The longest-running film festival in Romania is starting registrations for the 30th edition, which will take place in Sibiu, between October 15-22, 2023. Romanian and foreign productions are expected to be completed after January 1, 2022. Selected films in the official AFF2023 program they will compete in four competitive sections (Emerging Voices of Documentary, Central and Eastern Europe, Romania and DocSchool). In addition to the competitive sections, the official program also includes non-competitive sections, curatorial selections, thematic sections and special programs. Registrations can be made until April 1, 2023.
"It's been 30 years since the Astra Film Festival has been offering the public quality documentary films. From 1993 until today, we have managed to find a way to maintain an uninterrupted connection with the public, regardless of the times and trials we have gone through. We aim to be, for the next 30 years, the place that filmmakers from Romania and all over the world choose to premiere their documentaries. We have a loyal, educated, knowledgeable audience, which we respect in this way and to which we add new friends of quality documentary cinema every year", said Dumitru Budrala, director-founder of Astra Film Festival.
Films submitted to AFF2023 must be in the documentary genre and must have been completed after January 1, 2022. The four competition categories are:
• Emerging Voices of Documentary, for feature-length documentary films (over 50 minutes) signed by authors on their first, second or at most third film. The "Emerging Voices of Documentary" Award is given.
• Central & Eastern Europe, where feature-length documentaries (over 50 minutes) are eligible, which address issues specific to the area of the ex-communist bloc; the Award for "Best Documentary of the Central & Eastern Europe section" is awarded.
• Romania, section open to documentaries produced or co-produced in Romania and international productions / co-productions that address problems specific to Romania, regardless of their duration; the Award for "The best documentary of the Romania Open section" is awarded.
• DocSchool, for films produced or co-produced by universities/film institutes or within post-university programs specializing in cinema, regardless of their duration. The Award for "Best Documentary of the DocSchool Competition" is awarded.
More details about eligibility and registration conditions, on the festival's website: https://www.astrafilm.ro/form/inscriere-film.
The official selection will be published on the Festival website. The juries that will award the prizes will be made up of respected specialists and professionals from the world of international cinema and academia.
Founded in 1993 as an innovative project, the Astra Film Festival has become one of the main platforms for documentary film in Romania and Europe. It is under the High Patronage of the President of Romania and 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 Center of Cinematography, the Romanian Cultural Institute, the Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in Sibiu and the Filmmakers' Union, being co-financed by the Sibiu City Council through the Sibiu City Hall and by the European Union through the Creative Europe Program.
