Over 200 cinema events, film screenings, concerts, discussions with directors, workshops and events dedicated to the film industry will take place in Sibiu, between September 5th-12th, at the Astra Film Festival - International Documentary Film Festival. This year's 28th edition will take place outdoors, in cinemas and online. During the eight days, 71 films from 33 countries will be screened at #AFF2021. Out of these, 46 are premieres (4 World Premieres, 4 International Premieres and 38 National Premieres) that were selected from over 3000 film productions made in the last two years worldwide.
This edition is a celebration of life and a careful observation of the changes that are taking place around us, in response to recent challenges. Everything will be seen through the camera lens of documentary filmmakers around the world, who always manage to offer intimate and unfiltered perspectives of reality.
"I had to choose from an abundance of productions completed probably last year. I had the privilege of observing how the world reacted to the challenges of the last period. We are talking about a multitude of topics and approaches, some more pressing, others more noisy, and others that need to be savoured quietly. And they all deserve to be on the big screen, to have our full attention. We see once again the Festival as an occasion to celebrate the mastery with which these talented filmmakers manage to unravel the reality around themselves and expose it through film", said Dumitru Budrala, the founding director of the Astra Film Festival.
The shock caused by the pandemic in the film industry was also strongly felt in film production, and the selected films are addressing the most sensitive reflections of the transformations that occur before our eyes. They are also challenging us with important questions:
How do the borders between countries generate absurd situations between people, breaking ties and causing tragedies?
What are the new coordinates and what are the ethical consequences of procreation through artificial insemination?
How do some marriages in which the two partners become ardent adherents of diametrically opposed ideas manage to survive?
What will happen after the inevitable climate collapse and to what extent will we be able to talk about "preparations for survival"?
#AFFSTUDENTPASS, the special card for undergraduates, master’s, and PhD students
Consistent with the mission assumed from the very beginning, namely educating and promoting the documentary film among young audiences, the organizers have a surprise for undergraduates, master’s, and PhD students from Romania and abroad who want to take part in the festival: the #AFFSTUDENTPASS card, which offers access to all film events, to those events dedicated to industry professionals and to concerts from #AFF2021 (subject to availability), but also accommodation for 7 nights between September 5th-12th, in the centre of Sibiu, in the dormitories of the "Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu.
The #AFFSTUDENTPASS card can be purchased from Eventbook for 199 RON https://bit.ly/3ygg1aa
An event with an important tradition, held uninterruptedly since 1993, The Astra Film Festival - The International Documentary Film Festival in Sibiu is organized by Astra Film, CNM Astra and the Astra Film Foundation.
With the support of: The Sibiu County Council, The Ministry of Culture, The National Centre of Cinematography, The Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in Sibiu, The Filmmakers Union.
The event is co-financed by the Sibiu Local Council through the City Hall of Sibiu and by the European Union through the Creative Europe Program.
Astra Film Festival takes place under the High Patronage of the President of Romania.
