The 21st annual South East European Film Festival #SEEfest, co-presented by ELMA foundation for European Languages and Movies in America, is bringing to Los Angeles, U.S. premieres, European talent, and Industry panels and workshops from April 29 – May 6. The festival will showcase feature, documentary, and short films from the culturally rich area of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
Throughout the 21 editions of the Southeast European Film Festival Los Angeles, Cinema Without Borders has presented its Bridging the Borders Award to the best feature film nominated by the festival programmers for this honor.
For 2026, Nominees for Cinema Without Borders’ Bridging the Borders Award sponsored by 360 MEDIA are:
FANTASY (Slovenia), FATHER (Slovakia), OUR FATHER (Serbia), THE BEAUTY OF THE DONKEY (Switzerland/Kosovo) and A STATE FILM (Italy/Albania).
Fantasy
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Director: Katarina (aka KUKLA) Resek
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Screenwriter: Katarina (aka KUKLA) Resek
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Producer: Lija Pogačnik, Dejan Krajčevski
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Cast: Sarah Al Saleh, Alina Juhart, Mina Milovanović, Mia Skrbinac
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Cinematographer: Lazar Bogdanovic
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Composer: Relja Ćupić
Father
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Director: Tereza Nvotová
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Screenwriter: Tereza Nvotová, Dušan Budzak
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Producer: Veronika Paštéková, Anton Škreko, Milos Lochman, Karel Chvojka, Marta Gmosinska, Mariusz Wlodarski
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Cast: Milan Ondrík, Dominika Moravkova, Anna Geislerová
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Cinematographer: Adam Suzin
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Editor: Nikodem Chabior
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Production Design: Nina Feriancová
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Composer: Pjoni
Our Father
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Director: Goran Stanković
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Screenwriter: Goran Stanković, Ognjen Sviličić, Maja Pelević, Dejan Prćić
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Producer: Snezana van Houwelingen
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Cast: Vučić Perović, Boris Isaković, Goran Marković, Jasna Žalica
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Cinematographer: Dragan Vildović
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Editor: Marko Ferković
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Production Design: Zorana Petrov
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Composer: Alen Sinkauz/Nenad Sinkauz
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Sound Design: Miloš Drndarević
The Beauty of The Donkey
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Director: Dea Gjinovci
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Screenwriter: Dea Gjinovci
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Producer: Dea Gjinovci
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Cast: Asllan Gjinovci
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Cinematographer: Maxime Kathari
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Editor: Lizi Gelber
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Composer: Gael Kyriakidis
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Sound Design: Henry Sims
A State Film
A journey through the images of a regime that made cinema an instrument of power. A story of communist Albania constructed exclusively through propaganda film archives and, for the first time, unpublished material from Enver Hoxha’s private film archive. Since the end of the Second World War and for over forty years, the history of Albania has been inextricably intertwined with that of a single man. Enver Hoxha led the country through ephemeral alliances and radical ruptures, leading it to total isolation.
Director: Roland Sejko
Screenwriter: Roland Sejko
Producer: Luce Cinecittà
Editor: Luca Onorati
Composer: Riccardo Giagni
Sound Design: Paolo Amici
CWB’s Bridging The Borders Award Jury Members:
Chale Nafus was born in Dallas during World War II, he attended public schools, spent summers on his sister’s ranch in Comanche County in the 1950s, learned Spanish from schoolmates, and dreamed of getting out of Dallas. After getting through freshman year at SMU, he worked at Texas Instruments before realizing he really needed a college education. After attending the University of Texas at Arlington (B.A., English), La Universidad Autónoma de México, and UT Austin (M.A., English/RTF), he began a long college teaching career at Texas Southmost College (Brownsville), La Universidad de Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Kingsborough Community College (Brooklyn), and finally Austin Community College (1973-1998). At the latter, he founded the Department of Radio-TV-Film, taught classes in film studies, and for seven years served as Chair of Humanities (Northridge Campus). Retiring in 1998, Chale spent 4 years traveling and writing before joining the staff of Austin Film Society as Director of Programming (2002-2015). He is now totally retired and happily serving on the boards of Austin Film Society and OUTsider Fest as well as the advisory committees of IndieMeme (South Asian film organization) and Cine Las Americas.
Susan Morgan Cooper
Susan Morgan Cooper is an accomplished Director, Producer, and Writer known for her impactful documentaries. Her notable works include “To the Moon and Back” (2016), “Mulberry Child” (2012), and “An Unlikely Weapon” (2008), receiving critical acclaim for their storytelling. She also directed “Heroes And Sheroes” (2000) and “Mirjana: One Girl’s Journey” (1997). Her narrative projects include the short film “Stringers” (1990) and the feature “Hadley’s Rebellion” (1989). With a career spanning over three decades, Cooper continues to create compelling content that resonates with audiences.
Vladek Juszkiewicz
Vladek Juszkiewicz was born in Glogow, Poland, and graduated from Szczecin Technical University with a degree in Engineering. He managed The Szczecin Technical University Choir and traveled to 18 countries, including the U.S. After managing Polish singer Maryla Rodowicz in Warsaw, he moved to the U.S. and worked on 11 films with Paul Leder. In 1999, he founded the Polish Film Festival Los Angeles and served as director till 2019, now acting as the Festival’s Programmer. Honored with the Cavalier & Officer Cross and Gloria Artis for promoting Polish culture.
Abbas Yari
Abbas Yari is an Iranian journalist and film critic born in Arak in 1951. He graduated from the School of Television and Cinema in 1975. Yari began his journalism career at Sobh e Emrouz, Tehran Mosavvar, and Kayhan, before co-founding Film magazine, which he directed until 2021. He launched Film Emrooz in 2021 after Massoud Mehrabi’s passing. Mr. Yari currently is Editor in Chief of Cinemaye Bedoon Marz a new Iranian online film publication. Yari also helped establish the Iranian cinema museum in Tehran and the foundation of art critics and writers about Iranian cinema. He is also notable for organizing cultural events in Arak.
