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    • New Talents Open Call
      Eastern Neighbours Film Festival (ENFF) began in The Netherlands in 2008 with the idea to offer Dutch and international audiences a unique glimpse into the cinema of their neighbors from Eastern and Southern Europe. This annual event presents the most recent, exciting, and thought‐provoking films, from countries with small, but often powerful film industries, that… Read more: New Talents Open Call
    • ENFF 2023 On Demand!
      Unable To attend the festival in person? No problem! From November 27th to December 3rd, we’re thrilled to bring you a curated selection of this year’s films available for online viewing! Catch our captivating Opening Film Ivan’s Land, or the touching Closing Film Seventh Heaven. Or explore a collection of shorts from the New Talents Competition! Follow along… Read more: ENFF 2023 On Demand!
    • What’s up in Slovak Cinema? A conversation with Monika Lostakova
      We talked with Monika Lošťáková about contemporary Slovak cinema.
    • ENFF and the Eastern European Film Festival Network!
      The Eastern European Film Festival Network brings together five film festivals dedicated to promoting and showcasing Eastern European cinema, alongside one partner organisation.
    • Masterclasses
      Through these masterclasses we approach two memory in film from different angles: memories from a personal or collective recollection through archive material.
    • Work in Progress
      In Work in Progress, emerging filmmakers and artists will present their works in development to the audience and engage in discussions with Dutch experts.
    • Festival Timetable Available!
    • Check out the catalogue for our 2023 edition!
    • Music at ENFF
      Every year, ENFF brings special musical guests who bring beauty to the program and further represent the rich cultures of their countries to a Dutch audience.
    • Film Marathon
      Join us for the Film Marathon, a new concept in which we merge two components, Short Films, Big Stories, and New Talents Competition into a whole-day screening of short films!

ENFF On Tour in Amsterdam: The Secret Ingredient

Saturday 20 October | 15:00 hours | Rialto | Ceintuurbaan 338, 1072 GN Amsterdam

Join us On Tour in Rialto Amsterdam and watch a Dutch premiere of an outstanding black comedy The Secret Ingredient, Macedonia’s submission for the Oscars. Gjorce Stavreski’s film, which he wrote, directed and produced, is a ‘tragicomic gem that could well end up charming its way into niche distribution beyond the festival circuit’, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Synopsis

Social distress, economic hardship, attempted suicide, family tragedy, illegal drugs, violent thugs and late-stage, metastasized lung cancer are the ingredients of this intriguing debut film about good intentions going really bad. The story follows Vele, an underpaid train mechanic who uses stolen marijuana to make a cake for his father to relieve his cancer pain. Suddenly, he finds himself cornered by the criminals who want their drugs back and the nosy neighbours who want the recipe for the “healing cake”. Expecting the worst, all of sudden an actual miracle occurs…

Festivals & Awards (selection)

LET’S CEE Film Festival, 2018 – Best Debut Film | Sofia International Film Festival, 2018 – Special Mention | Santa Barbara International Film Festival, 2018 – Best International Feature | Aubagne International Film Festival, 2018 – Best Feature Film | Bergamo Film Meeting, 2018 – Best Film | Thessaloniki Film Festival, 2017 – Audience Award

Original title: Iscelitel Country: Macedonia/Greece Year: 2017 Length: 102 min Director/Screenwriter: Gjorce Stavreski Editing: Martin Ivanov Director of Photography: Dejan Dimeski Cast: Blagoj Veselinov, Anastas Tanovski, Aksel Mehmet, Aleksandar Mikic, Miroslav Petkovic Music: Branislav Nikolov, Pece Trajkovski, Goce Jovanoski Production: Gjorce Stavreski – Fragment Film; Graal S.A. Subtitles: English