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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!

Olga

Swiss nominee for Oscars 2022! Remarkable, coming of age drama on a Ukrainian gymnast exiled in Switzerland when war breaks out at home. “For freedom we will give our body and soul” is a song from the Maidan revolution where Olga’s mom, an activist and journalist, struggles for freedom while her daughter must make important decisions on her own. They are both devoted, they are both passionate.

Synopsis

Olga is a talented teenage Ukrainian gymnast exiled in Switzerland. She is dreaming of Olympic gold and trying to fit in with her new team in her new home. As she prepares for the European Championships, the Ukrainian people back home in Kyiv rise up in what has become known as the Maidan Revolution, suddenly involving everyone she cares about. A tense, sensitively handled tale of exile reflecting the clash between the personal and the political.

Switzerland, France, Ukraine | 2021 | 85 min

DIRECTOR: Elie Grappe

PRODUCTION: Jean-Marc Frohle – Point Prod, Tom Dercourt – Cinema Defacto

CAST: Anastasia Budiashkina, Caterina Barloggio, Jerome Martin

SCREENPLAY: Elie Grappe, Raphaelle Desplechin

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Lucie Baudinaud

EDITING: Suzana Pedro

SCREENING: Thursday 24.11. / 21:15h / Zaal 3 & Friday 25.11. / 14:00h / Zaal 5

Festivals & Awards (selection)

Cannes FF, 2021 – SACD Award for Best Screenplay at International Critics Week; World Premiere | Switzerland’s official submission for International Feature Film competition for the 94th Academy Awards | Brussels IFF, 2021 – Best International Feature Film, Audience Award | Gijon IFF, 2021 – Best Actress | Hamburg FF, 2021 – Best Feature | Swiss Film Prize, 2022 – Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Sound

Director’s bio

Born 1994 in France. Elie Grappe completed musical training at the National Conservatory in Lyon. After attending the preparatory course at École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL) he proceeded to study film, receiving his Bachelor in film from ECAL in 2015. His short documentary film REHEARSAL (2014) was selected for IDFA, Clermont-Ferrand and Krakow Film Festival. His short fiction film SUSPENDU (2015) was shown at 60 film festivals worldwide and garnered numerous awards. OLGA (2021) is his first feature-length fiction film. She lives and works in Switzerland.