CINE EUROPA 13 at Rodelsa Hall

CINE EUROPA 13 at Rodelsa Hall

Once again, Liceo de Cagayan University hosts Cine Europa, the flagship film festival of the European Union Delegation in the Philippines.

The 13th edition of Cine Europa will unreel at Rodelsa Hall on September 30 to October 3, 2010. Some 21 films from 17 countries will be screened for four days.

An invitational cocktails reception will be hosted by the E.U. Delegation at 6:00 o'clock in the afternoon of opening day. At 7:30 p.m., there will be a short program to be clinched by the screening of the film "The Barons" from Belgium. Currently, Belgium holds the Presidency of the European Union.

The flagship film festival of the European Union Delegation in the Philippines
Mindanao edition: September 30 to October 3, 2010
Rodelsa Hall, Liceo de Cagayan University, Cagayan de Oro City

What’s it all about: 21 excellent films from 17 countries in Europe to be screened free of charge in four days. 

(Please secure tickets from the Office of Public Affairs, Liceo U. Tel. No. 88/8584093 to 95 local 249.)


Thursday, September 30

10:00 am FORBIDDEN FRUIT (Finland)
Drama/98 min
Forbidden Fruit is a story of two teenage girls from a very restrictive faith community travelling to the capital city of Finland to search for freedom and get new experiences while facing the world they have previously been forbidden from.

1:00 pm THE WORLD IS BIG AND SALVATION LURKS AROUND THE CORNER (Bulgaria)
Drama/105 min
Based on the autobiographical novel by Ilija Trojanow, this is the story of Alex, a child who suffers from amnesia. With the help of his charismatic grandfather, Bai Dan, he embarks on a journey in search of his real self.

4:00 pm MAD LOVE (Spain)
Drama/History/Romance/115 min
In 1496, Juana de Castile, daughter of the Catholic Kings, travels to Flanders to marry the Archduke Felipe de Austria, known as ‘El Hermoso’ (The Handsome) and son of the emperor Maximilian. Juana becomes Queen of Spain when her mother and her older brothers die in 1504. However, due to the pressure of being Queen and the discovery that her husband has many lovers, her mental health starts to deteriorate. Felipe, seeing his wife in this situation, prompts the Burgos Court to declare Juana legally insane and recluses her in the Monastery of Las Huelgas (Burgos, Spain), proclaiming himself as King of Spain.

7:30 pm THE BARONS (Belgium)
Comedy/111 min
Young men build a philosophy around the value of laziness in this offbeat comedy from Belgium. "The Barons" are a handful of twenty-something guys of Moroccan heritage living in a Brussels suburb. The Barons live by the philosophy that each person is allotted a certain number of footsteps in their lifetime, and once they're all taken you're gone, so caution and a lack of serious initiative are qualities to be admired.

10:00 pm AN EDUCATION (United Kingdom)
Drama/100 min
Set in London in 1961, a city caught between the drab, post-war 50's, and the glamorous, more liberated 60's. Jenny stands on the brink of becoming a woman; a brilliantly witty, clever and attractive 17 year old girl whose suburban life of dull family meals, giggling schoolgirls and homework is about to be blown apart by David – older, urbane and unsuitable. He introduces
Jenny to an exciting new world of chic dinners, art auctions, smoky clubs and foreign trips. He charms her parents. But just as their long-held dream of Jenny getting into Oxford University seems within reach, another kind of life now tempts her. Is it one that sets her free or traps her? Will David be the making or undoing of Jenny?


Friday, October 1

10:00 am MIRCEA (Romania)
Action/Drama/History/137 min
In 1393, the Ottoman Empire was able to contain all provinces and distant lands known to them at that time except for the principality of Wallachia which was led by the great ruler, Mircea the Old. For years, he enforced many strongholds in their land and fought against the Turks and other invaders to keep their country's independence. To keep his only legacy, Freedom, he faced his final confrontation against the Turks.

1:00 pm MARCELLO (Switzerland)
Comedy/Romance/97 min
Italy, 1956. In the picturesque island of Amatrello, a unique custom keeps the young men of the village busy: when a girl turns eighteen, every boy is invited to bring a gift for her first date. However the gift is not for the girl, but for the father… who will ultimately determine which boy takes her on her first rendezvous! Eighteen-year-old fisherman's son Marcello doesn't care about this tradition until he sets eyes on the enchanting Elena, the daughter of the Mayor, who has returned to the island and – according to the tradition – has come of age. As time runs out and competition rises, Marcello comes up with the perfect gift for the Mayor. But getting that gift isn't easy… Soon, he is forced to barter with the entire village, as everyone seems to want something from someone else… Marcello's frantic quest ensues, evolving into a process of reconciliation among the village's inhabitants.

4:00 pm PHILANTROPHY (Romania)
Comedy/Drama/110 min
Ovidiu Gorea is a high-school teacher who is still living with his parents in Bucharest, Romania at 35. As a teacher, he is not earning enough to support himself so he aspires to become a writer. He strongly believes his talent in writing will bring him fame and money. One day, he meets Diane, a toothpaste commercial model who will change his low wage earner lifestyle as he tries to impress her by being extravagant.

7:00 pm EMPTIES (Czech Republic)
Drama/Romance/100 min
Czech literature teacher Josef Tkaloun, who is past retirement age, realizes one day that he no longer understands his pupils, and so he quits... dramatically. What he does not predict is that in doing this he will lose his sense of place in society. He finds himself isolated in his city flat with only his wife Eliska for company. Unsure how to deal with this new situation, Josef tries to find a way out. After a few vain attempts of finding a decent job he accepts a position at a refundable bottles counter in the local supermarket. In this seemingly inhospitable place, he solves what had been the root of his unhappiness. Surrounded by people full of character and at the centre of a city community, Josef finally finds his way back to his own wife. This love story dramatizes the formidable moments in life, but its humor avoids sentiment in the style of a traditional Czech bitter-sweet comedy.

10:00 pm TOWARD ZERO (France)
Comedy/Mystery/107 min
Whatever possessed Guillaume Neuville to invite his ex-wife Aude and his current wife Caroline to his rich Aunt Camilla Tressilian's house in Pointe-aux-Mouettes to spend the end of summer vacation? Friends they will never be. It was completely foolhardy for, although these two women who have nothing in common have yet to tear each other to pieces, although they hold back for the moment, things won't stay that way for long. Two Mrs. Neuville beneath the same roof is one too many.Zero Hour approaches, that moment when all converges for the perfect crime to be committed right down to the last detail. Reluctant at first to welcome two Mrs Neuville in her home, Camilla Tressilian finally accepts the idea. She knows there is no fighting the evolution of modern life. A magistrat's widow, she is very open-minded and sharpwitted, demonstrating a mocking brusqueness that woman with experience often possess. She is torn between her fondness for Guillaume, who she has raised like a son, and the tenderness she feels for Aude, a young, sensitive woman who keeps her feelings and emotions well hidden. This strange family reunion takes a tragic turn when Mrs Tressilian is found murdered in her bed.

Saturday, October 2

10:00 am ALL IS FORGIVEN (France)
ALL IS FORGIVEN
Drama/105 min
Victor lives in Vienna with Annette and their little daugher, Pamela. It's spring and Victor, who avoids working, spends his days, and sometimes his nights, outside. Deeply in love with him, Annette trusts him to get himself together as soon as they get back to Paris. But in France, Victor picks up his bad habits again. After a violent argument, he moves in with a junkie with whom he's fallen in love. Annette leaves Victor and disappears with Pamela. Eleven years later, Pamela is seventeen years old. She lives in Paris, at her mother's place. One day, she learns that her father is also living in the city. She decides to see him again.

1:00 pm STORM BOUND (The Netherlands)
Adventure/135 min
Three boys embark on their first voyage across the ocean and find themselves shipwrecked on a tropical island. Hajo, Padde and Rolf, teenagers from a Dutch harbour town set out to sea as members of Captain Bontekoe’s crew. The ship is bound for exotic lands, and every day introduces the boys to new challenges. When approaching Java, a fire breaks out which destroys the ship. The boys manage to reach land but it’s not the haven they expected. The island natives are intent on killing them, but one of the local girls, Dolimah, befriends the boys and leads them on a perilous journey through the jungle to safety. Hajo and Rolf desperately want Dolimah to return with them but she is too afraid of the unknown world beyond her island. So the boys continue without her and finally reach Bontekoe who, in his new boat, is about to set sail back to Holland.

4:00 pm THE ROBBER (Austria/Germany)
Drama/97 min
The Robber tells the story of a multitalented man: Johann Rettenberger is a successful marathon runner and a serial bank robber. Soberly and precisely he measures his heart rate, strain, stamina and efficiency – both during training runs and bank raids, from which, concealed beneath a ludicrous mask and armed with a pump gun, he takes flight from the police.

7:00 pm THE BLACK PIMPERNEL (Sweden)
Drama/91 min
The Black Pimpernel is based on the life of Harald Edelstam who was a Swedish ambassador in Chile 1973, during the junta take-over. Edelstam tried to help refugees and struggled to maintain humanity, justice and dignity.

10:00 pm THE GRANDFATHER (Spain)
Drama/151 min
‘El abuelo’ (The Grandfather) tells the story of love, friendship, honour and betrayal within one powerful family spanning three generations. At the turn of the XX century, Don Rodrigo, Count of Albrit, an old Spanish aristocrat, returns penniless and almost blind from Peru to Spain after losing his large fortune in America. The death of his only son has made him come back to his family estate, now in the hands of his daughter-in-law, Lucrecia. Upon his return, Don Rodrigo is pleased to meet his granddaughters, Doli and Neli, both of whom are adorable and attentive towards him. However, he is burdened by a secret that surrounds them. When the Count was still in America, his only son died. Upon his death, his few belongings, including an unfinished letter, were shipped to the Count. The letter informed the Count that his daughter-in-law, the beautiful Lucrecia, was not a faithful wife to his son. Furthermore, the Count learns that one of his granddaughters is not his true heiress and he is determined to discover which grandchild is worthy of his name and his love.

Sunday, October 3

10:00 am SOUL AT PEACE (Slovakia)
Drama/89 min
Tono returns from prison, having spent the last five years there for stealing lumber. He returns to his home village of Cierny Hron to find that everything has changed: he is a stranger to his wife, he hardly knows his 5-year old son, and he cannot find a decent job because no one wants to hire a thief. But Tono does not want to earn his living by stealing, the way he used to. He even loses his close “buddy” Štefan, an influential local businessman with growing power in the region. His childhood buddies - Marek the Catholic priest and successful businessman Peter - do their best to help Tono find his way back to normal life. Unfortunately, they have their own sources of problems and suffering - the problems of men over 40 - and have to cope when their image of life is confronted with the harshness of reality. Tono feels lonely and desperately looks for a way out of his problems.

1:00 pm TERRIBLY HAPPY (Denmark)
Drama/95 min
Robert has a number of skeletons in his closet, which he is determined to bury. Although hardly his dream job, Robert sees the position of temporary village constable as a necessary stage on the road to rehabilitation. He just needs to do well and generally behave by the book. However, village life and the macabre provincial order don't fit easily into Robert's plans. Nothing is ever straightforward, and certainly not when you are way out in the country.

4:00 pm MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD (Italy)
Comedy/Drama/100 min
Accio and Manrico are two brothers always at odds due to their choices and their life in a provincial Italian town during the sixties and the seventies. Their
formative years are completely different; a succession of extraordinary and intense adventures tests their relationship: stormy and uneasy, but always marked by reciprocal affection and solidarity.

7:00 pm HANNAH HANNAH (The Netherlands)
Comedy/Romance/77 min
Hannah, a stubborn outsider within a large family, watches her family with mixed feelings as they welcome her new boyfriend. Hannah, the headstrong rebel of seven siblings, tries to avoid the preparations for her parents’ wedding anniversary, but her charming brand-new lover Victor sort of drags her along, and soon proves to be an ideal son-in-law. As Victor assumes full responsibility for organizing the anniversary river cruise, Hannah is left with mixed feelings. Yet when Victor confides in her that her family is communicating terribly, she claims he is not the person to judge. Suddenly Hannah seems uncertain whether to stay with Victor who proves quite patient and understanding.

10:00 pm EL GRECO (Greece)
Biography/Drama/119 min
An epic tale of an uncompromising artist and fighter for freedom, Domenicos Theotocopoulos, known to the world as El Greco, since he was born Greek. Set in the 16th century, El Greco’s search for freedom, and love, ranges from the courts of Crete and Venice to Toledo in Spain. Here he is confronted by his greatest adversary, the Holy Inquisition. Never backing down in his fight with the establishments of his day El Greco’s story is one of unusual heroism, betrayal, love, and the power of one man and his creative consciousness to stand out and overcome barbarity and ignorance. An inspiration which lives on to this day.

Special screening
Throughout the four-day festival, at the library viewing room (a state-of-the-art film screening room with only 50 comfortable seats):

PERSONS UNKNOWN (Italy)
Comedy/111 min
It is considered to be among the masterpieces of Italian cinema. Its original
title translates as "the usual unknown persons", a journalistic and bureaucratic euphemism for "unidentified criminals". Five small time thieves living in the suburbs of Rome plan a robbery against the Monte di Pieta` pawn shop. Not being well versed, they ask for help from Dante Cruciani (Toto`), a hardened criminal on parole, who teaches them how to crack a safe. The preparations for the heist go on notwithstanding various ups and downs as well as second thoughts until they reach a disastrous and
comedic end.

For further details, please get in touch with the Office of Public Affairs at local 249.