The 21st annual South East European Film Festival (SEEfest), co-presented by ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America), returns to Los Angeles from April 29 through May 6, showcasing U.S. premieres, acclaimed European filmmakers, and a dynamic lineup of industry panels and workshops. The festival highlights feature, documentary, and short films from the culturally rich regions of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
Opening night on April 29 at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills will feature the Los Angeles premiere of Ioana Mischie’s debut feature Catane, a Romanian comedy-romance that transforms village life into a whimsical modern fairytale. A Fulbright Scholar and USC School of Cinematic Arts alumna, Mischie is an internationally recognized transmedia artist and futurist whose work has earned honors including Webby, Fipadoc, Golden Drum, and European XR awards. She will attend as a guest of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and participate in SEEfest Industry Days.
Held under the patronage of honorary chair Irina Maleeva, the Bulgarian-American actress and entertainer, SEEfest continues its tradition of spotlighting stories of resilience, identity, and hope—infused with the distinct humor and spirit of the region.
Among this year’s competition titles is Militantropos, the Austrian-Ukrainian-French co-production that premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. Directed by the Tabor Collective (Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova, and Simon Mozgovyi), the film offers a powerful vérité portrait of psychological transformation during the war in Ukraine.
Slovak drama Father, directed by Tereza Nvotová and starring Milan Ondrík, stands as the most awarded film in the lineup. Following its premiere in Venice’s Orizzonti section, it has garnered multiple honors and was recently named a finalist for the 2026 Latin American Critics’ Award for European Films.
From Slovenia, Katarina Resek (Kukla) makes a striking debut with Fantasy, a coming-of-age story that has earned top honors at the Trieste Film Festival and Thessaloniki Film Festival. Slovakia’s box office phenomenon Miki and Černák, directed by Jakub Kroner, chronicle the rise and reign of notorious crime figure Miki Černák, with Ondrík delivering a breakout performance.
Georgia’s Oscar submission Panopticon explores a young man’s emotional and sexual awakening, while Serbia’s Our Father, which premiered at TIFF, examines authoritarian control within an isolated religious community.
In documentary highlights, The Beauty of the Donkey by Dea Gjinovci blends magical realism with intimate storytelling, while Roland Sejko’s A State Film offers a haunting archival portrait of Albania’s communist past.
Croatia’s Honey Bunny, directed by Igor Jelinović, delivers a sharp and compelling exploration of family conflict, anchored by a standout ensemble cast. The shorts program features notable works including The Reporter by Jan Górecki, 3cm of Complexity by Anna Vasof, and How Smart Are the Crows by Irida Zhonga.
Beyond screenings, SEEfest’s Industry platform presents three strands: the Accelerator program featuring 12 projects in development; panels on indie film marketing, co-production, and entertainment law in the age of AI; and workshops on AI, entrepreneurship, and content creation. A new Casting Workshop will connect actors with leading casting directors.
| For the full program line up please visit: https://seefest2026.eventive.org/films | Festival passes, and tickets to the Opening Gala are available at: https://seefest2026.eventive.org/schedule |
Festival passes and tickets, including Opening Night Gala access, are available via the official SEEfest platform. Awards across seven juried categories will be presented at the Closing Night ceremony on May 6 at the Laemmle Royal Theater in West Los Angeles.
Founded in 2006 by film critic and cultural entrepreneur Vera Mijojlić, SEEfest champions the cinematic voices of 20 countries from South and Eastern Europe, fostering cultural exchange through film and industry engagement.
seefilmla.org
facebook.com/seefest
x.com/seefilmla
instagram.com/seefest
