The 17th edition of the annual Cine Europa, which begins on Thursday and
runs until Sept. 21, showcases 23 movies from 17 countries with a theme
focused on the varied cinematic interpretations of contemporary
European families.
According to Delegation of the European Union
(EU) to the Philippines political counselor Julian Vassallo, instead of
the festival's usual three-city roadshow this time it will go on a tour
of nine cities around the country.
After the Manila leg from
Sept. 11 to 21, the festival will move on to Baguio (Sept. 23 to 28),
Iloilo (Sept. 30 to Oct. 5), Cebu (Oct. 10 to 12), Leyte (Oct. 16 to
19), Tacloban (Oct. 21 to 26), Davao (Oct. 28 to Nov. 2), Zamboanga
(Nov. 4 to 9) and Cagayan de Oro (Nov. 13-16).
In a message, EU
Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux said “events on the ground”—the
three-week attack on Zamboanga City by followers of Nur
Misuari—prevented them from taking the festival to Zamboanga last year,
“but we are confident we will succeed this time around.”
“For the
first time, we will screen our movies for audiences in Zamboanga as
well as Baybay, Leyte and even Tacloban, where we especially hope to
attract those displaced by Typhoon Haiyan,” Vassallo said.
“Going
to as many cities as possible is very important to the European
cultural group, which is keen to reach the four corners of the
Philippines. The fact that the Philippines has 7,107 islands doesn't
help, but we are doing our best,” he added, strongly alluding to the
logistical and technical demands of screening in nine cities with varied
theater facilities suitable for a film festival.
The changing family
Vassallo said the European family has changed dramatically, both in demographics and composition.
“Far
fewer children means much smaller families. With often both parents
working, the dynamics at home have changed. Add to that the number of
single-parent families and the number of marriages that break down, and
you have a very different picture of the European family from just 50 or
60 years ago,” he said.
However, the senior EU diplomat said
that to conclude from this that present European families are weakened
and disintegrating is premature and wrong.
“Some of these movies
we are presenting tell a different story. They illustrate that while in
some senses European families have changed beyond recognition,
relationships can be as strong as ever, maybe even stronger,” he said.
“Fewer
children means more time for individual attention. There is today a
much clearer appreciation and demand for quality time with our children.
And when was the last time you heard a parent repeat that horrible old
mantra that children should be seen but not heard?” he added.
Lectures
The festival will have an educational section aimed at encouraging
young people to consider a career in cinema and to expose Filipino
filmmakers to the opportunities for collaboration with their European
counterparts.
The section will feature the screening of three recognized Filipino cinematic jewels, to be accompanied by lectures.
On Sept. 12, Filipino film producer and educator Alemberg Ang will
moderate a lecture-forum on film appreciation, to be followed by the
showing of Maryo de los Reyes' FAMAS award-winning “Magnifico” (2003) at
2 p.m. and Auraeus Solito's Cinemalaya award-winning “Ang Pagdadalaga
ni Maximo Oliveros” (2005).
On Sept. 20, a group of cultural
officers from Spain, Italy, and France will hold a forum with Filipino
filmmakers, to be followed by the 3:30 p.m. screening of Lav Diaz's
“Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan.”
“Norte” won the Pardo d’Oro
at this year's Locarno International Film Festival and the Best Film
award at Serbia's Pancevo International Film Fest.
The three films were chosen to point out the similarities between families in the Philippines and European countries.
The educational forums will be held in Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong
City, then at the University of San Carlos in Cebu on Oct. 10.
The 2014 Cine Europa formally opens on Sept. 11 with the 8 p.m.
invitational screening of Romania’s “Pozitia Copilului” (Child’s Rose)
at Cinema 2 of the Shang Cineplex, Shangri-La Plaza.
Running from September to November this year, Cine Europa is one of the country's longest film festivals, if not the longest.
Participating countries this year are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech
Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands,
Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway, and
Switzerland.
Admission to Cine Europa 17 is free for all screenings in all locations during the festival. Film details may be extracted from eeas.europa.eu/delegations/philippines.
