The pigeon as it flies around above the main square of Pécs and settles on the shining cross at the top of the Turkish Moschee. It has arrived to the right place. As You all, guests and filmmakers of CinePécs V. Moveast Film Festival have arrived to the right place.
Now a lot of historical facts should be mentioned since the time that King Louis the Great founded here the first university of Hungary in 1367, then jumping forward in time, 600 hundred years after, 10-14 November 1965 the first Hungarian Film Week was organized in Pécs. A forum of the profession and the audience, where during the years the deeply honored public could watch such films that has become classics for today, like Márton Keleti: The Corporal and Others (Tizedes meg a többiek), Zoltán Fábry: Twenty Hours (Húsz óra), Miklós Jancsó: My Way Home (Így jöttem), András Kovács: Difficult People (Nehéz emberek).
But let us stick more to the film.
Though the film week from the mid 80’s moved to Budapest, the care of film and the love for it never ceased in Pécs. In 2003 The Film Theory and Film History Department (Center for the Study of the Moving Image) has been established at the University. Thematically different film clubs are functioning in the city center; Control Studio Film Association and “Alldaypics” /Képköznapok/ one-week-film-camp have also been set up. In our case, similarly to the above mentioned dates, 2005 is an important one after all it was the date when the Moveast International Film Festival has come into being, that first of all provides opportunity to the first feature directors of the region (Central and Eastern Europe) for a debut. CinePécs V. Moveast Film Festival would not just like to carry on this tradition, but also to consummate it.
The primary aim of the CinePécs V. Moveast Film Festival in comparison with previous ones has not changed. Thus we consider that the Festival’s mission is to present and make the audience, and of course also the film industry, acquainted with first feature directors, giving them faith and encourage them to make their next, namely their second feature film. Last years’ experiences and awarded works and filmmakers justify that there is a need for sustaining a festival of this nature in the region. Among the winners of the previous years there are such international works of arts as Jasmila Zbanic: Grbavica – The Land of My Dreams (Grbavica), Marek Najbrt: Champions (Mistri), Jan Cvitkovic: Gravehopping (Odgrobadogroba), Jasmin Durakovic: Nafaka, Eva Neymann: At the River (U Reki). On the part of Hungarians there were several successful works as well, like Róbert Pejó: Dallas Pashamende, Ágnes Kocsis: Fresh Air (Friss levegő), Árpád Bogdán: Happy New Life (Boldog új élet), Attila Grigor: The Investigator (A nyomozó).
And just once more about our pigeon. The reason why we have chosen it as the symbol of the Festival is that because these birds are circling above the main squares of every city in this region, and because the rustling of their wings reminds us of the long-desired peace. Where we can see these birds, we are at home. The pigeon is a herald, the symbol of good things and future. We hope that between 8-11 October there will be people whose road lead to this place, who then will sit down into the vibrating darkness of a screening, and that there will be such cinema and film fanatics, who are longing for arriving to Pécs for a long time, wishing not to miss a Croat, Serb, Slovak, Czech, Polish, Bulgarian, Austrian, Bosnian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Greek, Roman or a Hungarian first feature film.
Welcome to CinePécs V. Moveast Film Festival!
Date: 8-11 October
Place: Fesztivál központ – Remekek Háza, Uránia Mozi, Apolló Art Mozi
