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Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival

Name: Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival
Start: 2026-10-06
End: 2026-11-07
Location: Scotland

The Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival celebrates its fifth anniversary edition from October 6 to November 7, 2026. The festival showcases cinema from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, featuring screenings, premieres, and filmmaker conversations across multiple Scottish cities, including Glasgow, Cromarty, Edinburgh, Dunfermline, and Aberdeen.

Date: Oct 6 - Nov 7, 2026
Location: Scotland
Status: Upcoming

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Event summary

Highlights

Fifth anniversary edition
Opening Night at Glasgow Film Theatre with animation programme
Rare 35mm screenings of classic films
"Re-membering the Archive" and "Love Stories" special strands

The 2026 programme of the Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival is its most ambitious and geographically expansive edition to date, presenting powerful and visionary filmmaking. The festival commences on October 6 at Glasgow Film Theatre with "Politics of the Imagination: Animations of the Eastern Bloc (1958–1992)", an animation programme, followed by an Opening Night Party at Stereo.

Highlights include rare 35mm screenings of classics such as Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky’s "Werckmeister Harmonies" and Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s "Mother Joan of the Angels". Special strands like "Re-membering the Archive" explore personal and collective histories, while "Love Stories: Eastern European and Caucasian Romance" delves into themes of love, desire, and belonging.

The festival maintains a central focus on contemporary Ukrainian cinema, featuring works such as the UK premiere of Yulia Appen’s "A Home for Rita", in addition to Ukrainian selections in the Short Film Competition and other curated programmes. The diverse offerings include documentary premieres, experimental cinema, and special anniversary events.

Practical details

Before attending

Check the sources below for current opening times, admission prices and registration requirements. A date range does not mean the event runs continuously or that admission is free.