fARAD International Documentary Festival returns this autumn with its 10th edition, to take place November 22-26, 2023 in the city of Arad, with a programe underwritten by this year's overaching theme, "Rich Man, Poor Man". A series of special events will also mark this anniversary edition.
"This year, fARAD explores the subject of wealth with the ambition to explore its multiple expressions", notes artistic director Dimitris Kerkinos. "The films presented examine the notion of wealth which is measured not only in connection to money and material possessions but also in relation to people’s social context and their way of life. They draw upon the contemporary reality of the neo-liberal capitalist societies and the globalized economy which have resulted in a dramatic increase of social inequality and in an escalating gap between the rich and the poor. Central to this selection is the work of Lauren Greenfield. Her documentaries delve into the American society’s idiosyncratic core and reflect on modern human’s dependence on money (Kids + Money) and the sweeping advance of vulgar materialistic culture (Best Night Ever, Magic City), unveiling the corrupted American Dream (Generation Wealth), as well as, its decline, chronicling the rise and the fall of one of America’s richest families (The Queen of Versailles).
If Greenfield’s work focuses on the distorted facets of the iconic American Dream, films such as All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and Money and Freedom, A Story of CFA Franc are examples of how wealth is created within the context of capitalism and colonialism: the former brings to light how the Sackler family built an empire at the cost of human lives, while the latter chronicles the history of monetary colonization in West Africa which, until today, prevents its nations to establish their own economy and to prosper. The consequences of neoliberalism and globalized economy in the well-being of ordinary people are also examined: Love is not an Orange presents the economic migrants to Western Europe after the Soviet Union’s collapse· The Hill documents life in a Kyrgyz landfill and reflects the survival struggle of those who are at the bottom end of society· Entrepreneur juxtaposes local/rural family business with an urban/global enterprise showing how innovation and the new economic order takes over the traditional economy. Last but not least, wealth is also tackled in terms of elitist lifestyle (Elegance), of delusions of grandeur (Taming the Garden), of family status and marital strategies (The Chalice. Of Sons and Daughters), as well as, of generosity and solidarity (Cesaria Evora)." The festival opens with Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight, exploring the life and work of one of the most important American designers, who is also the focus of one this edition's special events.
Directors Dana Bunescu (Romania), Ana Sofia Fonseca (Portugal/Cabo Verde), Wendy Keys (USA) and Katy Léna N'diaye (Senegal/France) will also join us for the screenings and conversations with the audiences.
A series of special events will complement this year's screenings, to include an outdoor exhibition of posters by Milton Glaser, presented in partnership with TypopassageTM (complemented by a workshop on poster design with designer Ovidiu Hrin), a pop-up bookstore in the lobby of Cinema Arta by the reputed La Două Bufnițe bookstore in Timișoara, which is also the partner for an online Salon dedicated to the intersection between documentary filmmaking and literature. Last but not least, a gala dedicated to Romanian documentary cinema will present the 10 best Romanian docs produced after 1989 selected by the fARAD professional community.
fARAD LAB
Public events were complemented, as every year, by the fARAD Lab dedicated to emerging documentary filmmakers, which includes feedback sessions on the development projects of the invited participants offered by the festival guests, and an intensive practical workshop dedicated to the sound of documentary film as part of the creative vision held by Dana Bunescu, premier editor and sound designer in contemporary Romanian cinema. Three projects were selected to take part in the 2023 fARAD Lab:
For the past three year, fARAD invited a Romanian designer to create the festival poster. This year topic was visually translated by Radu Pandele, one of the most prominent artists of the new generation of Romanian contemporary art.
All screenings take place at Cinema Arta, Arad (2 Vasile Alecsandri St.)
Free admission
The screenings are presented in original version, with Romanian and English subtitles.
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