goEast

Festival of Central and Eastern European Film

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.

With more than 100 feature films, documentaries and shorts spread over seven festival days and at least as many sections, goEast is aimed at both industry professionals and local audiences. The aim of the festival is to raise public awareness of the diversity of Central and Eastern European film, which despite great successes at international festivals is still underrepresented in mainstream cinemas.

During the festival week, hand-picked programs cover the spectrum from current cinematic positions to film historical rarities, from experiments to art house and mainstream cinema from Central and Eastern Europe. goEast always understands its work in the context of differentiated socio-political, film aesthetic and film theoretical debates. Panels and workshops, lectures and film discussions as well as cooperations with other cultural and social institutions are an integral part of the festival, which is conceived as a forum for dialog between East and West. In particular, the new generation of filmmakers is to benefit from the festival: goEast therefore offers numerous opportunities for networking, exchange and further education, such as the EAST-WEST TALENT LAB.

Every year, goEast attracts around 400 trade visitors and 12,000 filmgoers and welcomes renowned guests, including directors and stars such as 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 of Wiesbaden and the State of Hesse, who have been the main sponsors of goEast since its inception, other strong partners such as the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain and 3sat contribute to the festival’s success.

Bernd Naumann has been the festival’s patron since 2016.

Festival dates

20th goEast: 05.-11.05.2020

Contact

Heleen Gerritsen
Festival Director
Phone: +49 (0)611 236 843 – 11
Email: gerritsen@dff.film

Jan Peschel
Festival Management
Phone: +49 (0)611 236 843 – 12
Email: peschel@dff.film

Dominik Streib
Programme Coordination
Tel.: +49 (0)611 236 843 – 13
Email: streib@dff.film