Astra Film Chișinău's fifth edition with documentaries at Cinema Odeon
Astra Film Chișinău returns November 11–13 for its fifth edition, bringing three days of documentary screenings to Cinema Odeon. The program is designed for both students, through Astra Film Junior, and the general public.
This year’s selection includes documentaries on artificial intelligence and technological responsibility, films awarded at the 2026 Astra Film Festival in Sibiu, and productions that explore the world of herding and the tradition of transhumance. Admission to all screenings is free, subject to seat availability.
The evening program is structured around three main themes—one for each day of the festival. The opening will take place on November 11, when the audience is invited to watch the documentary "Elon Musk Revealed" followed by a discussion on artificial intelligence and the implications of developing autonomous technologies.
The film, directed by Andreas Pichler, is a 90-minute German production from 2025 that explores Tesla's vision and the promise of the autonomous vehicle. The documentary weighs technological ambitions and innovation against the risks and human costs of errors, drawing on journalistic investigations and testimonies from within the company—including the story of a former Romanian female engineer at Tesla.
According to the organizers, the screening will be accompanied by a discussion on artificial intelligence, with the festival’s official opening scheduled for 6:00 PM. The film will begin at 6:30 PM.
Award-Winning Films from the 2026 Astra Film Festival presented in Chișinău
The second day, November 12, will be dedicated to productions that received top honors at this year’s edition of the Astra Film Festival in Sibiu. The selection brings together three documentaries exploring themes of community, memory, identity, freedom of expression, and individuals' capacity to defend their own space and way of life.
One of these is "The Mountain" directed by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić—a co-production between Serbia, France, Montenegro, and Slovenia—which won the Best Documentary Award in the Central and Eastern Europe Competition.
The film follows Gara and her daughter, Nada, who live in the mountains of Montenegro, deeply connected to nature and the daily life of a sheepfold. Their way of life is threatened by plans to militarize the region, leading Gara to become a powerful voice for her community as she fights to defend their land and local traditions.
Also featured in the program is the documentary "Every Day the Same Train Passes By and It Never Stops," by Romanian director Vlad Petri, which the jury of the Romania Competition named Best Documentary at the 2026 Astra Film Festival.
This 65-minute production captures the life of a community in an isolated village in Bistrița-Năsăud county, focusing on the rituals and customs surrounding a local resident's death. Gravediggers, stories and confessions shared in a barbershop, funeral songs, jokes, and intimate moments come together to paint a portrait of a world where sadness, humor, and solidarity are intertwined.
The third film of the evening, "Uninhibited Spartans" directed by Maud Mascre, received the Best Documentary Award in the DocSchool section. The documentary follows several women in New Caledonia—diverse in age and background—as they learn the art of burlesque under the guidance of a choreographer, preparing for their dance school’s anniversary performance. Throughout this journey, the participants confront their insecurities and learn to embrace their own bodies.
Pastoralism and transhumance take center stage on the Festival’s final day
On November 13, Astra Film Chișinău will spotlight the pastoral world through two documentaries by director Dumitru Budrala. This theme is explored in the context of the 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, designated by the United Nations.
The first film, On the Road (La drum), produced in 1997, is considered a classic documentary by the organizers; it captures the lives of Carpathian shepherds and their annual transhumance—the seasonal migration in search of grazing land.
The narrative follows a family forced to take charge of a flock following the violent death of its owner, illustrating the hardships of a life defined by long journeys, nights spent under the open sky, and the dangers encountered along the way.
The second documentary, The Milky Way (Calea Laptelui), completed in 2026 and presented here in its final version, runs 120 minutes. It chronicles the life of a family of shepherds: the father and son traverse the hills with thousands of sheep, while the mother remains in the mountains to tend to the cattle and manage the homestead. The film captures both the hardships of this occupation and the family ties, cultural heritage, and knowledge passed down from generation to generation.
"Without idealizing the lives of shepherds, Dumitru Budrala captures the harshness of their daily existence, the humor and joy found in their encounters, as well as knowledge handed down for centuries—knowledge for which the present day leaves increasingly less room," the organizers say.
Astra Film Junior: Documentaries and discussions for students in the Republic of Moldova
In addition to the evening program aimed at the general public, the festival offers an extensive educational component through Astra Film Junior—a program dedicated to using documentary film as an educational tool for students.
The selection is organized by age group and includes both packages of short films and feature-length documentaries, tailored for primary, middle, and lyceum students. The films explore themes such as courage, creativity, friendship, the acceptance of differences, and responsibility.
Each screening will be followed by discussions with the young audience, and the topics covered can be explored further through classroom activities.
For children aged six and older, the organizers have prepared four film packages: "Imaginary Worlds", "Professions Without Textbooks", "Big Dreams" and "Without Limits."
These collections feature stories about children who transform difficult experiences into creativity, pursue their passions, or learn to overcome their fears and limitations. The characters include Su-chan, a young girl from Japan who crafts stuffed animals for children in the hospital; Simão, a Portuguese boy passionate about drawing; and Mixi, a child who discovers the responsibilities that come with wanting to adopt a dog.
For students over 11, the program includes the "Ready for Anything" package, which brings together two documentaries about perseverance, confidence, and overcoming challenges: "Riding the Waves with Debora" (from Slovakia) and "Anna the Firefighter" (from Slovenia).
Also scheduled for this age group is the documentary "Heroes of the Galaxy," directed by Mirjam Marks—a 40-minute Dutch production from 2026. The film follows the lives of refugee children temporarily living on a ship converted into a refugee center; they strive to find their place in a new world while awaiting permanent housing in the Netherlands.
Teenagers over the age of 15 will have the opportunity to watch two feature-length films that were well-received at the most recent edition of the youth festival, held in Sibiu at the end of October.
The German documentary "We Are Strong!" (2026) shares the stories of six teenage girls from different corners of the globe as they navigate social pressures, traditions, and choices that could shape their futures. The film explores young women's right to determine their own paths and find their own voices.
The second documentary, "Wild Delta"—a Romanian production from 2026—takes viewers on a journey through the Danube Delta, one of Europe’s most significant wetlands. The story of this place is told from the perspective of water—the very element that makes the existence of this ecosystem possible.
Free admission, by reservation
Astra Film Chișinău is funded by the Department for the Relationship with the Republic of Moldova (within the Government of Romania) and organized by the Astra Film Foundation and CNM Astra.
Admission to screenings is free, subject to seat availability; however, the organizers recommend booking in advance. Reserved tickets are held in your personal account at no extra cost.
You can find the full festival program and information on seat reservations on the official website, astrafilm.ro.
Founded in 1993, the Astra Film Festival is Romania's longest-running documentary film festival and one of Europe's most significant events dedicated to non-fiction cinema. This year marks the festival's fifth edition in Chisinau.
