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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!

Ordinary Failures

dir. CRISTINA GROSAN

DUTCH PREMIERE

The unexpected small miracles of everyday life in a captivating apocalyptic fable. An extraordinary dystopian film awarded at the Venice Film Festival.

A troubled teenager, an anxious mother, and a recent widow see their day interrupted by a mysterious natural phenomenon. As their world descends into chaos, these three women struggle to find their place in life. Visually captivating, this apocalyptic drama is set in the near future where it seems time on this earth is about to run out, forcing the protagonists to stop and reconnect with themselves. The three stories run parallel over the course of a day, from an ordinary morning to mysterious explosions in the city, smoke and alarm, panic, and search for lost children. It’s an exciting and intimate character study with a dash of science fiction.

SHOWTIMES | Special Guest: screenwriter Klara Vlasakova

Friday, 24 November – 21:20


Saturday, 25 November – 16:45

Buy Tickets Here!

BEZNA SELHANI | 2022 | 85 min | Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia

PRODUCTIONMarek Novak – Xova Film; Laokoon Filmgroup, Rosamont, Super film, Czech TV
CASTTatjana Medvecka, Nora Klimesova, Beata Kanokova, Vica Kerekes
SCREENPLAYKlara Vlasakova
CINEMATOGRAPHYMark Gyori
EDITINGAnna Meller
LANGUAGECzech
SUBTITLESEnglish

FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION) 

Venice Film Festival, 2022 – World Premiere at Giornate degli Autori, Best Director Under 40 award | Gijon International Film Festival, 2022 | International Film Festival of India, 2022 | Cleveland International Film Festival, 2023 | Neisse Film Festival, 2023 – Best Production Design

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Barely managing: this seems to describe our daily life, while we try to handle whatever is thrown at us. To avoid breaking down completely, a widow hasn’t allowed herself to grieve. A queer teenager is struggling to be someone she’s not, just to please her parents. An unemployed mother is ashamed to ask for help. Caught up in their personal failures, they are unable to see the bigger picture. Something is happening outside. In the midst of a world collapsing, they need to find each other, slow down, and listen. Their struggle has a point. It is the ache of a new world being born.

DIRECTOR’S BIO 

Cristina Groșan is a Hungarian-Romanian filmmaker and visual artist. In 2021, her debut feature “Things Worth Weeping For” premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival, then went on to be awarded Best Lead Performance at the Bosphorus Film Festival. As of 2022, the film is still on its festival circuit, and available on Netflix Hungary. The director is also keen on working on the short film form. Since graduating from university in 2012, she has directed 6 short films, which toured the worldwide short film circuit. Among those, her award-winning short “Holiday at the Seaside” was distributed in several territories and premiered online to more than 1 million views. Her second feature film ‘Ordinary Failures’ had its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.