LET’S CEE Film Festival and the EU Youth Cinema: Green Deal initiative • Arthouse Cinema Hub

Magdalena Żelasko’s cinema journey began in her hometown of Krakow, where she fell in love with the power of film to educate, entertain, and provoke thought. After moving to Vienna for her studies, she found her calling in a corner of the European film world that remained underappreciated: Central and Eastern European cinema.

This passion led her to launch the LET’S CEE Film Festival in 2012, a grassroots initiative dedicated to showcasing stories too often left out of the spotlight. As the festival’s reputation grew, so did its challenges.

In this interview, we spoke with Magdalena about how LET’S CEE reinvented itself through education-driven, impact-focused projects with a European reach.

We launched LET’S CEE in 2012 because we felt that films from Central and Eastern Europe weren’t getting the visibility they deserved. There’s such a rich cultural and historical context in the region, and we wanted to create space for those stories to be seen on the big screen.

Within a few years, we had become Vienna’s second-largest film festival, right behind the Viennale. But we always struggled financially. We never had big investors, and without sustained public funding from the city of Vienna and the Federal Government, every edition was a challenge. What kept us going was our amazing team of volunteers, who believed in the mission and gave it their all.

In 2018, we reached our peak: nearly 300 screenings, hundreds of film and industry guests, events across three cities and ten venues. It was a huge effort, and it felt like we were making a real difference. But it was also clear that we couldn’t keep going like that. So we chose to end on a high note. In hindsight, that was the right call, as the pandemic hit soon after.

Even after the festival ended, we weren’t ready to say goodbye. The name LET’S CEE had recognition, and we wanted to keep using it, even as our focus shifted.

We’ve always believed in cinema as a tool for change, especially with young people. So we developed a project that combined film with education and sustainability. That’s how the EU Youth Cinema: Green Deal initiative came to life.

Co-funded by the Creative Europe MEDIA programme, the project aims to build a more sustainable Europe through cinema. It’s a year-round educational programme with over 50 European films in the programme, over 100 screenings in 11 countries, also available on the streaming platform www.euyc.green, supported by teaching materials, classroom discussions, workshops, and lectures. Teachers and students across several countries can access everything for free, in up to twelve languages.

EU support has allowed us to operate without constantly worrying about survival. With stability, we can now focus on delivering meaningful experiences. We secured funding for 2022-2024, and again for 2024-2026. We’re hopeful for a third cycle.

And LET’S CEE continues to support smaller initiatives, always linked to education, sustainability, or audience development.

In Austria, we work exclusively with the Cineplexx cinema chain. Interestingly, they manage several arthouse venues in Austria that have kept their historical identity and programming. It’s been a great match for LET’S CEE.

Cineplexx also operates in eleven other countries, mostly in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, which helps us reach broader audiences. It’s a collaboration that proves cultural, non-commercial projects and mainstream cinema can work together in harmony. That kind of partnership is key if we want to create lasting change.

School classes have always been our main audience. We organise special morning screenings, prepare didactic materials, and use film as a way to encourage learning and reflection. And not just in Austria. We’ve been active in places like Ukraine as well, offering free access to content in very difficult circumstances.

To expand our reach, we created a streaming platform where all the films are available. With EU support, we’ve built a catalogue that extends well beyond Austria. Again, those films are available for free, with subtitles or dubbing in 12 languages. It’s our way of making sure these stories reach young people across Europe, and even beyond.

One of the most-watched titles is Generation Change: Who saves the world?, a 2022 documentary about Sarah Sadeghi, a young Austrian activist frustrated with political inaction on climate change. She travels across Europe by train in search of people making a real difference. It’s a film with urgency, hope, and purpose. Young audiences really connect with it.

Another project close to our hearts is Ambassador of Remembrance (www.never-again.site), a film produced by our LET’S CEE Association. It’s about Stanisław Zalewski, a 99-year-old Polish survivor of Nazi concentration camps who still attends events to speak directly to students. We welcomed him in Vienna for a series of screenings just a few weeks ago. Almost a thousand students came, it was incredibly powerful.

Projects like these show what cinema can do. Preserve memory, fight discrimination, and inspire empathy. That’s what drives us.

We are thrilled to have joined three editions already. The European Arthouse Cinema Day aligns so well with what we stand for.

This year, we’d love to do even more. We’re planning to offer a curated selection of European films to participating cinemas, free of charge. We’ll provide everything needed: DCPs, subtitles in up to 12 languages, marketing material and technical support when and where needed.

Ideally, these screenings would also be free for audiences, but we understand that each cinema has its own model. Some may combine our screenings with paid events, and that’s fine. What matters is flexibility and cooperation.

We’re also developing a parallel project focused on young people with sustainable ideas, inviting them to join cinema events, share their green initiatives, and help us build a network of young speakers across Europe.

LET’S CEE has always been about more than films. It’s about impact, community, and the future. So this year, let’s make the European Arthouse Cinema Day green!

The story of LET’S CEE is one of evolution and persistence. What began as a festival spotlighting overlooked Central and Eastern European stories has grown into a Europe-wide movement centered on education, sustainability, and inclusion. Through meaningful collaborations and a clear mission, Magdalena Żelasko and her team are proving that cinema can inform, empower, and unite. LET’S CEE may have outgrown its original format, but its impact has only just begun.

Interested to learn more? If you want to collaborate or involve your cinema in the project, just reach out to team@letsceefilmfestival.com.