BEAST IFF

Synopsis

A family living amongst an invisible danger from the fallout of Chernobyl. Teenagers did not witness the Disaster, yet they grew up in perfect harmony with a truly unique and mysterious world, full of life yet death, distorted in time. This film is a symphony, constructed in 4 parts. Four movements; four seasons; four-bar measures. Four moments from the everyday life of girls. Four chances to question their desires and to understand the message from The Zone, its magic silence, its invisible paradise.

BIOGRAPHY

Daria grew up in Minsk and she completed her undergraduate studies in chemistry before following her true passion by joining the Belarusian Academy of Arts in Minsk. She was offered the opportunity to work as director for Belarusian television. There, over the course of the next four years, working as director in a myriad of projects from documentaries to short films, both fiction and animation, her style began to develop. With the desire to tackle bigger projects and in the hope of having a deeper understanding of European cinema in 2007 Daria joined Le Fresnoy, National Studio of Contemporary Arts in France. There, her style evolved further under the influence and advice of directors and artists like Jean-Luc Godard, André S. Labarthe, Alain Fleacher, and Eduardo Kac. Following the masters, Daria has been able to direct a series of short documentaries and films, which have been screened around the world.

• Daria Yurkevich
• Belarus
• 2019
• Doc.
• 52’
• Sub. PT/ENG

FILMIN

trailer

director’s intro

Synopsis

In a village in Chechnya a mother and a daughter speak about the return of an acquaintance.

BIOGRAPHY

Zaur Kourazov (1994) graduated from KASK in 2019 magna cum laude with his work, TIME IS (2020). His work dwells on themes such as memory, (cultural) identity and friendships which stem from intercultural aspects. Feeling connected to his ethnic culture and the assimilated culture, his work resides in a unique position by exploring ‘in betweenness,’ a very intriguing space of understanding both worlds yet not fitting in either of them.

• Zaur Kourazov
• Belgium
• 2019
• Doc.
• 21’
• Sub. PT/ENG

FILMIN

trailer

director’s intro

BEAST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IS EXTENDING ITS PROGRAM UNTIL JUNE 1ST

Presented by OKNA (PLUSEAST) Cultural Association, BEAST International Film Festival has been proving itself and the public since 2017 as an event that shines an important light on the East European cinema landscape.

This year, our edition will be held online between March 24th and April 4th through the Filmin Portugal platform. Alongside the Portuguese streaming website, other platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and Instagram will also host BEAST IFF’s screenings, events, live streams, and Q&As. 

But that’s not all of it – after the end of the edition, BEAST IFF will continue until June 1^st through special monthly screenings, events, and the Visegrad Film Hub, an industry event dedicated to the V4 countries. 

This will include even more screenings, masterclasses, and workshops, with an online and possibly on-site offer. In case it’s safe for festival spectators in the nearby future, limited screenings and activities will be held in the city of Porto at venues such as Cinema da Trindade, Cinema Passos Manuel, Casa das Artes, and Almeida Garrett Municipal Library.
Since its existence, BEAST International Film Festival has presented over 300 short, medium-length, and feature films, several world, European and Portuguese premieres, and more than 150 screening sessions, including special line-ups of national and international guests. Stay tuned to our website and social media to know about it all!

4TH BEAST IFF IN PARTNERSHIP WITH STREAMING PLATFORM FILMIN

With the challenges generated by the pandemic and the viability for an enriching online experience, BEAST International Film Festival will first kick off from the 24th to the 28th of March in partnership with the Portuguese streaming platform Filmin.

Born from a collaboration and dialogue initiative between Portuguese cinematographic operators, critics, festivals and national as well as international cultural institutions, Filmin is the main independent cinema streaming platform in Portugal.

This year, Romania is the focus of BEAST IFF through the Focus Country program, which debuts at the Opening Session one of the most acclaimed documentaries of 2020: Ivana The Terrible, director Ivana Mladenović’s second feature.

The section will also include sessions dedicated to other documentary films from Romania, such as the critically praised Acasa, My Home, a film by director and investigative journalist Radu Ciorniciuc, and The Distance Between Me and Me, a feature-length documentary by directors Dana Bunescu and Mona Nicoară, which elicits deep reflections around the iconic figure of Romanian artist Nina Cassian.

Besides Focus Country, the EastWave, EastDoc and experimentalEAST competitive sessions are also highlights of the festival, featuring mid-length and short films that show the work of emerging young talents from Central and Eastern Europe.

These sessions will be available until April 4th for Filmin subscribers or via the platform’s pay-per-view model. Along with the Portuguese streaming website, other platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook and Instagram will also host BEAST IFF’s exhibitions, events, live streams and Q&As.