OMAS, BABAS, BABUSHKAS – Gender & Ageing in European Film

We are pleased to share that the upcoming goEast Symposium 2025, scheduled for April 24–27 in Wiesbaden, is being co-organized in collaboration with our interdisciplinary research initiative, AGE-C: Ageing and Gender in European Cinema.

Under the evocative title “OMAS, BABAS, BABUSHKAS – Gender & Ageing in European Film,” this year’s symposium turns its focus to cinematic representations of older women across Europe – particularly in the often-overlooked contexts of Central, Southeast, and Eastern Europe. It explores how ageing intersects with gender, care, family structures, and cultural memory, all through the lens of contemporary European filmmaking.

Reframing Ageing on Screen

While the notion of a “greying Europe” is often framed in terms of Western demographic anxieties, the symposium draws necessary attention to the distinct socio-political conditions shaping ageing in the “Other Europe.” Influenced by the legacies of communism, post-socialist transitions, and migration dynamics, the films and discussions featured in the programme shed light on how women age within multigenerational families, navigate formal and informal care structures, and assert agency within these often-precarious landscapes.

At the heart of the programme are two key concepts: family and care—lenses through which the cultural, political, and emotional dimensions of female ageing are negotiated. Drawing on the insights of thinkers like Margaret Gullette, the symposium approaches ageing not only as a biological or social process but as a cultural phenomenon—something we are, in fact, “aged by.”

A Space for Dialogue Between Academia and the Film Industry

In line with goEast’s long-standing aim to connect research and practice, this year’s symposium brings together film scholars, gerontologists, care researchers, curators, filmmakers, producers, and festival professionals from across Europe. Through lectures, panel discussions, and film screenings, the event offers a vibrant platform for dialogue and exchange.

Highlights include:

• The Promise of the Golden Years: Selling Age and Gender in European Cinema
  Speaker: Vinzenz Hediger (Switzerland, Germany)
  Moderator: Gloria Dagnino (Italy, Switzerland)
• Can Women Age in Eastern European Cinema?
  Speakers: Matthijs Wouter Knol (Netherlands, Germany), Elene Naveriani (Georgia, Switzerland), Ada Solomon (Romania), Labina Mitevska (North Macedonia)
  Moderator: Asja Makarević (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany)
• Female Ageing and Film Curation
  Speakers: Heleen Gerritsen (Netherlands, Germany), Asja Makarević (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany), Boglárka Angéla Farkas (Romania), Andrea Virginás (Romania)
• Perspectives of Gerontology
  Speakers: Miranda Leontowitsch (Germany), Helma Lutz (Germany), Anna Wanka (Austria, Germany)
  Respondent: Francesco Pitassio (Italy)
  Moderator: Boglárka Angéla Farkas (Romania)
• Fragility, Gender and Agency
  Speakers: Estella Tincknell (United Kingdom), Andrea Virginás (Romania), Adrien Valgalier (France)
  Respondent: Belén Vidal (UK, Spain)
  Moderator: Eszter Ureczky (Hungary)
• Systemic Care and Ageing
  Speakers: Tony Tracy (Ireland), Eszter Ureczky (Hungary), Boglárka Angéla Farkas (Romania), Asja Makarević (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany)
  Moderator: Vinzenz Hediger (Switzerland, Germany)

Cinema as Testimony

The film selection for the symposium features a compelling mix of titles that explore ageing from different national, generational, and aesthetic perspectives. From VIKA! (Poland, 2023) and How I Learned to Fly (Serbia/Croatia, 2022), to Aurora Borealis by Márta Mészáros and I’m an Old Communist Hag (Romania, 2013), these works reflect on memory, resilience, transformation, and tenderness in later life. A short film programme including works by Daina Oniunas Pusić, Olena Fedyuk, and Eva Vidan complements the feature-length screenings.

Join Us in Wiesbaden

The AGE-C team is proud to be co-organising this year’s symposium, which closely reflects our research themes and helps shape broader conversations around ageing, gender, and cinema in Europe. We warmly invite scholars, students, cultural workers, and film enthusiasts to join us for four days of film, discussion, and exchange in Wiesbaden.

For full details visit: www.filmfestival-goEast.de

Written by: Olena Gepper