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ESTONIA TAKES TWO MAIN AWARDS AT GOEAST IN WIESBADEN

The Awards Ceremony in Caligari FilmBühne followed by a reception in the Hessischer Landtag (the Hessen state parliament building) brought to a close the eighth goEast Film Festival on 15 April 2008. For a full seven days, Wiesbaden was a site of encounter, of dialogue and creativity, and above all the venue of outstanding film productions from Central and Eastern Europe. The eight festival sections brought together a total of 150 full-length and short films, which were supplemented by a range of film discussions, public debates and panel discussions, as well as the rich programme of accompanying cultural events. After viewing the ten feature films and six documentaries screening in competition, the international jury chaired by Eberhard Junkersdorf singled out productions from Estonia, Serbia, Rumania and the Ukraine. Visitors flocked to the evening Film Debates to meet and discuss with directors and producers the content and intention of films previously screened. Impressive response received the Homage to Armenian director and artist Sergei Paradzhanov and the Portrait of young Hungarian filmmaker Benedek Fliegauf. The Symposium running under the title "Nation (Re-)Building - Documentaries from the ex-Yugoslav Region" powerfully illustrated the power exercised by images in situations of conflict, and the difficulty of depicting an objective truth. Overcoming boundaries with the means of film is the foremost goal of goEast. Christine Kopf summed up the 2008 festival edition as follows: "Everybody who came to Wiesbaden for this year's festival experienced with their own eyes and ears - during the screenings, in the course of conversations - the important role which themes like migration, displacement and identity play for European cultures. We are gratified that goEast can offer this discourse a living platform." goEast 2008 counted more than 9,500 visitors in the course of the festival and accompanying programme.

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