Astra Film Festival announces its 2020 edition

The 27th Astra Film Festival takes place this fall between the 16th and the 25th October in a format addapted to the situation and uncertainties generated by the pandemic.

The official programme will present over 50 documentaries in curated selections for the competitive sections and for a number of special strands.

We are going to have screenings in some physical venues across Sibiu as well as make the films available online for the Romanian audiences for the the festival and an extra period of three weeks afterwards.

The Astra Film DokTank industry programme will happen online between 18th and 23rd October with activities focused on sharing experience, thoughts, plans and views on our post-pandemic future. The Astra Film Lab project development programme for filmmakers will move online as well and will consist of workshops, mentoring from industry experts, one-to-one meetings and a public pitch to an audience of industry representatives.

The full programme for Astra Film Festival 2020 will be announced at the beginning of September, together with details about accessing the films and festival events.

"When we celebrated Astra Film Festival's Silver anniversary only two years ago, I was talking about how this festival was born and grew up under the sign of challenge. And here we are, facing the most dramatic challenge of all. It is a turning point, a moment when we must re-think the elaborate mechanism of setting up that privileged space where filmmakers and their work, professionals of the industry and the festival audiences can share an intensive and inspiring experience. With this coming edition everything is about learning as you go and I am looking forward to it with excitement. My only regret is that this year our beloved Astra Film Junior is unlikely to happen in its physical form  as before. We shall miss the tens of thousands of kids and teenagers criss-crossing the city from one screening venue to the next. However I am optimistic about the future and confident that together we shall find ways to stay connected." - says Dumitru Budrala, founding director of Astra Film Festival