
Filip Sovagovic, Georges
Siatidis, Simon Callow, Katrin
Cartlidge)
Black comedy about the Bosnian
conflict told from the viewpoint of
a trench between warring
factions.
The Temptation of St Tony (Püha Tõnu kiusamine)
(Country: Estonia, Finland, Sweden; Year: 2009; Director: Veiko Õunpuu; Writer: Veiko Õunpuu)
A mid-level manager who develops an aversion to being "good" finds himself confronting the mysteries of middle-age and morality as he loses grasp of what was once his quiet life.
The Blacks and Beyond The Hills
Vogelfrei
(Country: Latvia; Year: 2007; Director: Janis Kalejs, Janis Putnins, Gatis Smits, Anna Viduleja; Writer: Janis Kalejs, Gatis Smits, Janis Putnins, Anna Viduleja, Jurgis Liepnieks, Kaspars Rolsteins; Stars: Igors Suhoverhovs, Karlis Spravniks, Ints Teterovskis, Liubomiras Lauciavicius, Tatjana Jansone-Nazarova, Girts Krumins, Emilija Leiskalne, Jurgis Liepnieks, Armands Reinfelds, Kaspars Rolsteins, Irena Tjunina)
An experimental directorial quartet taking on the four ages of a single character's life.
The Wedding (Wesele)
(Country: Poland; Year: 2004; Director: Wojciech Smarzowski; Writer: Wojciech Smarzowski; Stars: Marian Dziedziel, Tamara Arciuch, Pawel Wilczak, Iwona Bielska, Lech Dyblik, Andrzej Beja-Zaborski, Pawel Gedlek, Arkadiusz Jakubik, Bartlomiej Topa)
A wedding reception where everyone has a secret descends into dark farce.
59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground
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