Astra Film Festival 2024 proposes between October 21-26, starting at 18:00, at Thalia Hall in Sibiu, a set of discussions with the public, which will take place after the screening of some of the best films from the festival. Among the guests are Emil Hurezeanu, Radu Vancu, Mihaela Miroiu or Nicu Ștefănuță.
Sala Thalia, host of the Astra Film debates
The Doc Talks series is part of Astra Film Festival’s special programs, alongside unique exhibitions, masterclasses with international professionals, activities exclusively dedicated to students, juniors and industry professionals who need a boost in completing their film productions.
Our daily meat (Monday, October 21 | 18.00)
What’s happening on intensive farms across Europe. What are we actually eating when we order a steak, what are the connections between the political world and the meat industry? The discussion, preceded by the screening of the film “Food For Profit”, a journalistic investigation that “shook Europe”, is moderated by the well-known journalist Andreea Stroe, and her guests are the MEP Nicu Ștefănuță, Lorand Tapuc, known for his ecological farm and “Food For Profit” director Pablo D’Ambrosi.
The Age of Digital Feudalism (Tuesday 22 October | 18:00)
The projected film takes us into the world of the personal library of the famous writer Umberto Eco. And the discussion moderated by journalist Mirela Nagâț (guests: Prof. Mihai Cernea, Ioana Avădani, director of the Center for Independent Journalism and Ștefan Baghiu, lecturer. Dr. Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu) starts from the observation that, after thousands of years in which knowledge was archived and transmitted over generations on physical support, the digital age, through new communication practices, fundamentally changes the production, consumption, collection and archiving of knowledge. The problem is that the support of digital archives is vulnerable and subject to migration imposed by technological changes, without being valid for the long-term preservation of heritage knowledge. What do we do? How will information circulate in the future, what is the nature of filter bubbles, echo chambers, who plays the role of gatekeeper?
Bargained Woman vs. Man Woman (Wednesday 23 October | 18:00)
Wednesday’s discussion will be about the role of women in society in the conditions where the asymmetry of power and respect between the role of women and men in society has led over time to many injustices and excesses. What is the situation now and what are the prospects? The dialogue, based on the films In the name of the earth (dir. Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman) and Who is the man in the house (dir. Kristine Nrecaj, Birthe Templin), aims to identify and bring back into discussion the sources and practices of gender inequalities or even misogynists of the present that are perpetuated from the past. Moderator: journalist Mirela Nagât. Guests: Prof. Mihaela Miroiu, Roxana Dumitrache, publicist and feminist activist and writer Radu Vancu
East in the West (Thursday, October 24 | 18:00).
The screening of the film Dad (dir. Lina Vdovîi and Radu Ciorniciuc), the complex story of the complicated father-daughter relationship, intertwined with a situation of modern slavery, will be followed by a discussion moderated by journalist Cătălin Striblea in which the phenomenon of European migration from East to West, starting from very concrete, shocking, like you’ve never heard, often painful stories of those who went to work far from home. The films under discussion are Mirage of the West (dir. Apolena Rychlíková), in which a journalist from the Czech Republic works in several Western countries to document the subject at first hand, 24 hours (dir. Harald Friedl), about a Romanian carer of elderly people in Austria. The guests are the historian and anthropologist Valer Simion Cosma and Prof. Dr. Ionela Vlase.
The Secret of Poland’s Advance (Friday 25 October | 18:00).
After the screening of the Polish film, The Forest, will there be a public dialogue about how Poland managed to advance among the countries of the former communist bloc? What were the reforms implemented there, what strategies did they use and what resources did the authorities use for the country to take this step forward? Journalist Cristina Cileacu, together with Ambassador Emil Hurezeanu, the former Polish Ambassador to Romania, Bogumil Luft and economist Professor Cornel Ban, will seek answers about how others can do better.
As many stars in the sky, as much plastic in the oceans (Saturday, October 26 | 14:00)
Digi 24 journalist Teodora Tompea, together with her guests, Anamaria Hâncu (Let’s do it, Romania!) and Roxana Puia (Environ Association), is looking for solutions to reduce plastic pollution. Because there are already 500 times more plastic particles in Earth’s waters than there are stars in our galaxy. How can we really contribute to a cleaner and greener planet and what should the government, big companies and us ordinary people do about it? The pretext film is the German production “Fantastic Plastic” (dir. Isa Willinger), which closely follows circular production, the greenwashing phenomenon, the evolution and effects of microplastics, carbon emissions and ecological racism.
The full program of Astra Film Festival DocTalks debates, here.
