Smart7 is a European project that brings together 7 European film festivals. Each year, each festival selects a film from its country to be part of this curatorship. And throughout the year, from March to September (when the last partner festival takes place) 7 films from 7 different nationalities are included in the program of each of these festivals.
Smart7 has emerged as a project for the circulation of emerging filmmakers in the 7 countries that make up the network.
The first partner festival to kick off is Kino Pavasaris in Vilnius (Lithuania), followed by IndieLisboa IFF (Portugal), FILMADRID IFF (Spain), Transilvania IFF (Romania), BNP Paribas New Horizons IFF (Poland), Reykjavik IFF (Iceland) and, ending the tour in Thessaloniki IFF (Greece). At the end, the winning film from the last festival is awarded. The jury is made up of university students from the 7 partner countries.
The films selected for this edition were:
The Lithuanian film in competition, Drowning Dry by Laurynas Bareiša, awarded at Locarno for acting and directing, portrays a summer weekend in which the lives of two sisters and their families take a dark and unexpected turn.
The Portuguese film Hanami, by newcomer Denise Fernandes, also won awards in Locarno and Gothenburg earlier this year. The film mixes magical realism with the stunning scenery of a volcanic island to portray the journey of a girl who comes of age after being abandoned by her mother.
In Spain, Sandra Romero’s debut film, As Silence Passes By, premiered in San Sebastián last year. The film offers a raw, documentary perspective on a family drama in which a young man returns home to face conflicts and guilt from the past.
Adding to the program, the Romanian film Internal Zero will be the only one to have its world premiere in March at the Vilnius IFF Kino Pavasaris. Directed by Eugen Jebeleanu, the film is based on the best-selling novel by Lavinia Braniște and follows Cristina, a thirty-something secretary struggling with life in isolated and hostile Bucharest.
Travel Essentials, from Poland, directed by Kamila Tarabura, presents a gripping mystery full of twists and turns, which explores a childhood trauma and the secrets behind it.
Representing Iceland, Epilogues, by Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon, tells the story of an elderly man who, in his grief, consumes his wife’s ashes – an act that triggers a surreal journey through his memories.
Finally, Meat, by Greek director Dimitris Nakos, investigates a deep-rooted, almost mythical neighborhood feud that turns into tragedy.
From May 1 to 11, IndieLisboa will bring this competition to the city of Lisbon and you will be able to see the 7 proposals from these 7 European festivals.
