CINE EUROPA — one of the longest running film festivals in the country — opens its 21st year on Sept. 28 in Cebu, making it the first time the European film festival is opened outside of Metro Manila.
The decision to start the festival outside of Manila was to give people in others cities and regions a chance to see European films, said Franz Jessen, ambassador and head of delegation of the EU to the Philippines, during a press conference on Sept. 13 at the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ (FDCP) offices in Manila.
The festival will open in Sept. 28 in Cebu before going to other cities such as Naga in Camarines Sur, Iloilo City in Iloilo, Tacloban in Leyte, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, and Baguio in Benguet before ending in Metro Manila in December.
Whether this will be how the film festival runs from now on is still up for discussion but Mr. Jessen said it was “a good idea to start the festival in other cities” because “there are a lot of other Philippine cities [Cine Europa hasn’t reached yet].”
This year, the festival includes 28 films from 15 EU member states and Norway and focuses on “celebrating the European Year of Cultural Heritage” with a selection of classic and contemporary European movies, many of which tackle the topic of Europe during and after the Second World War.
Included in this year’s hefty 28-film slate are Austria’s Mademoiselle Paradis (2017), directed by Barbara Albert, about a blind piano virtuoso who regains her sight at the cost of her talent, Clara Stern’s Mathias (2017) about a transgender dealing with transition, Siegfried A. Fruhauf’s Fuddy Duddy (2016) about an event much like the Big Bang which brings both order and chaos, and Jannis Lenz’ Wannabe (2017) about a young YouTuber who wants to become famous.
Belgium presents three films: Allez, Eddy! (2012), directed by Gert Embrechts, about a butcher’s son who joins a cycling race, Upstream (2016), by Marion Hansel, about two men who recently discovered they were half-brother and who decide to sail a river to a waterfall in Croatia; and Germaine (2011), by Frank Van Mechelen, about an 18-year-old whose life changes the moment workers at a local factory, including her father, decide to go on strike.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic presents Closely Watched Trains (1966) by Jiri Menzel, about an apprentice train watcher who gets seduced into join the Resistance forces during the Second World War. The film won the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 1968 Academy Awards. For it’s contemporary offering, the Czech Republic presents To See the Sea (2014) by Jiri Madl, about a ten-year-old boy who receives a video camera for his birthday and uncovers a big family secret.
Denmark’s Zentropa (1991), by Lars Von Trier, focuses on a young German American who gets embroiled between the power elite and Nazi terrorists gone underground after Germany’s surrender, while The Day Will Come (2016), by Jesper W. Nielsen, is set in the 1960s and tells the story of two brothers who are placed in a boy’s home where, armed with their imagination and hope, they struggle through the headmaster’s tyranny.
A Taste of Ink (2016) by Morgan Simon is one of France’s entries to this year’s film festival. It is about a singer who falls for his father’s new girlfriend. France will also present Crazy Pierrot (1965) by Jean-Luc Godard, about Pierrot and a girl named Angela leading an unorthodox life on the run.
Germany’s only entry, Windstorm and the Wild Horses (2017) by Katja von Garnier, is about a horse whisperer who wants to revive a wild horse race tradition in order to save an oasis for wild horses.
Hungary enters the festival with The Exam (2011) by Peter Bergendy. Set during the country’s 1956 revolution, a national security officer is tasked to gather information and whose secrets can destroy both his career and that of his superiors.
Italy comes to Cine Europa with an Italian-Filipino collaboration called The Lease (2018), directed by Paolo Betrola. It is about a Philippine-Italian family who live in the Philippines and discover that their newly leased villa in Tagaytay is haunted.
Another Italian film, Notti di Cabiria (1957) by Federico Fellini, is about a woman who was robbed and left to drown by her boyfriend. Rescued, she decides to resume her life and find happiness but her struggles are not yet over.
From the Netherlands comes Winter in Wartime (2008) by Martin Koolhoven, about a teenager who is tasked to care for a British pilot, a dangerous and disillusioning task which brings him to the realization of good and evil being intertwined in the times of war.
Norway, the only non-EU member state to join Cine Europa this year, presents 1001 Grams (2014) by Bent Hamer, about a scientist who attends a seminar in Paris on the actual weight of a kilo and spirals into the measurement of how much a human life truly weighs.
Another Norwegian entry is Operation Arctic (2014) by Grethe Boe-Waal, about three sisters who end up on a deserted island where they have to survive against the weather and animals, and face the problem of how to return.
Poland will present Marie Curie and the Blue Light (2016) by Marie Noelle, about the Nobel Prize winner who, after winning the prestigious prize has to deal with the death of her husband and being a widow and take care of her two daughters while continuing the work she began with her husband.
Romania’s Selfie 69 (2016) by Cristina Jacob is about three friends going through breakups who bet among themselves about who gets married first. Slovakia gets political with The Candidate (2013) by Jonas Karasek, about the background of a political campaign of a successful presidential candidate which includes manipulating voters.
From Spain comes the classic Bienvenido, Mister Marshall (1953) by Luis Garcia Berlanga, about a little village getting economic aid from the US after World War II and how it welcomes the aid with much fanfare; and Hache (1997) by Adolfo Aristarain, about an Argentinian film director living in Madrid with his family, sharing his life with passionate people but one who does not allow himself the luxury of feeling.
Meanwhile, Sweden presents two films: A Holy Mess (2015) by Helena Bergstrom, a comedy about a modern Swedish family and their continual struggle to “do things right,” and Eternal Summer (2015) by Andreas Ohman, a road movie about a couple who travel through the breathtaking landscape of Northern Sweden.
Finally, United Kingdom presents two films: Amy (2015) by Asif Kapadia, a documentary on the life of singer Amy Winehouse chronicling her troubled relationships and life which ended at age 27 due to alcohol poisoning; and My Generation (2017) by David Batty, which sees British actor Michael Caine narrating his personal journey through 1960s London. The film was assembled by Mr. Caine over the last six years.
Cine Europa will kick off in Cebu with screenings at the Ayala Center Cebu and Alliance Francaise Cebu from Sept. 28 to 30 before moving on to Tacloban from Oct. 2 to 7, with screenings at the University of the Philippines-Visayas. The film festival will then go to Iloilo where the films will be shown from Oct. 9 to 14 at the FDCP Cinematheque in Iloilo and SM Iloilo, then go on to the Visayas State University in Leyte from Oct. 16 to 21, before moving on to Palawan from Oct. 23 to 28, with screenings at the Palawan State University and Robinsons Place Puerto Princesa.
In November, the festival will move to the Ateneo de Naga University and SM Naga where it will run from Nov. 6 to 11. From Nov. 20 to 25, Cine Europa goes to Manila, with screenings at the FDCP Cinematheque Manila before moving to Baguio on Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, with screenings in the FDCP Cinematheque Baguio and SM Baguio. Finally, the film festival will return to Metro Manila for its closing run from Dec. 7 to 16 at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City.
For more information on the screening schedules, visit www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/philippines or its Facebook page at EU Delegation to the Philippines. — Zsarlene B. Chua

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR