VR-Exhibition: Tales From The Bathhouse

Thu, 27.04. – Mo, 01.05. / 14 – 22
Tue, 02.05. / 10 – 18

Altes Gericht, UG

Admission free.

Wiesbaden is a city with a long spa tradition. In 2022, goEast launched a “bathhouse” themed programme, inviting artists to create a totally new world devoted to this topic within the VRChat platform. Three projects were completed in less than two months: “Bloodbath” (Ukraine), which was honoured by Raindance Festival; “Hammam” (Turkey, USA); and “Exotic with a Happy Ending” (Germany, Uzbekistan). Each project was presented in a physical exhibition during the festival as well as online in goEast’s VRChat world, conceived as a reconstruction of Wiesbaden’s famous Kaiser Friedrich Spa.  

This year, goEast has selected three further projects and asked the authors to present their stories and worlds to our growing VRChat community.  

All three works originally existed as independent offline experiences, which, now combined, represent a real-time experiment in which the authors lead visitors through their virtual world in a multiplayer experience, by shifting narratives and perspectives and enabling visitors to become co-authors of the story.  

 

Exhibition: Illustrators_Native

Thu, 27.04. – Tue, 02.05. / 15 – 22:30

Murnau Filmtheater

Admission free.

The project “ILLUSTRATORS_NATIVE” was initiated in January 2023 with the aim of creating a supportive and inspiring community for diverse illustrators from Russia’s indigenous populations. Within this community, Seseg Jigjitova and Rinchina Azheeva publish and promote the works of illustrators dedicated to the depiction and rethinking of these native cultures and stories. 

The participating artists come from diverse artistic fields and make use of different media: from graphic novels to textile art all the way to animation and video installations. In doing so, they allow their different backgrounds to shape their creative practices, in order to provide more visibility for indigenous cultures and to challenge the repression that they have been subjected to, and still face. 

Film Talk

22:00, Altes Gericht

Admission free.

Film talk with the filmmakers of NOT A THING, LA PALISIADA and POLISH PRAYERS.

Panel: Meet The Activists

16:00, Museum Wiesbaden

Admission free.

The Russian Federation is home to 185 different ethnic groups. Since the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, a new national consciousness and decolonial discourse have emerged among the native peoples and ethnic minorities. These new movements, of which some also have an intersectional feminist background, protest against the war and against systemic racism in the Russian Federation. In the goEast panel MEET THE ACTIVISTS, Alexandra Garmazhapova, Dankhaiaa Khovalyg, Seseg Jigjitova and Rinchina Azheeva will present their projects and discuss the future of indigenous movements in the post-Soviet space. 

Film Talk

22:00, Altes Gericht

Admission free.

Film talk with the filmmakers of MOTHERLAND, PARADE and JANUARY.

goEast Boogie Basement

23:00, Altes Gericht (UG)

Free entry, donations welcome.

After three tumultuos years the traditional goEast party returns – even though on and friday. True to our visual this year we’re happy to take a psychedelic journey in the cinema as well as on the dance floor. In our new location – the rustic event room of the wonderfully restored Altes Gericht in Wiesbaden – we’re starting the party parade 2023 with DJ Janeck.

Panel: Ukrainexploitation

15:00, Museum Wiesbaden

Admission free.

Since  February 24th, 2022, television broadcasters, independent filmmakers and adventurous reporters from all around the world have been filming on location in Ukraine. “Never let a good crisis go to waste”, as Winston Churchill once said.

“Paratroopers” was the term that Jean-Marie Straub liked to use for filmmakers who “simply fall from the sky somewhere and boom, the camera is running already. They film something they have never even seen. They’ve never taken time to look at it.” The Ukrainian film industry is hardly profiting from the presence of these “paratroopers”; many Ukrainians work on the side as “fixers” (when they are not at the front themselves), constantly putting their own lives on the line, often without insurance or employment contracts. We are familiar with this phenomenon from other war-torn regions – Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. However, in 2023 one would expect that the topics of ethics and representation would be higher on the agenda for funding agencies, broadcasters and production companies. In this panel discussion, we will get to the bottom of the problem, while simultaneously highlighting examples of initiatives supporting the Ukrainian film industry instead of exploiting it. 

Schlachthof party: Estonian Funk Embassy

22:30, Kulturzentrum Schlachthof

Ticket: 10 Euro

This year’s party in the Schlachthof conntects directly to our finno-hungarian psy-funk space age animations programme and brings a burst of emotions. To amplify the vibe of that film programme musically the Estonian Funk Embassy sends their ambassador of funk aka Henrik Ehte and his colleague Ingvar ‘Indo’ Kassuk to Wiesbaden. Interested in all the treasures which lie deep in the grounds of the estonian broadcasting archives both spent many hours poking around in funk, soul, disco and jazz recordings of estonian artists from the 70s and 80s. They will present the rarest, craziest and most catchy estonian grooves at goEast and we’re looking forward to a lot of unreleased, forgotten and  never heard before material! To show the audience their way into a dancing trance the Embassy will be supported by goEast resident DJ Janeck.

MASTER CLASS with Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski 

 16:00, Murnau Filmtheater

Admission free.

For years, Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski have been making documentary films together. The processes of cultural and political transformation which one can also observe in everyday life in Eastern Europe form the guiding thread through their oeuvre. The duo shot their film DOMINO EFFECT (2014) in the non-recognised state of Abkhazia. THE PRINCE AND THE DYBBUK (2017) is a historical hunt for traces, based on the biography of a conartist, born as the son of a poor Jewish blacksmith in Ukraine became a member of the Italian jet set. In 2023, goEast is proud to present THE HAMLET SYNDROME (2022), shot with an up-and-coming theatre group in Eastern Ukraine. Since  February 24th 2022, Elwira and Piotr have also been heavily involved in helping refugees directly on a personal basis. In their goEast Master Class, they will speak about their creative process, film production in Germany, collaborating as a directorial duo and their experiences in Ukraine. 

Film Talk

22:00, Altes Gericht

Admission free.

Film talk with the filmmakers of WAKE ME, FLOTACIJA, THE BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST and TRAIL OF THE BEAST.

East-West Talent Lab Public Pitch

10:00, Museum Wiesbaden

Admission free.

The participants in the East-West Talent Lab present their project ideas with a non-fiction or documentary focus to a three-member expert jury as well as a live audience. The young talents hail from Central and Eastern Europe. Each pitch takes up to five minutes, followed by immediate feedback and questions from the expert jury.

This year’s jury members are Jutta Veit, Nadja Tennstedt and Sofia Tocar. The best pitches have a shot at winning the Renovabis Research Grant (worth 3,500 euros) for a documentary film project with a focus on human rights issues, as well as the Pitch-the-Doc Award, which features a non-cash prize package for further education valued at 500 euros. The prize winners will be announced by the jury in the scope of the goEast Awards Ceremony.

 

In Discussion with JASMILA ŽBANIĆ 

18:00, Museum Wiesbaden

Admission free.

No only does the goEast audience have the chance to get insight into the extensive and internationally awarded oeuvre of Jasmila Žbanić but also to meet her personally in Wiesbaden. In the wake of the traditional goEast discussion Borjana Gaković interviews the influential bosnia herzegovinian filmmaker regarding her work in a male dominated film industry, her preoccupation with the Bosnian war as well as the socio-political topics resulting from it.

Labour Day – Rhine Cruise With Poets and Thinkers

13:30, Wiesbaden-Biebrich

Ticket: 10 Euro

Online: https://booking.cinetixx.de/frontend/index.html?cinemaId=2079319745&showId=2761719269&bgswitch=false&resize=false#/show/2079319745/2776620161
Box Office on location: Starting 13:00

“With Cinema Archipelago, goEast is departing for new shores.” That is how we described our sidebar programme in last year’s catalogue. For this year’s International Workers’ Day, goEast has decided to take this sentiment literally, by organising a traditional Rhine riverboat cruise. Selected festival guests will be reading from works by their favourite authors and opening a space for dialogue about and with literature. Short readings and poetry performances in the idyllic landscape of the Rheingau promise to create an inspiring atmosphere. Premiering at goEast this year, this event enables participants to get to know our filmmaking guests in a special new way. 

 

Film Talk

22:00, Altes Gericht

Admission free.

Film talk with the filmmakers of ORDINARY FAILURES, REMEMBER TO BLINK and THIS IS WHAT I REMEMBER.

goEast Closing Party

23:00, Altes Gericht (UG)

Free entry, donations welcome.

Even though the curtain for goEast 2023 drops for the last time after the award ceremony, the festival isn’t yet over, because the third part of the goEast party trilogy is yet to come!

On tuesday night the crowd gathers one more time to say goodbye to this years colorful festival edition and dance to eastern and middle european beats. DJ Janeck – goEasts residence DJ – drops a mixed bag of gypsy, klezmer and modern electronics.