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    • NTC Award Ceremony
      New Talent Competition gives young filmmakers from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe the opportunity to present their outstanding debut or second film to the public. Join us on Sunday 1 December at 19h
    • Music at ENFF
      The Eastern Neighbours Film Festival welcomes special musical guests each year to enrich our program. For this 16th edition, we’re thrilled to present two talented young musicians: guitarist Antonio Peršak (CR) and violinist İdil Yunkuş (TR). Together, they will perform a traditional Balkan dance and folk song, highlighting the beauty of this music through the… Read more: Music at ENFF
    • Masterclass with Janez Burger
      This masterclass presents a unique opportunity to explore Burger's distinct storytelling style, genre use, and exploration of contemporary social issues. Join us on Saturday 30 November at 17h - Room 5
    • Panel Discussion: Exploration of individual and collective memory in cinema
      Panel Discussion: Exploration of individual and collective memory in cinema on Friday 29 November at 18h

So What’s Freedom?

A compelling historical drama depicting a story of love and survival against the background of the gruesome Romanian ’50s. When one gives up fear, one finds freedom, even when in confinement.

Inspired by historical facts and based on the short novel “Projects of the Past” by Ana Blandiana, the film takes place in 1951 when the Communist authoritarian system ordered the deportation of 40,000 people (landowners, intellectuals and different ethnic minorities) to the Baragan Fields, otherwise known as the Romanian Siberia. During a wedding in Herculane, a history teacher is violently arrested by the communists. Alongside his wife and seven other people, they are forced to take a freight train, destination unknown, together with thousands of other scared people. The film follows the group into their solitary confinement in the middle of a wasteland for several years. Featuring a remarkable on-screen group performance by some of the most extraordinary actors in current Romanian cinema.

SI ATUNCI, CE E LIBERTATEA?

Romania, USA | 2020 | 133 min

DIRECTOR: Andrei Zinca

PRODUCTION: Calin Papura – Tica Trade SRL; Andrei Zinca – Double 4 Studios

CAST: Radu Iacoban, Iulia Lumanare, Cuzin Toma, Olimpia Melinte, Tunde Skovran

SCREENPLAY: Andrei Zinca, based on the novel by Ana Blandiana

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Tudorel Vladimir Panduru

EDITING: Edith Weil

SCREENING: Saturday 23 April / 20:00 hours / Zaal 3 / Dutch Premiere

FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION) 

South East European Film Festival Los Angeles, 2021 – Honorable Mention, Audience Award | Sedona International Film Festival 2021 – Audience Award | Santa Monica International Film Festival, 2020 – Jury’s Honorable Mention | Transilvania International Film Festival, Cluj-Napoca, 2020 – Audience Choice Award for Best Romanian Film