CinEast (ciné-East) is an annual film festival held in Luxembourg every October since 2008. It’s a celebration of Central and Eastern European cinema, featuring 50-65 feature films and 40 short films from 21 countries. The festival screens over 100 films across various cinemas in Luxembourg, showcasing fiction, documentary, and animated works. The 16th edition of the festival will take place from October 5 to 22, 2023.

The Hamlet Syndrome (PL Syndrom Hambleta, 2022)
Written & directed by Elwira Niewiera & Piotr Rosołowski, production: Poland/Germany
documentary, 85 min, English subtitles, 16+

“To be or not to be” – these words take on new meanings in the context of war. A few months before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a group of five young Ukrainians prepare a play in which Shakespeare voices their own doubts, fears and dreams. Some of them are processing traumas after their return from the war in Donbas, others are facing questions about what the Ukrainian struggle is really about and how their country should change.

Life, theatre and cinema blend into one in this absorbing portrait of a generation having to tackle the painful past, which after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine becomes their present and future alike. A powerful documentary.

Screenings:

Monday, 16.10.2023
20:00
Ancien Cinéma
Grand Rue 23, 9410 Vianden, Luxembourg

Wednesday, 18.10.2023
21:00
Ciné Utopia
Avenue De La Faïencerie 16, L-1510 Limpertsberg, Luxembourg
With the participation of the director Elwira Niewiera
Online stream available

Tickets for the screenings

Elwira Niewiera (1976, born in Racibórz, Poland) – director and screenwriter based in Berlin. She focuses on social and cultural transformations in Eastern Europe. Winner of many international awards, among others the Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig, the Golden Horn at the Krakow Film Festival, Best Documentary on Cinema at the Venice Film Festival, the Polish Film Academy Award for Best Documentary and the American 2021 Chicken & Egg Award. She is a member of the European Film Academy.

The event is supported by the Polish Institute Brussels. Check out the full festival programme.