Overview
CinEast (Festival du Film d'Europe Centrale et Orientale) is Luxembourg's largest film festival. The 18th edition ran October 10-26, 2025, screening approximately 60 feature films and 50 short films from Central and Eastern Europe. The festival welcomed a record-breaking 11,500 participants across cinemas, special events, and its online platform. The 19th edition is scheduled for October 9-25, 2026.
The festival screens films from countries including Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, the Baltic states, and the former Yugoslav republics. The 2025 edition opened with the Polish film Chopin, A Sonata and the opening ceremony at Kinepolis Kirchberg drew over 600 attendees, the largest screening ever organized by CinEast.
The Official Competition features 7 films vying for the Grand Prix, Special Jury Prize, and Critics' Prize. The 2025 international jury was presided by Bosnian director Danis Tanovic, an Academy Award winner. The festival also partners with the LUX Audience Award, hosting free screenings of the five nominated films in January and February.
CinEast operates a hybrid model. Part of the program is available online through the CinEast Online Cinema platform, extending access for approximately two weeks after the festival ends. In 2025, online films remained available through November 10.
Submission Details
CinEast accepts submissions exclusively through FilmFreeway. The 2025 submission deadline was June 30.
Eligibility:
- Films from Central and Eastern Europe (features and shorts)
- Categories: Feature films, short films (fiction, documentary, animation)
- The festival programs films from the region broadly defined, including post-communist countries, the Baltics, the Balkans, and the former Soviet republics
Submission platform: FilmFreeway only. No other submission method is accepted.
The 2026 submission deadline is expected to be late June 2026. Check the CinEast submissions page for updates.
Key Sections and Awards
Competitive sections:
- Official Competition - 7 feature films competing for the Grand Prix, Special Jury Prize, and Critics' Prize (selected by an international jury and a press jury)
- Short Film Audience Awards - audience-voted awards for fiction, animation, and documentary shorts
Non-competitive sections:
- Panorama - broader selection of Central and Eastern European features
- Country Focus - special programs dedicated to a single country each year
- Retrospectives - classic films from the region
- Special Events - concerts, exhibitions, and cultural events alongside screenings
- CinEast Online Cinema - selected films available online for approximately two weeks after the festival
2025 Award Winners:
- Grand Prix: Wind, Talk to Me directed by Stefan Djordjevic (jury president Danis Tanovic described it as "sincere, poetic, and dramatic")
- Special Jury Prize: God Will Not Help directed by Hana Jusic
- Critics' Prize: Little Trouble Girls directed by Urska Djukic
- Young Talents Award: DJ Ahmet directed by Georgi M. Unkovski
- Audience Award (Features): Fiume o morte! directed by Igor Bezinovic
- Audience Award (Short Fiction): Sujip directed by Gintare Parulyte
- Audience Award (Short Animation): Balconada directed by Iva Tokmakchieva
- Audience Award (Short Documentary): Confession directed by Rebeka Bizubova
2024 Award Winners:
- Grand Prix: Toxic directed by Saule Bliuvaite
- Special Jury Prize: Windless
- Critics' Prize: Toxic
- Young Talents Award: It's Not My Film
- Audience Award: Waves
- Audience Awards (Shorts): The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (fiction), Hello Summer (animation), Rising Above (documentary)
What Filmmakers Should Know
For Central and Eastern European filmmakers: CinEast is the only festival in Western Europe dedicated exclusively to your region. The 7-film Official Competition is curated, meaning selection carries meaningful recognition. The festival's location in Luxembourg provides access to Western European audiences and industry contacts.
For short filmmakers: CinEast actively programs short films alongside features. The festival gives separate audience awards for fiction, animation, and documentary shorts. Short films are also included in the online cinema platform.
For international industry professionals: The festival's 11,500 audience and its partnership with the LUX Audience Award give it a profile beyond Luxembourg's small domestic market. The 2025 jury included members from Bosnia, Georgia, Luxembourg, and Poland.
Festival History
CinEast was founded in 2008 and has operated continuously for 18 editions. The festival employs a small core team and relies on volunteer collaborators. The organization is a nonprofit based in Luxembourg.
The festival has grown into Luxembourg's largest film festival. The 2025 edition set an attendance record with 11,500 participants. The festival screens at Ciné Utopia, Neimenster, Kinepolis Kirchberg, and other venues across Luxembourg.
The festival is a partner of the LUX Audience Award, hosting free screenings of the five nominated films in January and February. It also partners with UA Days (Ukraine Awareness Days).
Practical Information
- 2026 dates: October 9-25, 2026
- Venues: Ciné Utopia, Neimenster, Kinepolis Kirchberg, Ancien Cinema (Viandi), and other venues across Luxembourg
- Online cinema: Selected films available online for approximately two weeks after the festival
- Passes: Festival passes and individual tickets available through the CinEast Eventive platform
- Submission deadline: Expected late June 2026 (via FilmFreeway)
- Website: cineast.lu
Past Winners
CinEast awards juried prizes across its 7-film Official Competition. The Grand Prix carries the most weight. Recent winners and their downstream trajectories:
2025 Grand Prix: Wind, Talk to Me directed by Stefan Djordjevic (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia). The film debuted at IFFR Rotterdam 2025 before winning at CinEast. Heretic handled international sales.
2025 Special Jury Prize: God Will Not Help directed by Hana Jusic (Croatia). The film secured festival bookings across Europe.
2025 Critics' Prize: Little Trouble Girls directed by Urska Djukic (Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia). Kino Lorber acquired North American rights. BFI Distribution picked up UK and Ireland. The film won the FIPRESCI Prize at Berlinale 2025. Slovenia submitted it for the 2026 Oscars.
2025 Young Talents Award: DJ Ahmet directed by Georgi M. Unkovski (North Macedonia). The film won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award and Special Jury Award at Sundance 2025. Ink Films acquired US theatrical rights for a 2026 release. Films Boutique sold it to 7 territories.
2025 Audience Award: Fiume o morte! directed by Igor Bezinovic (Croatia, Italy, Slovenia). The film won the Tiger Award at IFFR Rotterdam 2025. It won Best Documentary at the 38th European Film Awards. Croatia submitted it for the 2026 Oscars. It drew 38,948 viewers in Croatian cinemas, making it the most-watched Croatian documentary in history.
2024 Grand Prix: Toxic directed by Saule Bliuvaite (Lithuania). The film won the Golden Leopard at Locarno 2024. Bendita Film Sales handled international distribution. It won Best Film at IFFI 2024 and the Louve d'Or at Festival du nouveau cinema.
2023 Grand Prix: Citizen Saint directed by Tinatin Kajrishvili (Georgia). CinEast 2023 also gave a Special Mention to Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Estonia), which won Best Documentary at the 2023 European Film Awards.
Notable Alumni Films
Several films that screened at CinEast achieved significant downstream success:
- Toxic (2024) - Won the Golden Leopard at Locarno before taking the CinEast Grand Prix. Bendita Film Sales sold it internationally. It earned 31,958 admissions in Lithuania and won 13 Lithuanian Film Awards.
- Little Trouble Girls (2025) - Debuted at Berlinale, won FIPRESCI, then took the CinEast Critics' Prize. Kino Lorber released it in US theaters starting December 5, 2025. Warner Bros. Discovery purchased broadcast rights for HBO Europe and Max.
- DJ Ahmet (2025) - Debuted at Sundance, won two awards, then took the CinEast Young Talents Award. Ink Films scheduled US theatrical release for early 2026. Films Boutique sold it to 7 territories.
- Fiume o morte! (2025) - Debuted at IFFR Rotterdam, won the Tiger Award, then took the CinEast Audience Award. Lightdox handled sales. Icarus distributed in the US. It won Best Documentary at the European Film Awards.
- Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023) - Received a Special Mention at CinEast 2023. Autlook Filmsales sold it to 32 territories. Greenwich Entertainment distributed in the US. It won Best Documentary at the European Film Awards.
Submission Tips
- Submit only films from Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, the Balkans, or the former Soviet republics. CinEast programs exclusively from this region.
- Target the Official Competition if your film is a feature with strong authorial vision. The 7-film competition is curated, so selection itself signals quality.
- Prepare your film for a press jury screening. The Critics' Prize is awarded by a separate jury of international critics, meaning your film faces two distinct juries.
- Submit short films in fiction, animation, or documentary categories. Each format receives its own audience award, giving shorts distinct recognition.
- Ensure your film has English subtitles. CinEast audiences are multilingual, and the international jury includes members from multiple countries.
- Submit through FilmFreeway only. The deadline is typically late June. Selected films screen online for approximately two weeks after the festival.
Industry Reputation Notes
CinEast occupies a specific niche: it is the only festival in Western Europe dedicated exclusively to Central and Eastern European cinema. Industry professionals value it as a curated window into regional production.
Compared to goEast Film Festival in Wiesbaden (Germany), which also programs Central and Eastern European cinema, CinEast offers a smaller competition but similar jury caliber. goEast runs a larger industry program with the East-West Talent Lab. CinEast counters with its LUX Audience Award partnership and its location in Luxembourg, a major diplomatic center.
Compared to Trieste Film Festival (Italy), another CEE-focused event, CinEast has a smaller industry footprint. Trieste operates a co-production market. CinEast focuses on exhibition and audience engagement rather than industry matchmaking.
The festival does not run a film market. Its industry value lies in jury prestige (the 2025 jury was led by Academy Award winner Danis Tanovic), press exposure through the Critics' Prize, and the LUX Audience Award partnership. Sales agents attend selectively, looking for films that have already built festival momentum at larger events.
See Also
For Central and Eastern European cinema markets, see International Film Markets. For festival submission strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. Use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator to evaluate the cost-benefit of submitting to CinEast.
