After a successful online edition in March, which surpassed the mark of 10,000 views, the BEAST International Film Festival now extends its program to the traditional cinemas of Porto, which have always welcomed the festival. Since 2017, the event has functioned in the city as a complex channel of contemporary culture of Central and Eastern Europe for the Portuguese public. 

Every year, exciting new short and medium-length films compete for the awards of Best Fiction, Best Documentary and Best Experimental within the ambit of BEAST International Film Festival. 

The Official Competition presents works of emerging filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe, a pillar to the festival offer. With each edition, this competitive programme enriches BEAST IFF and its community, introducing new works, new faces through a diverse selection of style and form. From impressive visuals to candid portraits, the Official Competition gives perspective on The New East while being at the core of the festival.

In 2021, after a thorough evaluation, the team of judges composed of Elsa Cerqueira, Irina Trocan, Pedro Ferreira, Rita Capucho and Anton Yaremchuk announced the winners of this edition of BEAST IFF.

With the country's new health and safety measures, the winning short and medium-length films make their debut on the big Portuguese screens with our partners from Maus Hábitos - Espaço de Intervenção Cultural. 

Program

East Wave Award for Best Fiction Film: SH_T HAPPENS (Michaela Mihalyi e David Štumpf, Czech Republic, 2019, FIC., 13'02, SUB. PT)

A caretaker exhausted by everything, his frustrated wife and one totally depressed deer. Their mutual despair leads them to absurd events, because… shit happens all the time.

Experimental East Award for Best Experimental Film: The Close River (Marta Hryniuk, Poland, 28', 2020, EXP./DOC., SUB. PT)

Shot over the course of three weeks, in various locations in western Ukraine, The Close River is a poetic investigation of a region with multiple overlapping temporalities of colonisation and exploitation. The film traces shifting borders and markers of power, exploring how the histories of coexistence, violence and resistance are carved into the landscape and culture of the region, and ultimately how they shape contemporary ways of living.