CINEMA

Dénes Nagy graduated from the University of Theatre and Film Arts of Budapest in 2009. As a guest student he spent a year at the Berlin Film Academy. His short fiction Soft Rain was premiered at the 45th Directors’ Fortnight in 2013. The premiere was followed by an important international festival circuit where the film was repeatedly awarded the main prize (ex 26th “Premiers Plans” IFF, 14th Odense IFF, 7th Vilnius IFF etc). His documentary Another Hungary had its premiere at the 43rd IFF Rotterdam, while his latest documentary Harm at the Documentary Competition of the 21st Sarajevo Film Festival.

World War II, occupied Soviet Union. István Semetka is a simple Hungarian farmer who serves as a Corporal in a special unit scouting for partisan groups. On their way to a remote village, his company falls under enemy fire. As the commander is killed, Semetka has to overcome his fears and take command of the unit as he is dragged into a chaos that he cannot control.

Hungary, Latvia, France, Germany, 103 min,2021
Language: Hungarian, Russian
Director: Dénes Nagy

NATURAL LIGHT/TERMÉSZETES FÉNY

31.07.2022

16:00

UPURGA

Latvia, 85 min,2021
Language: Latvian
Director: Uģis Olte

A young rafting instructor takes a film crew to shoot a commercial in the river valley, but things take a wild turn when all his clients suddenly disappear. Now, he has to delve into the forest, fighting inner demons and exterior forces, to find the missing people - and himself.

Uģis Olte is a Latvian director, writer, editor who enjoys staying playful when dealing with serious subjects. Equipped with senses of a musician and convinced that dreams, myths and fairy-tales can be useful tools for telling any story. He has created numerous original TV documentary formats, filmed bunch of weird music videos and also 3 short fictions [“The Red Spot”, “KK2678” and “King Of The Wild Things”]. His efforts in documentary genre have resulted in three feature length films - “Stuck in Stikine” [2007], “Double Aliens” [2015] and “Liberation Day” [2016, co-directed with Morten Traavik]. In autumn 2021 at the Black Nights Film festival in Tallinn he premiered his debut feature, mythological thriller “UPURGA”.

21:00

01.08.2022

LAST DAYS OF SPRING/
LA ÚLTIMA PRIMAVERA

Latvia, 85 min,2021
Language: Spanish
Director: Isabel Lamberti

In a shanty town near Madrid, the inhabitants are forced to leave their self-build homes because the land they live on is sold. While this process slowly unfolds, the different members of the Spanish family Gabarre Mendoza struggle each in their own way, with their lives in transition.

Isabel Lamberti (1987) was born in Germany but grew up in Spain and the Netherlands. She studied film and direction at TISCH School of the Arts in New York and at the Netherlands Film Academy. Here she developed her love for the cinema of ‘in-betweenness’; the mixture of reality and fiction. Her short films Volando Voy (graduation film, 2015), Amor (2017) and Father (2019) were selected and awarded at international film festivals (Locarno, San Sebastian, IDFA, Camerimage). La Última Primavera / Last days of Spring is Isabel's feature film debut.

21:00

02.08.2022

SILENT LAND/ CICHA ZIEMIA

Poland, Czech Republic, 113 min,2021
Language: Polish, English, French, Italian
Director: Aga Woszczyńska

A perfect couple rents a holiday home on a sunny Italian island. The reality does not live up to their expectations when they find out that the pool in the house is broken. Ignorant of the fact that the island faces water shortage, they ask for someone to fix it. The constant presence of a stranger invades the couple’s idea of safety and starts a chain of events, which makes them act instinctively and irrationally, heading to the darkest place in their relationship.

Born in 1984. Director, scriptwriter, anthropologist. Aga graduated from Applied Social Science (2008) and The Polish National Film School in Lodz - Directing Department (2014). For many years she has been working as Assistant Director in Poland and abroad. Her short films were presented and won awards at numerous film festivals, including Cannes Film Festival, Helsinki International Film Festival, T-Mobile New Horizons, Sao Paulo Kinoforum or Warsaw Film Festival and have been brought by national and international TV channels. Her graduation short film "Fragments" had its international Premiere at Cannes Film Festival in Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs). „Silent Land”, which premiered in Toronto IFF Platform Competition is her first feature film.

16:00

OCCUPATION/ OKUPACE

Czech Republic, 95 min,2021
Language: Czech, Russian, German
Director: Michal Nohejl

One night, one bar. A sleepy actors’ afterparty gets disrupted by an uninvited guest. A drunken Russian officer comes to sell a canister of army gasoline, but the business transaction quickly turns into a vodka drinking race and the Russian, interested in the striking Milada and entertained by the comedic cowardice of all the men present, won’t leave. The atmosphere thickens like the clouds of cigarette smoke, character is being tested and the Russian is having a grand old time. So grand that he pulls out a gun...

After graduating from Zlín film school, Michal Nohejl was accepted to the directing department at FAMU where he studied under Věra Chytilová. He shot a number of short student films (Brčko, Koncert, Unudím vás k smrti, Prasečák, Pan Dvorek). His graduation film “Fobie” (Phobia) was selected for the Panorama of Young European Film at Febiofest 2007 and later became a part of a feature-length triptych. Since 2006, he has worked as commercial director. Together with Martin Přikryl, they created a directing duo Mods who quickly became some of the most promising local commercial directors. Nohejl shot music videos for bands like The Prostitutes, The Sunshine or Kill The Dandies!. Many of his commercials and music videos were awarded at both local and international festivals. “Okupace” (Occupation) is his debut feature film.

21:00

03.08.2022

NUUCCHA/НУУЧЧА

Russia, Yakutia-Sakha, 90 min,2021
Language: Russian, Yakut
Director: Vladimir Munkuev

Based on the Hailak short story and other works by Polish writer with experience of Siberian exile Waclaw Sieroszewski, the plot revolves around the poor Yakut peasant couple Khabdzhiy and Keremes struggling to survive in the taiga area of the most remote East corner of the Russian Empire at the end of XIX century. After the death of the second newborn child both young man and woman obediently get back to their chores to make it through another day and get ready for a lengthy and exhausting winter. The local Yakut ruler orders the family to admit to their house the Russian political convict Konstantin and keep him till further notice. The worlds of the family and the Russian unwelcome guest are colliding from the first days due to completely polar backgrounds. Despite the mutual challenge of the household against surrounding wild nature, Konstantin gradually settles in and claims the position of master of the house.

Director, writer, born in 1987 in Yakutsk, Russia. Had studied in Arctic State Culture and Arts Institute as Director of Theater facility. After graduation had enrolled in Moscow Film School at the course of award-winning Russian directors Aleksey Popogrebsky and Boris Khlebnikov. His first feature film Dude (2017) won Special Jury Diploma at XXI International Festival of Cinematografic Debuts and got “Best script” and “Best Cinematography” awards at National Yakut award in the field of cinematography.

14:00

SISTERHOOD / SESTRI

North Macedonia, 90 min,2021
Language: Macedonian
Director: Dina Duma

Teenagers Maya and Jana are inseparable and do everything together. Headstrong Jana usually takes the lead and Maya follows. One night at a party they catch Elena, the most popular girl in school, having sex on video with Maya’s long term crush. Jana convinces Maya to post the video and when it goes viral, Elena’s life is ruined.
A heated confrontation between the three girls leaves Elena missing and Maya wanting to go to the police...but that isn’t what Jana wants. Maya becomes her new target and must find the courage to get out of her toxic relationship and the secret that threatens to ruin her life.

Dina Duma was born in 1991 in Skopje, North Macedonia. She graduated film and TV directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje in 2014 and in 2016 attended Berlinale Talents. Dina has made several short films. SISTERHOOD (2021) her debut feature film will premiere in East of the West competition at Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

18:00

NATURAL LIGHT/
TERMÉSZETES FÉNY

16:00

Katerina Gornostai studied Biology (2010) and later Journalism (2012) at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Then graduated from School of Marina Razbezhkina and Mikhail Ugarov Documentary Film and Theater in Moscow (October 2012 - November 2013) and returned home to Kyiv. Now she is engaged in educational documentary programs and her own documentary and fiction films projects.

Navigating the emotional turmoil of waiting for life to begin while hanging around with classmates - a radical, authentic, and sensitive insight into the unsettling feeling of being young and an inside perspective on Ukrainian youth. An introverted high-school girl Masha sees herself as an outsider unless she hangs around with Yana and Senia who share her non-conformist status. While she is trying to navigate through an intense time of the pre-graduation year, Masha falls in love that forces her to leave her comfort zone.

Ukraine, 122 min,2022
Language: Ukrainian, English, Italian, Russian
Director: Kateryna Gornostai

STOP-ZEMLIA

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

02.08.2022

14:00

12:00

12:00

12:00

12:00

01.08.2022

01.08.2022

02.08.2022

Film Festival and Jaime Noguera - Benalmádena Film Festival

by Jukka-Pekka Laakso-Tampere

"MEET FESTIVALS DIRECTORS"

by Peter Murdmaa

"NO SHORT FILM THEORY"

INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS

SHORT FILM PROGRAM

03.08.2022

by Andres Puustusmaa

"WORKING WITH ACTORS IN FRONT OF CAMERA"