30. September 2013

2013: In Retrospective

The second edition of LET’S CEE Film Festival started in the presence of the Austrian actor Karl Markovics (who plays the starring role in the opening film) and many other high-class guests with the Serbian-German-Ukrainian Co-production Eastalgia at Urania on September 13. Over the next eight days, a selection of 64 outstanding productions from Central and Eastern Europe have been presented at the Viennese cinemas with rich tradition, Urania, Actor’s Studio, Gartenbaukino and Filmmuseum.

Overall, the organisers were able to welcome 52 film guests from Central and Eastern Europe last year, among them more than two dozen directors. The best known names included the legendary Russian director Alexander Sokurov who personally presented a retrospective of his work, as well as the Oscar-winning István Szabó from Hungary and Allan Starski from Poland. Further, the Academy Award-winning film director Stefan Ruzowitzky from Austria also accepted the invitation.

A Feature Film Competition, a Documentary Competition and a Short Film Competition  were part of the LET’S CEE Film Festival 2013. Overall 21 productions, their creators made a run at one of the Urania-statuettes and a cash prize of 1,500, - EUR each.

In addition to film screenings and side events, LET'S CEE-Master Classes (implemented in cooperation with the prestigious Andrzej Wajda Film School in Warsaw) were held for the first time in 2013.

At the award ceremony on September 21, the Romanian film Domestic (in the presence of the protagonist Ioana Flora), the Bulgarian documentary The Last Black Sea Pirates and Estonian short film Distance (in the presence of both directors) were awarded as the winning films. The two-time Oscar winner Branko Lustig was honored for his life's work.

The 68 screenings during the festival week were attended by over 9,600 people.