Apart from renowned directors, the Eastern Promises section will also feature several exceptional debuts that have not yet been screened in the Czech Republic. We will venture twice to Georgia: once through a film shot on a cell phone. But don’t expect the latest technology. With the impressionistically blurred lens of an old mobile phone, Koberidze’s film Dry Leaf received rave reviews for its unique visual style. 

We will also leave the Eastern European territory with Pawlikowski's award-winning historical drama Fatherland which explores the topic of national identity and guilt as well as complex family relationships. In fact, these subjects are addressed by all of the selected Polish films. They examine families from various points of view, even from the less flattering ones, such as Smarzowski’s poignant film Good Home.

An unexpected highlight of Eastern Promises will be the focus on Russian cinema and its ability to stand up to state propaganda. We will be screening two films made in contemporary Russia – one independent and the other anti-government – and another two that were made in exile. Scenes of Friendly Ties depict an evocative portrait of thirty-somethings whose lives have lost all meaning, while The Master and Margarita presents a free-spirited, provocative adaptation of the literary classic. The other two films reflect on the war in Ukraine or a childhood premonition of the Caucasian wars in the award-winning debut Short Summer.