‘Without light in the darkness, you cannot make films.’ Béla Tarr
In a world in flux, characterised by uncertainty, the 16 films of the goEast feature-film competition bring light into the darkness – each in its own special way. Together, they trace an arc from the beginning of the 20th century into the present day. They take us along with them, to remote mountain villages and former sanatoriums, to the Polish Baltic Sea and the Pacific coast of Mexico, to historical turning points and stories of war and migration. They grapple with pain and happiness, faith and self-knowledge, love and the road to adulthood.
Throughout their many settings – whether in a carpet weaving workshop or amid theatre rehearsals at a home for the aged, in group therapy or the boxing ring – they offer deep insights into a wide variety of life situations. Some filmmakers accompany a family over a period of years, while others reconstruct their father’s childhood home or create a speculative biography from undeveloped black-and-white photographs.
