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Film Russia Art & Culture Feature

The Calvert Journal Film Festival 2021

A journey across Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia through the lens of the region's independent filmmakers.

Spring
Box of Matches
Routes
Dead Souls' Vacation
Warsaw: A City Divided
Nova Lituania
Isaac
Otto the Barbarian
Dawn
I Work at the Cemetery
Daughter
Arka
Imbued Life
Cosmonaut
My Favorite War
The Old Man
The Buzz in the Void
Outsiders
Vereja
History of Civilization
The Vibrant Village
Les Deux
A Swimming Lesson From Dad
Sigh
The Moon
State of emergency
Citizens of nowhere
All the Dreams We Dream
Microcassette
Cities I Haven't Been To
Taniel
Ok Good
Rhythms of Lost Time
Road to Paris
2 Angels

Spring

2020 Documentary Feature Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine 00:53:27
Streaming Date
18-19 October 2021
Synopsis
Trapped by the Covid-19 pandemic, 14 people seek joy in self-isolation.
Director
Anna Sarukhanova, Ola Pankova, Tatev Hakobyan, Alexander Dorinov, Denis Duzhnik, Tatiana Chekhova
Not available

Box of Matches

2020 Documentary Feature Russia 00:40:00
Streaming Date
18-19 October 2021
Synopsis
Twenty years ago, one group of DJs brought soul, funk and hip-hop to Moscow. Now, a documentary is telling their story.
Director
Tatiana Chekhova
Not available

Routes

2021 Documentary Feature Serbia 01:08:13
Streaming Date
18-19 October 2021
Synopsis
A journey across the Balkan Route through the eyes of the refugees who risk their lives on their way to the EU border.
Director
Petar Bojovic
Not available

Dead Souls' Vacation

2020 Documentary Feature Georgia 01:06:23
Streaming Date
18-19 October 2021
Synopsis
A famous bass player in Tbilisi finds himself jobless, joyless, and crammed into a one-room apartment with his elderly mother.
Director
Keko Chelidze
Not available

Warsaw: A City Divided

2019 Documentary Feature Poland 01:10:00
Streaming Date
18-19 October 2021
Synopsis
Based on a 1941 film and survivors’ accounts, A City Divided remembers the wartime tragedies of the Warsaw Ghetto.
Director
Eric Bednarski
Not available

Nova Lituania

2019 Fiction Feature Lithuania 01:36:00
Streaming Date
20-21 October 2021
Synopsis
1938. As war looms, a geographer proposes creating a “backup Lithuania” overseas to keep the country’s inhabitants safe.
Director
Karolis Kaupinis
Not available

Isaac

2019 Fiction Feature Lithuania 01:44:00
Streaming Date
20-21 October 2021
Synopsis
In Soviet Lithuania, a film director’s retelling of the Kaunas pogrom forces the protagonist to face his past.
Director
Jurgis Matulevičius
Not available

Otto the Barbarian

2020 Fiction Feature Romania 01:50:00
Streaming Date
20-21 October 2021
Synopsis
Teenage punk Otto deals with the guilt he feels for his girlfriend’s death, while inhabiting the void she left behind.
Director
Ruxandra Ghițescu
Not available

Dawn

2015 Fiction Feature Latvia, Estonia, Poland 01:32:00
Streaming Date
20-21 October 2021
Synopsis
An idealistic young man living on a commune in Soviet Latvia betrays his father, sparking a series of unexpected events.
Director
Laila Pakalnina
Not available

I Work at the Cemetery

2020 Fiction Feature Ukraine 01:40:00
Streaming Date
20-21 October 2021
Synopsis
As 35-year-old cemetery worker Sasha gets involved in his customers’ tragedies, he is forced to confront his own past traumas.
Director
Oleksii Taranenko
Not available

Daughter

2019 Animation Film Czech Republic 00:14:50
Streaming Date
22-23 October 2021
Synopsis
A small bird crashes into a hospital window — unearthing painful childhood memories for the patient on the other side.
Director
Daria Kascheeva
Not available

Arka

2020 Animation Film Croatia 00:14:40
Streaming Date
22-23 October 2021
Synopsis
The story of a transoceanic cruise ship reveals the inevitable necessity of transformation.
Director
Natko Stipanicev
Not available

Imbued Life

2019 Animation Film Croatia 00:12:15
Streaming Date
22-23 October 2021
Synopsis
A young taxidermist searches for answers after she starts finding rolls of undeveloped film inside the animals she treats.
Director
Ivanja Bosnak, Thomas Johnson
Not available

Cosmonaut

2019 Animation Film Estonia 00:11:38
Streaming Date
22-23 October 2021
Synopsis
A retired cosmonaut tries to come to grips with life on Earth, while missing his place among the stars.
Director
Kaspar Jancis
Not available

My Favorite War

2020 Animation Film Latvia, Norway 01:21:58
Streaming Date
22-23 October 2021
Synopsis
A coming-of-age film on growing up in Cold War Latvia, and escaping the brainwashing of an authoritarian regime.
Director
Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen
Not available

The Old Man

2021 Short Film Lithuania 00:30:00
Streaming Date
24-25 October 2021
Synopsis
Vaiva, a carer in rural Lithuania, dreams of living with her boyfriend in Spain. Then, he unexpectedly stops taking her calls.
Director
Elena Rožukaitė
Not available

The Buzz in the Void

2020 Short Film Latvia 00:21:57
Streaming Date
24-25 October 2021
Synopsis
Ainārs has served as a music school principal for forty years. But when he is unexpectedly fired, his world is turned upside down.
Director
Beate Olekte
Not available

Outsiders

2019 Short Film Lithuania 00:16:38
Streaming Date
24-25 October 2021
Synopsis
Two young men struggling with gangs, alcoholism, and their violent upbringing find purpose and refuge in streetball.
Director
Almantas Pektūnas
Not available

Vereja

2021 Short Film Russia 00:07:12
Streaming Date
24-25 October 2021
Synopsis
As a boy, Igor Andreev was banned from joining his local all-female crochet club. Now, his sustainable knitwear brand is famous across the world.
Director
Elena Vakhnik
Not available

History of Civilization

2020 Short Film Kazakhstan 00:15:00
Streaming Date
24-25 October 2021
Synopsis
As she starts a new life in London, Indira dares to explore what she’ll leave behind in her native Kazakhstan.
Director
Zhannat Alshanova
Not available

The Vibrant Village

2019 Student Film Hungary 00:06:58
Streaming Date
26-27 October 2021
Synopsis
In a quiet Hungarian village, men drink beer at the bar, while women mass-produce sexual satisfaction.
Director
Weronika Jurkiewicz
Not available

Les Deux

2021 Student Film Ukraine 00:05:21
Streaming Date
26-27 October 2021
Synopsis
A love story in a remote Ukrainian village is recounted through a pile of old letters and secret voice recordings.
Director
Lada Kopytova
Not available

A Swimming Lesson From Dad

2020 Student Film Hungary 00:14:06
Streaming Date
26-27 October 2021
Synopsis
After a swimming session with dad, Vivi realises there are more terrifying things in life than the children’s pool.
Director
Melinda Biró
Not available

Sigh

2019 Student Film Moldova 00
Streaming Date
26-27 October 2021
Synopsis
A grey man lives in a smog-covered city — until one day, he realises there is colour even in life’s darkest moments.
Director
Vlad Bolgarin
Not available

The Moon

2021 Student Film Russia 00:12:08
Streaming Date
26-27 October 2021
Synopsis
Based on an Udmurtian folktale, The Moon is an audiovisual reflection on death and emptiness.
Director
Yu Manka
Not available

State of emergency

2020 Experimental Film Georgia 00:11:35
Streaming Date
28-29 October 2021
Synopsis
State of Emergency takes viewers through a deserted video game. There, a virtual city mirrors time itself, a labyrinth that is both endless and uncertain.
Director
Mariam Natroshvili, Detu Jintcharadze
Not available

Citizens of nowhere

2019 Experimental Film United Kingdom, Poland 00:06:57
Streaming Date
28-29 October 2021
Synopsis
A Polish filmmaker creates an autobiographical response to the Brexit referendum — and the increased xenophobia that followed.
Director
Zuzanna Rabikowska
Not available

All the Dreams We Dream

2020 Experimental Film Kazakhstan, United Kingdom 00:21:05
Streaming Date
28-29 October 2021
Synopsis
A hand-drawn animation brings to life memories of the 1930 famine in Kazakhstan.
Director
Asel Kadyrkhanova
Not available

Microcassette

2020 Experimental Film Croatia 00:19:21
Streaming Date
28-29 October 2021
Synopsis
In a garbage heap on a Croatian island, Zoki uncovers a microcassette that sets him off on an unexpected journey.
Director
Igor Bezinovic, Ivana Pipal
Not available

Cities I Haven't Been To

2019 Experimental Film Croatia 00:07:06
Streaming Date
28-29 October 2021
Synopsis
An abstract travelogue traces the skylines of unknown cities.
Director
Damir Cucic
Not available

Taniel

2018 Special Screenings UK, Armenia 00:20:00
Streaming Date
30-31 October 2021
Synopsis
Film noir images and prophetic verse tell the story of Taniel Varoujan, a poet killed in the Armenian Genocide.
Director
Garo Berberian
Not available

Ok Good

2021 Special Screenings Russia 00:21:00
Streaming Date
30-31 October 2021
Synopsis
Through silence, music, and everyday conversations, this musical documentary captures life in a remote Russian village.
Director
Sasha Kulak, Yulia Kurmangalina
Not available

Rhythms of Lost Time

2021 Special Screenings Tajikistan 00:45:00
Streaming Date
30-31 October 2021
Synopsis
A journey though the last remnants of traditional culture in Tajikistan.
Director
Anisa Sabiri
Not available

Road to Paris

2020 Special Screenings Ukraine/UK 00:16:36
Streaming Date
30-31 October 2021
Synopsis
A team of Ukrainian ballroom enthusiasts peep through the Iron Curtain in pursuit of success at the French World Open.
Director
Daniel Delikatnyi
Not available

2 Angels

2019 Special Screenings Azerbaijan 00:08:30
Streaming Date
30-31 October 2021
Synopsis
A deaf caretaker goes about his day in a sculptor’s studio in St Petersburg — until something strange and unexpected disturbs his peaceful routine.
Director
Ramazi Baranov
Not available

The Calvert Journal presents The Calvert Journal Film Festival — a journey across Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia through the lens of the region’s independent filmmakers.

Taking place online between 18 and 31 October, the festival will screen 35 films across seven categories: documentary feature, animation film, fiction feature, student film, experimental film, short film, and special screenings. In six of the categories, entries will compete for the prize of best film, awarded by a jury of renowned industry figures. The special screenings category, meanwhile, is an out-of-competition group featuring five more boundary-pushing films. Festival screenings will be open to viewers worldwide, and a special audience prize will also be given to one film from across all categories.

Films will be available for 48 hours on the festival platform, with tickets for individual films available alongside wider category and festival passes. A special series of articles, interviews, and online events will also run alongside the screenings, to spark new conversations on the region’s challenges, opportunities, and contemporary identity.

By showcasing fiction and documentary films that are both authentic and original, the Calvert Journal Film Festival hopes to be a window on a diverse region that is still underrepresented in mainstream film festival programmes — celebrating the rich culture and creative output of its 28 countries.

Day 1-2

Documentary Feature

Spring

Trapped by the Covid-19 pandemic, 14 people seek joy in self-isolation.
18-19 October

Box of Matches

Twenty years ago, one group of DJs brought soul, funk and hip-hop to Moscow. Now, a documentary is telling their story.
18-19 October

Routes

A journey across the Balkan Route through the eyes of the refugees who risk their lives on their way to the EU border.
18-19 October

Dead Souls' Vacation

A famous bass player in Tbilisi finds himself jobless, joyless, and crammed into a one-room apartment with his elderly mother.
18-19 October

Warsaw: A City Divided

Based on a 1941 film and survivors’ accounts, A City Divided remembers the wartime tragedies of the Warsaw Ghetto.
18-19 October
Day 3-4

Fiction Feature

Otto the Barbarian

Teenage punk Otto deals with the guilt he feels for his girlfriend’s death, while inhabiting the void she left behind.
20-21 October

Isaac

In Soviet Lithuania, a film director’s retelling of the Kaunas pogrom forces the protagonist to face his past.
20-21 October

Dawn

An idealistic young man living on a commune in Soviet Latvia betrays his father, sparking a series of unexpected events.
20-21 October

I Work at the Cemetery

As 35-year-old cemetery worker Sasha gets involved in his customers’ tragedies, he is forced to confront his own past traumas.
20-21 October

Nova Lituania

1938. As war looms, a geographer proposes creating a “backup Lithuania” overseas to keep the country’s inhabitants safe.
20-21 October
Day 5-6

Animation Film

My Favorite War

A coming-of-age film on growing up in Cold War Latvia, and escaping the brainwashing of an authoritarian regime.
22-23 October

Cosmonaut

A retired cosmonaut tries to come to grips with life on Earth, while missing his place among the stars.
22-23 October

Arka

The story of a transoceanic cruise ship reveals the inevitable necessity of transformation.
22-23 October

Imbued Life

A young taxidermist searches for answers after she starts finding rolls of undeveloped film inside the animals she treats.
22-23 October

Daughter

A small bird crashes into a hospital window — unearthing painful childhood memories for the patient on the other side.
22-23 October
Day 7-8

Short Film

The Buzz in the Void

Ainārs has served as a music school principal for forty years. But when he is unexpectedly fired, his world is turned upside down.
24-25 October

History of Civilization

As she starts a new life in London, Indira dares to explore what she’ll leave behind in her native Kazakhstan.
24-25 October

Vereja

As a boy, Igor Andreev was banned from joining his local all-female crochet club. Now, his sustainable knitwear brand is famous across the world.
24-25 October

Outsiders

Two young men struggling with gangs, alcoholism, and their violent upbringings find purpose and refuge in streetball.
24-25 October

The Old Man

Vaiva, a carer in rural Lithuania, dreams of living with her boyfriend in Spain. Then, he unexpectedly stops taking her calls.
24-25 October
Day 9-10

Student Film

Les Deux

A love story in a remote Ukrainian village is recounted through a pile of old letters and secret voice recordings.
26-27 October

The Moon

Based on an Udmurtian folktale, The Moon is an audiovisual reflection on death and emptiness.
26-27 October

A Swimming Lesson From Dad

After a swimming session with dad, Vivi realises there are more terrifying things in life than the children’s pool.
26-27 October

Sigh

A grey man lives in a smog-covered city — until one day, he realises there is colour even in life’s darkest moments.
26-27 October

The Vibrant Village

In a quiet Hungarian village, men drink beer at the bar while women mass-produce sexual satisfaction.
26-27 October
Day 11-12

Experimental Film

Microcassette

In a garbage heap on a Croatian island, Zoki uncovers a microcassette that sets him off on an unexpected journey.
28-29 October

Cities I Haven't Been To

An abstract travelogue traces the skylines of unknown cities.
28-29 October

State of Emergency

State of Emergency takes viewers through a deserted video game. There, a virtual city mirrors time itself, a labyrinth that is both endless and uncertain.
28-29 October

Citizens of Nowhere

A Polish filmmaker creates an autobiographical response to the Brexit referendum — and the increased xenophobia that followed.
28-29 October

All the Dreams We Dream

A hand-drawn animation brings to life memories of the 1930 famine in Kazakhstan.
28-29 October
Day 13-14

Special Screenings

Rhythms of Lost Time

A journey though the last remnants of traditional culture in Tajikistan.
30-31 October

Ok Good

Through silence, music, and everyday conversations, this musical documentary captures life in a remote Russian village.
30-31 October

Road to Paris

A team of Ukrainian ballroom enthusiasts peep through the Iron Curtain in pursuit of success at the French World Open.
30-31 October

Taniel

Film noir images and prophetic verse tell the story of Taniel Varoujan, a poet killed in the Armenian Genocide.
30-31 October

2 Angels

A deaf caretaker goes about his day in a sculptor’s studio in St Petersburg — until something strange and unexpected disturbs his peaceful routine.
30-31 October

Festival Passes

All-Access Pass

57% Discount
Not available

Documentary Feature Category Pass

40% Discount
Not available

Fiction Feature Category Pass

40% Discount
Not available

Animation Film Category Pass

40% Discount
Not available

Short Film Category Pass

40% Discount
Not available

Student Film Category Pass

40% Discount
Not available

Experimental Film Category Pass

40% Discount
Not available

Special Screenings Category Pass

40% Discount
Not available

Supporting Events

Opening event

What is the place of cinema from Eastern Europe and Central Asia on the world screen? with Natalia Libet, Norika Sefa, and Carmen Gray
MON 18 October
6PM UK TIME

Animating the past

How can animation be used as a tool to revisit the past? with Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen, director of My Favourite War
TUE 19 October
5PM UK TIME

Cinema post-Brexit

Eastern European film and culture in the UK post-Brexit with Zula Rabikowska, director of Citizens of Nowhere
Thu 21 October
5PM UK TIME

Migration and Central Asian cinema

The theme of migration in contemporary Central Asian film with Zhannat Alshanova, director of History of Civilization
Thu 28 October
5PM UK TIME

Cinema and queer activism

Film as a tool for queer activism with Romas Zabarauskas, Lithuanian director and judge at The Calvert Journal Film Festival
Fri 29 October
5PM UK TIME

Partners

FAQ

Where can I watch the films?

Films from the festival programme will be streamed on our Eventive platform.

How can I buy tickets?

Tickets are available to purchase via Eventive. You can purchase tickets for individual films (£2) here, or a category pass (£6) or festival pass (£30) here.

When can I buy tickets?

Ticket sales begin on 15 September.

Are the films available worldwide?

Most of the films in the programme are available to watch from anywhere in the world, with the exception of a few titles which have geoblocking requirements. This information is available on the page of individual films.

How can I attend the events?

Online events will take place on The Calvert Journal’s Instagram page.

Can I watch the films anytime?

Films in each category are available for a two-day period, starting at 00:00 BST on the first day indicated by the schedule above. All films will be available to watch for 56 hours after they go live on the festival site, according to the event timetable. Please note that the 56-hour window does not start when you buy a ticket, so please time your purchases according to the schedule to make sure you have enough time to watch each film. Once you click play, even if that is at the end of the 56-hour availability window, you will still have 6 hours to watch the film.

Do you accept ticket cancelations and refunds?

Unfortunately, we do not accept ticket cancelations and refunds.

Can I transfer the tickets and passes to someone else?

You can transfer tickets and passes to someone else via Eventive as long as you haven’t watched the film(s) already.

Are the films subtitled or dubbed?

All the films screened as part of The Calvert Journal Film Festival will be in their original language with English subtitles.

I have a press request. Who can I contact?

For press enquiries, please contact [email protected]

I need more information. Who can I contact?

If you have any other questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Legacy

The Calvert Journal Film Festival launched in 2020, bringing together over 5,000 people to watch seven films, both fiction and documentary features, in the course of a week.
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New East Digital Archive
New East Digital Archive