goEAST Filmfestival

Organizer: DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseuem e.V.

Every year, goEast transforms Wiesbaden, the capital of the German state of Hesse, into one of the most important international venues for cinema from Central and Eastern Europe. The more than 110 feature films, documentaries and short films, spread over seven festival days and at least as many sections, address both trade visitors and local cinema audiences. As a project of the Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, goEast has dedicated itself to the task of raising public awareness of the diversity and richness of Central and Eastern European cinema “deep in the West” – because Central and Eastern European films are underrepresented in regular cinemas, despite great successes at international festivals.

goEast sees itself as a bridge builder on numerous levels: Hand-picked programs bridge the gap from current cinematic positions to film-historical rarities, from experiment to arthouse and mainstream made in Central and Eastern Europe. The festival always understands its work in the context of differentiated socio-political, film-aesthetic and film-theoretical debates. goEast functions as a forum for dialogue between East and West, but also as an actor and multiplier of creative interaction: panels and workshops, lectures and film discussions, cooperations with other cultural and social institutions bear witness to this. In particular, the up-and-coming generation in the industry should benefit from goEast: Numerous networking, exchange and training opportunities are offered, for example, as part of the EAST-WEST TALENT LAB.

Every year, goEast welcomes around 400 trade visitors and more than 12,000 moviegoers. Many renowned guests have already been welcomed at the festival, including directors and stars such as Agniesz: Agnieszka Holland, Boris Khlebnikov, Ildikó Enyedi, Bence Fliegauf, Martina Gedeck, Julia Jentsch, Otar Iosseliani, Sergei Loznitsa, Jiří Menzel, Kira Muratova, Cristi Puiu, Hanna Schygulla, Jerzy Stuhr, István Szabó, Béla Tarr, Maria Schrader, Bohdan Sláma, Małgorzata Szumowska, Krzysztof Zanussi and many more.

In addition to the city and state, which have been the main sponsors of goEast since the festival’s founding, other strong partners such as the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, the BHF-BANK Foundation, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and 3sat contribute to the festival’s success.

More information can be found here.

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