Cine Europa 17 will celebrate the Family despite the challenges of today's busy and globalised world, families remain the cornerstone in every society. Families are present in many a joyous moment and offer comfort in the darkest times.
"In the last fifty years or so families in Europe have changed dramatically. We have significantly less children and the very nature of the relationship between family members has changed. Some say there has been a weakening of the European family. After watching some of these movies I'm not so sure", said EU Delegation Political Counsellor Julian Vassallo.
It is therefore fitting that this year's film for press screening is the Italian production "Scialla" or "Easy" directed by Francesco Bruni. The film won prestigious awards including at the Venice Film Festival and in the Annecy Italian Cinema Festival. The movie depicts the character of Bruno Beltrame, a washed out writer who tutors adolescents whose apathy for learning is matched only by Beltrame's own apathy for teaching. One of his students is Luca, a vivacious and irreverent 15 year old student who turns out to be his love child. Luca's mother leaves for Africa and places him under the care of Bruno. An uneasy co-existence begins between the lethargic former professor and the restless adolescent but, "Scialla" reveals how a father rediscovers his own family and his own child.
Cine Europa which started out 17 years ago with screenings only in Manila, continues to expand to the provinces with screenings this year planned in 9 Filipino cities. With movies being shown between September and November 2014 Cine Europa is certainly amongst the longest, if not the longest, Film Festival in the Philippines.
Romania's movie, "Child's Pose" will open the Manila edition of Cine Europa on 11 September to 21 September in Cinema 2, Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City.
Cine Europa will then move to eight other cities: Baguio City Cinematheque from 23 to 28 September followed by Iloilo City Cinematheque from 30 September to 5 October and then Ayala Center Cinema in Cebu City from 10 to 12 October.
The Visayas leg of Cine Europa has been expanded this year to include for the first time screenings at Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte with plans to hold special screenings for families affected by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) from 21 to 26 October in Tacloban.
In Mindanao, Cinematheque Davao City will host Cine Europa from 28 October to 2 November. It then moves on to Cinematheque in Zamboanga City from 4 to 9 November before concluding with screenings in Liceo de Cagayan University in Cagayan de Oro City from 13 to 16 November.
The film festival this year has a total of 23 movies from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland.
Cine Europa's education component will expand this year as film experts will share their insights about European and Philippine film culture at Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong on 12 and 20 September. These sessions aim to give young Filipinos considering a career in film, greater insights into the industry and the opportunities for co-operation with their European counter-parts. Together with this, we are also screening European-awarded Filipino movies that portray the similarities between Filipino and European culture.
This year the educational component will extend beyond Manila with sessions being held for the first time at the University of San Carlos, Cebu on 10 October.
Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. of the Delegation of the European Union, Mr Lubomir Frebort and Ms Lala Fojas, Executive Vice-president and General Manager of the Shangri-La Plaza Corporation will be joined by European Union Ambassadors, consuls and senior diplomats for the inauguration of the Manila leg of the event at Cinema 2, East Atrium in Shangri-La Plaza.
Admission is free for all screenings at all locations for the two-month festival.
Cine Europa 17 is organised by the European Union Cultural Group in Manila and is funded by the European Embassies and Cultural Institutes accredited to the Philippines including the Embassies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, Alliance Française, British Council, Goethe-Institut, Philippine-Italian Association, and the Instituto Cervantes de Manila with the important contribution of the Film
Development Council of the Philippines. Our partners include, the Independent Film Cooperative, the Shangri-La Plaza Mall (Manila), Arts Council of Cebu and Liceo de Cagayan de Oro (Mindanao) and the Visayas State University in Baybay. Philstar.com is the online media partner of Cine Europa.
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