goEast program coordinator Sophie Brakemeier was a guest at the Hamburg Short Film Festival from June 4 to 9. The exciting and diverse program of competition blocks, networking events, panels, and parties promised long days between Hamburg’s cinemas and the impressively utilized festival center.

The motto of this year’s festival, “Provocation of Love,” concealed a multitude of points of reference for debates and focuses that goEast has also addressed in recent years. In exploring “the power of connection and community,” the short film festival created space for decolonial narratives and underrepresented voices. Filmmakers Hamze Bytyçi and Alecio Araci, who have already presented their films in Wiesbaden, discussed the role of German cultural and film institutions in overcoming antiziganistic structures and stereotypes with former goEast director Heleen Gerritsen and other guests during a panel on the visibility of Roma* and Sinti* perspectives.

Sophie was particularly pleased with the international jury’s choice: it nominated I BELIEVE THE PORTRAIT SAVED ME (Kosovo/Netherlands, 2025) by Alban Muja, an excellent film from the goEast focus region, for the European Film Awards. We wish the film team the best of luck for the awards ceremony in January 2026.