Festival-winning gems in the feature film competition and Open Eye program of the 17th CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival

2021. August 18. Wednesday 11:49
Just like in previous years the 2021 CineFest strives to bring the world’s newest and best films to Miskolc, so the Hungarian audience have a chance to watch them at the same time as the world. CineFest also presents award-winning works from famous, major international film festivals at the Borsod county seat. Both the competition program and the Open Eye selection abound in festival-winning film delicacies.

 

One of the biggest sensations of this year’s CineFest feature competition program is Red Rocket, which had its world premiere at the Cannes International Film Festival. Red Rocket’s director Sean Baker participated at CineFest six years ago, in 2015. His film Tangerine won both the Zukor Prize and the Audience Award. Sean Baker loves to experiment, his films focus on characters living on the periphery of society. Red Rocket’s protagonist Mickey returns from Hollywood to his home in Texas. He tries to fit into the hostile environment, but doesn’t get a decent job because he has worked as a porn star for many decades.

Talking about porn, we have to mention another star in this year’s CineFest competition program, Bad Luck Banging or Looney Porn. The winner of this year’s Golden Bear at the Berlinale is a brutally harsh social critique. Director Radu Jude starts his film with a scene from a home porn. The woman turns out to be a middle-aged history teacher in a prestigious high school. The school cannot accept the scandal.

Director Tom McCarthy is also looking for his characters on the periphery: in his film, Stillwater, he follows the journey of an oil drilling worker (Matt Damon). Bill travels to Marseilles to visit his daughter who was sent innocently to prison. Wandering through the mazes of language barriers, cultural differences, and a complex legal system, Bill does everything he can to clean the name of his daughter and find his own place in life.

Another unique film of CineFest’s feature film competition program is The Sacred Spirit. The film was awarded at the Locarno Film Festival last week. The director of several short films, Chema García Ibarra introduces in his first feature the protagonist José Manuel, a believer of ufology. The man meets his fellow-believers weekly to discuss current news about the aliens. In time, José will be the only one who knows the secret of the future of humanity. Meanwhile the story also follows the case of a missing girl.

This year’s CineFest competition program includes director Blerta Basholli’s Hive, that won the Best Film, Best Director and Audience Award at the 2021 Sundance Festival. Jasmila Zbanic’s Oscar-nominated work Quo vadis, Aida? is also competing in Miskolc. In the shocking film about the Srebrenica massacre, in addition to the fictional plot, the director shows painful memories as well.

The Open Eye program features the opening film of CineFest. Anders Thomas Jensen’s comedy, Riders of Justice is a modern tale of solidarity, chance and the meaning of life. After his wife dies in a tragic train accident, Markus has to return home to his daughter. At first it seems like the accident was only a fatal work of the fates, but later Markus realizes that an assassination has taken place, and his wife was one of the innocent victims.

The Palme d’Or winner Titan is also screened in the Open Eye program. In Julia Ducournau’s film, after a series of unexplained crimes, a father meets his son, who has been missing for ten years.

One of CineFest’s biggest sensations this year is the documentary, Tina, in which Tina Turner gives a glimpse into many, never-before-seen moments of her life. The film follows the singer’s amazing career, but it also shows her inner struggles and her most personal moments.

Ildikó Enyedi’s new film, The Story of My Wife will also have its Hungarian premiere in the Open Eye program. The prestigious international film muster, CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival closes with Enyedi’s unique work on September 18.

Related film screenings:

(BABARDEALA CU BUCLUC SAU PORN BALAMUC)

Rendező: Radu JUDE

ROMANIA, LUXEMBOURG, CZECH REPUBLIC, CROATIA, SWITZERLAND, UK

(HIVE)

Rendező: Blerta BASHOLLI

KOSOVO, SWITZERLAND, ALBANIA, NORTH MACEDONIA

(QUO VADIS, AIDA?)

Rendező: Jasmila ZBANIC

BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA, AUSTRIA, ROMANIA, NETHERLANDS, GERMANY, POLAND, FRANCE, TURKEY, NORWAY

(RED ROCKET)

Rendező: Sean BAKER

USA

(RETFÆRDIGHEDENS RYTTERE)

Rendező: Anders Thomas JENSEN

DENMARK, SWEDEN, FINLAND

(STILLWATER)

Rendező: Tom McCARTHY

USA

(ESPÍRITU SAGRADU)

Rendező: Chema García IBARRA

SPAIN, FRANCE, TURKEY

(THE STORY OF MY WIFE)

Rendező: ENYEDI Ildikó

HUNGARY, GERMANY, FRANCE, ITALY

(TINA)

Rendező: Daniel LINDSAY, T.J. MARTIN

USA