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AL ESTE 2021

Al Este to once again be an online event

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- The Peruvian festival dedicated to films from Central and Eastern Europe kicks off today with a well-stocked selection of movies and master classes by European filmmakers

Al Este to once again be an online event
Quo vadis Aida? by Jasmila Žbanić

The restrictions still being imposed by the health crisis this spring have not stopped the organisers of Peru’s Al Este Festival from continuing preparations for this year’s edition; however, they have once again opted for an online iteration. And so, the 12th edition of the Lima-based gathering, which trains the spotlight on Central and Eastern European movies (and the region’s film industry), will take place via the internet from 26 May-18 June. The festival will bring the Latin American audience not only a well-stocked selection of European films (available in Peruvian homes via the El Ekran platform), but also the opportunity to attend four master classes led by renowned European filmmakers.

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This year, the directors due to expound their experiences and knowledge during a chat with simultaneous interpreting into Spanish, which will enable attendees to interact with them, are Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Jasmila Žbanić (whose latest feature, Quo vadis Aida? [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jasmila Žbanić
film profile
]
, scooped the Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film and earned itself an Oscar nod, and has also been chosen to open this edition of the festival) on 28 May, Germany’s Christian Petzold (whose latest outing, Undine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Petzold
film profile
]
, forms part of the gathering’s selection) on 31 May, Poland’s Malgorzata Szumowska (who will also be represented on the programme by her recent effort Never Gonna Snow Again [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Małgorzata Szumowska and Mi…
film profile
]
) on 2 June and, lastly, Austria’s Jessica Hausner (to whom a whole focus is being dedicated, encompassing her early short films, her more recent features Lourdes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jessica Hausner
film profile
]
and Amour fou [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, together with the selection of her latest work, Little Joe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jessica Hausner
film profile
]
, in the main competition) on 4 June. More information on how to access these chats from Latin America can be found here.

And so, standing out among this year’s selection of films are the titles in the Al Este Competition, which, alongside the aforementioned movies by Christian Petzold, Malgorzata Szumowska and Jessica Hausner, include the recent fiction flicks Spiral [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Hungary’s Cecília Felméri, Of Fish and Men [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Swiss helmer Stefanie Klemm, Human Factors [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ronny Trocker
film profile
]
by Germany’s Ronny Trocker and Sanremo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miroslav Mandić
film profile
]
by Slovenian director Miroslav Mandić, plus the documentaries Nemesis [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Switzerland’s Thomas Imbach, A New Shift [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Czech filmmaker Jindřich Andrš and Dead Souls' Vacation by Georgia’s Keko Chelidze.

Several outstanding titles from this season have also found a slot on the programme, such as the most recent winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile
]
by Romania’s Radu Jude, while there are other strands such as the Travelling Competition, which brings together movies from the countries in which the organisers of Al Este carry out various activities (Argentina, Colombia, France, Peru and Uruguay), and the Emerging Peru Competition, packed with short films by local talents.

Furthermore, the third edition of the EsteLAB (7-15 June) is also poised to unfurl. This co-production lab offers a workspace and a forum for training and development aimed at film projects hailing from Peru and Latin America, with the ultimate goal being to build bridges with Europe. With the help of consultants such as German industry expert Marjorie Bendeck, Italian adviser and selection committee member for various festivals Ilaria Gomarasca, Chilean producer Esme Jofre, and Spanish producers Pedro Palacios and Luis Reneo, the programme will hinge on projects in development with a view to strengthening their prospects through training, consultancy and forging connections with outstanding professionals in the field.

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(Translated from Spanish)

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