Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival comes to Cromarty
Cromarty Cinema is delighted to welcome a selection of films from the Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival for the first time this year.
Named after the clandestine circulation of censored and forbidden texts under communist rule, Samizdat brings bold, distinctive and often underrepresented cinema from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus to audiences across Scotland. Its fifth edition explores stories of memory, identity, love, political history and social change, with films that are moving, challenging, funny and surprising in equal measure.
The Cromarty programme opens with The Beauty of the Donkey, a poignant documentary by Swiss-Kosovar filmmaker Dea Gjinovci. The screening will be followed by an online Q&A with the director.
On Thursday, the festival presents And Then We Danced, Levan Akin’s acclaimed film about queer identity, desire and tradition in contemporary Georgia. The screening will be preceded by a recorded introduction from curator Hattie Idle.
The Cromarty strand concludes on Friday with Southern Chronicles, a warmly received film set in Lithuania during the turbulent 1990s. This special return screening follows the film’s popularity with Glasgow Samizdat audiences last year and will include a short introduction from curator Dylan Beck.
Full details of each film, including running times, access information and content notes, can be found below.
The Beauty of the Donkey
After her father Asllan has lived in exile for sixty years, Dea returns with him to Makermal. This Kosovar village…
And Then We Danced
Merab, a devoted dancer, has been training for years with his partner Mary for a spot in the National Georgian…
Southern Chronicles
Rimants is more interested in playing rugby, listening to music and dealing on the black market than studying for school,…
Manipulate Arts – Eastern European Shorts
This shorts programme is curated in partnership with Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival in Glasgow and offers a unique collection…
Support through the Audience Access Fund
Samizdat recognises that the cost of tickets, childcare and travel can make it harder for some people to attend cultural events. Its Audience Access Fund is available to help with these costs, with no proof of eligibility required.
To ask for support, email hello@samizdatfest.co.uk.
The 2026 edition of Samizdat is supported by Screen Scotland’s Film Festival and Screening Programme Fund and Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, and funded by Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.
