We invite you to join a discussion organised in collaboration with the Institute of Documentary Film (Czech Republic) on Decolonisation of old Ideological constructs and film industry practice to discuss the experience of Eastern Europe in the struggle to overcome the colonial approach in the field of culture. The event will be held on 29 June at 7 p.m. EET.

Four months ago, Russia started a full-scale invasion into the territory of Ukraine. A wave of solidarity with our people swept Europe immediately, particularly in the form of calls, open letters and discussions about boycotting Russian culture, including Russian film. How does the war affect film industry practices, and what needs to be done if we really want to focus on filmmakers and films from countries which used to be a part of the Soviet Union? Do the war in former Yugoslavia and the colonial war today have anything in common from the perspective of giving voice to all the countries that used to be allies in the past? Why is it important to be more sensitive to the diversity of the represented countries, cultures, languages and narratives? What is the role of festival programme consultants and can they work in a fair way?

Speakers:

Srdjan Keča, filmmaker, Assistant Professor at the Department of Art and Art History, Stanford University.

Daria Badior, Ukrainian critic, editor and journalist. Co-curator of the Kyiv Critics Week film festival.

Kumjana Novakova, filmmaker, audiovisual artist, film curator.

Volia Chajkouskaya, Belarusian filmmaker, founder and programme director of the Northern Lights Film Festival in Belarus and VoliaFILMS.

The discussion will be moderated by Dîna Iordanova, researcher, professor and expert in global cinema specialising in Balkan and Eastern European filmmaking.