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 Doc Award for Best Documentary: Pure Art (Maksim Shved, Poland, 52', 2019, DOC., SUB. PT)

Communal painters Zina and Inna carefully paint the graffiti and slogans on the walls of Minsk, leaving colourful rectangles as a result. The artist Zakhar Kudin is inspired by bright figures and decides to copy them to the huge canvases. Passers-by intrigued by Zakhar’s performance are trying to interpret his work and express their opinion, but not only about art. Watching the birth of an artistic phenomenon, the film with irony and love shows contemporary Belarus and raises issues that are relevant not only in this country.