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GOEAST FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS MULTI-FACETED PROGRAMME / ACCREDITATION UNTIL 9 APRIL

The programme of the 9th goEast - Festival of Central and Eastern European Film is now finalized. Four weeks before the opening ceremony, the Wiesbaden festival organized by the Deutsches Filminstitut - DIF is gearing up to open the floor to cinematic dialogue between East and West, and will welcome filmmakers and film enthusiasts from over twenty different countries in the period 22 to 28 April 2009.

Un illustrious Jury chaired by Jerzy Stuhr and with Julia Jentsch as a jury member decides on the winners of the competition programme. The wide geographical spectrum is here startling testimony to the vigour and diversity of the contemporary filmmaking landscape of Eastern Europe. The festival opening film screened out of competition is Andrzej Wadja's TATARAK / SWEET RUSH (Poland, 2009). in Wiesbaden, which won this year at the Berlin International Film Festival the Alfred-Bauer-Award.

An ideal opportunity to discuss the festival programme is offered by the daily Film Talks with directors and actors in the Bellevue-Saal venue, which is acting as goEast Festival Centre for the second year running. One particular highlight is the scheduled interview with Kira Muratova, to whom the 2009 goEast Homage is dedicated. In conversation with the Ukrainian film critic Sergiy Trymbach, the cult Russian filmmaker will offer some insight into her extensive body of work.

The goEast Sunday Matinee explores additional aspects in the biography of Czech director Jan Sverak, the subject of the 2009 goEast Portrait. Twenty years after the Velvet Revolution, and during the Czech Republic's six-month term of EU presidency, Erika Gregor will encourage the director and his father, the actor-scriptwriter Zdenìk Svìrák, to discuss not only artistic issues but also the political context of their work.

The sidebar programme of goEast 2009 trains a focus on Poland: the special Tribute to Krzysztof Komeda-Trzcinski is dedicated to the renowned Polish jazz composer. Komeda began composing film scores in the 1960s, and came to note particularly for his work with Roman Polanski, whom he met in at £odz Academy in 1957. In order to mark the 40th anniversary of Komeda's death, the remarkable Andrzej Jagodzinski Trio and the singer Lora Szafran are coming to Wiesbaden to perform compositions by the famous musician. A detailed look at the life and work of Komeda is offered by Robert Kaczmarek's film CZAS KOMEDY / KOMEDA AND HIS TIMES (Poland, 1994). The exhibition Film Posters Komeda - Polanski organized by Lodz Film Museum in cooperation with the Polish Institute, Dusseldorf, presents a very special cross-section of international poster art. The show can be viewed in the Bellevue-Saal festival centre.

The 2009 goEast programme brochure in German with full details of times and venues is available for download at www.goeast-filmfestival.de. Deadline for accreditation is 9 April 2009.

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