The Story Behind

The idea was at least a simple one: to create a film festival that would focus on, and pay homage to, the NEW - new filmmakers, new writing, new dreamers who dared to make real through their images what they once only imagined. It is all about new beginnings, yet also a space where even seasoned filmmakers find fresh inspiration.

The simplicity behind the idea for SIFF was certainly reassuring. The filmmakers whose work we want to screen would be both emerging voices and established creators seeking new challenges; we too were tyros in establishing the festival. And all of us were blissfully unaware of all the difficulties that would have to be overcome to make our visions a reality.

As the Serbest International Film Festival is a celebration of new directors, upcoming talents, and even experienced filmmakers rediscovering their craft, our logotype shows children who run carelessly toward a new life, just as each of us once did—and as some of us continue to do, no matter how far we’ve come.

Festival Concept and Goals

The Serbest International Film Festival brings together the most original storytellers and the most adventurous audiences for its annual program of dramatic, documentary, and short films. SIFF is a cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film.

The idea of a new film festival emanated from the dire need for a wider space to present films by many new filmmakers from the region and all over the world. The Serbest International Film Festival therefore includes activities such as promotion, support, incentives, exchange of experiences, and film awards. It will be a venue for new filmmakers to showcase new stories and offer a fresh perspective on humanity and the world we live in.

The festival has the honor to be the meeting point for new filmmakers and a springboard for their respective career paths.

▸ To reaffirm and support filmmaking in Moldova, to connect Moldovan cinematography with other world cinemas, and to establish contacts and strong relationships, especially with those on similar, hard-pushing paths of major world markets and festivals, thus enabling networking between them.

▸ To provide new filmmakers with the opportunity to present and promote their debut works to a wide audience and experts.

▸ To discover new filmmakers by providing a space where they can represent and develop their projects with script doctors and producers.

▸ The festival will especially support those authors who have a bold and engaged approach to the access and choice of subjects, and who actualize issues beneath the surface of everyday life.