Pascal Ladreyt and ELMA Foundation to be honored with the Legacy Award for Championing
European Cinema in Hollywood
Opening ceremony at the Writers Guild Theatre on May 1st in Beverly Hills
The 19th annual South East European Film Festival #SEEfest, co-presented by ELMA, is bringing to Los Angeles U.S. premieres, European talent and an Industry Accelerator with panels and workshops, Writers Lab, Art and Music Salons, and Exhibitions. From May 1-8 the festival will showcase 54 movies, with 33 directed by women, from the culturally rich area of East and South-East Europe.
Opening the festival on May 1st with a red carpet gala at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills (135 S. Doheny Dr, in Beverly Hills) will be the Los Angeles premiere of Dragan Bjelogrlić’s Serbian-French Co-production, “GUARDIANS OF THE FORMULA” a “knotty true story of the first human bone marrow transplant shaped into a superbly mounted ethical thriller.” (Variety). During the opening night gala, the founder and executive director of ELMA, Pascal Ladreyt will receive the SEEfest 2024 Legacy Award for his tireless efforts to promote and advance appreciation for European cinema in Hollywood, especially by young audiences.
Other highlights of the festival include: from Romania, Tudor Giurgiu’s latest movie, powerful Libertate (Freedom), about a little-known ’89 mayhem in a provincial town; from Georgia, lyrical and funny Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, an endearing love story; from Belarus, heart-breaking Motherland about parents fighting against the regime that turns their sons into soldiers; string of short gems including an offbeat love story Highway of a Broken Heart (Greece), two breath-taking student Oscar winners Invisible Border (Austria) and Istina/Truth (Germany/Serbia); and from Croatia, Only When I Laugh, based on a true story of domestic violence and featuring another fantastic performance by Tihana Lazovic.
Festival Details
For those interested in attending SEEfest 2024, festival passes and tickets to the Opening Gala are available through the festival’s official website: https://seefilmla.org/seefest2024. For the complete program line-up and more information, visit the festival’s website at https://seefest2024.eventive.org/films. With its engaging content and varied offerings, SEEfest 2024 is poised to be a remarkable celebration of South East European cinema, bringing the region’s unique stories and voices to the forefront in Los Angeles.
