Astra Film Festival announces 33rd edition winners

The 33rd edition of the Astra Film Festival, Romania’s longest-running documentary film festival, has concluded with the announcement of its award winners. Vlad Petri received the prize for best documentary for ‘În fiecare zi trece același tren și nu oprește niciodată’.

Dragoș Turea was awarded best direction for ‘Pionul lui Lenin’, a co-production between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. In the Emerging Voices section, Pepa Lubojacki won best film for ‘Dacă porumbeii s-ar preface în aur’, while Karin Pennanen took best direction for ‘Zile de contemplare’.

Other notable recognitions include the Eastern Europe category award for ‘Muntele’ by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić, and the DocSchool award for ‘Spartane fără inhibiții’ directed by Maud Mascre. The festival also featured masterclasses on the complexity of documentary filmmaking and screenings exploring diverse social themes, such as Andreea Dumitriu’s film ‘Rândul’, which examines the pilgrimage to the relics of Saint Parascheva in Iași.