Editor

During the awards ceremony of the 16th edition of CinEast (Central and Eastern European Film Festival in Luxembourg, 5-22 October 2023), the International Jury awarded the Grand Prix to the film Citizen Saint by Tinatin Kajrishvili and the Special Jury Prize to the film Blaga's Lessons by Stephan Komandarev. The Critics’ Prize, awarded by the Press Jury, was also awarded to the film Blaga’s Lessons by Stephan Komandarev. The Press Jury also decided to award a Special Mention to the film Smoke Sauna Sisterhood by Anna Hints. The Young Talents Award was won by the film Larry by Szilárd Bernáth. Finally, the Audience Award was won by Sisters by Linda Olte. Photos of the Ceremony are available here.

The International Jury of the festival was made up of the following personalities: the French director Patrice Leconte (President of the Jury), the directors Iryna Tsilyk and Andrija Mardešić, the actress Sophie Langevin and the producer Vincent Quénault (photos, info). The Press Jury was made up of journalists Katrin Büchler, Tómas Atli Einarsson, and Isabelle Debuchy. Finally, the Young Talents Jury was made up of Alyssa Joao, Morgane Verdin-Pol, Ethan Beaufort and François Sfalcin, students of the BTS Cinéma et audiovisuel at the Lycée des Arts et Métiers.

Patrice Leconte commented on the jury's decision to award the Grand Prix to the film Citizen Saint by Tinatin Kajrishvili: “An incredible story of great originality, about false idols. The mise en scene and cinematography unanimously amazed the jury. A totally accomplished film with elements of magical realism, shifting from humour to terror. The Grand Prix of the CinEast 2023 festival is awarded to the film Citizen Saint by Georgian director Tinatin Kajrishvili.”

Ukrainian director Iryna Tsilyk thanked the festival for its commitment to Ukraine and justified the jury’s decision to award the Special Jury Prize to the film Blaga’s Lessons by Stephan Komandarev as follows: “In this film Eli Skorcheva delivers a powerful performance in the role of Blaga, serving up an implacable script. A terrible resolution, and one that is eminently contemporary: in our individualistic world, rational beings are sometimes transformed into monsters. This is why the Jury decided to award the Special Jury Prize to Blaga’s Lessons by Stephan Komandarev.”

Katrin Büchler and Tómas Atli Einarsson presented the verdict of the Press Jury relating to the Critics’ Prize awarded to the film Blaga’s Lessons by Stephan Komandarev with these words: “Blaga’s Lessons, directed by Stephan Komandarev, struck a chord with us all… Poignant and shocking, the film’s narrative and style show greed and desperation are not individual character traits, but societal ills.”

Ethan Beaufort announced the verdict of the Young Talents Jury to award the Young Talents Award to the film Larry by Szilárd Bernáth: “It is a film where the cinematography combines with a great sense of musicality to create a truly touching story that simultaneously offers us a vigorous spectacle and a sincere drama. We are convinced that this movie is a perfect showcase of what Eastern European cinema is capable of with such a motivated filmmaker, actors and crew. The winner of the Young Talents Award of this 16th CinEast film festival is LARRY, directed by Szilárd Bernáth.”

Linda Olte's film Sisters received the highest marks in the public vote (in cinemas and online) and thus received the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.

Finally, the Audience Awards for Best Short Films were won by: Island of Freedom by Petr Januschka (Best Short Fiction Film), The Silence of the Banana Trees by Eneos Çarka (Best Short Documentary Film) and Crab by Piotr Chmielewski (Best Short Animated Film).

The ceremony, with the participation of members of the International Jury, the Press Jury as well as the Young Talents Jury and other guests, was followed by the screening of the film Guardians of the Formula by Dragan Bjelogrlić. The film Citizen Saint, having won the Grand Prix of the Festival, will be repeated on Sunday October 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg.

Photos from the ceremony can be found here and photos from the award-winning films here.

The festival ends on Sunday 22 October but many films will still be available online, via the “CinEast Online Cinema” platform, until November 5.