About

Named after the practice of clandestine dissemination of censored and forbidden texts in communist states, Samizdat Eastern European Film Festival is an audience-focused film festival based in Glasgow. The festival takes place annually in Glasgow and online, in early autumn. With a diverse programme of meticulously curated retrospectives and new films produced within the Eastern Europe and the CIS, as well as special events (animation collections, online panel discussions, silent films with a score performed live, showcases of short films), Samizdat is the first Scotland-based festival dedicated exclusively to cinema from Eastern/Central Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.

The 2024 edition of Samizdat was supported by Screen Scotland’s National Lottery Film Festival and Screening Fund and Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funds from Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI. Samizdat’s event co-organised with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain is jointly funded by Awards for All Scotland.

Venues

The in-person part of the festival takes place at the Glasgow Film Theatre, CCA: Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow, and other Scottish venues to be confirmed later on.

Tickets and access

Samizdat strives to ensure that our line-up can be seen by as many people as possible, so film screenings are priced on a sliding scale, where the attendees are invited to pay £2/£4/£6/£8/£10 per film based on their preference and ability. Special events are sometimes priced differently. Every film with sound is shown with subtitles, and some are screened with descriptive subtitles thanks to Matchbox Cineclub and Nicole M. O’Reilly. Tickets for in-person events can be purchased online, on the relevant venue’s website, or at the venue’s box office (but please remember to purchase them in advance, since seating is limited).

Submissions

Every year, we accept short film submissions from filmmakers of any level of experience through our FilmFreeway page. The submission period is currently open until 15 June 2025.

Meet the team

  • Harriet Idle

    Festival Director and Curator (Special Strands)

  • Andrew Currie

    Festival Director and Curator (Animation)

  • Natalia Guzevataya

    Special Events Manager and Curator (Ukrainian cinema and Shorts)

  • Joe McFarlane

    Community Engagement Manager and Curator (Special Strands)

  • misha irek

    Accessibility Manager and Curator (the Caucasus, East German, and Shorts)

  • Dylan Beck

    Administrator and Curator (Baltic cinema)

  • Kirill Kartashov

    Short Film Competition Manager (on leave until 2026)

Our partners and sponsors

funders

venue partners