MANILA – Cine Europa frenzy continues as the film festival turns 18 years old this year.
With the theme “Coming of Age”, Cine Europe has now matured and evolved with its carefully chosen thematic films from 18 European countries.
Mr Jérôme Rivière, First Secretary of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines said that the festival is packed with 23 excellent and diverse films which reflect the flamboyance, energy and dynamism of the European youth which Filipinos can very well relate to.
Admission is free for all screenings at all locations for the two-month festival.
The film festival this year has a total of 23 movies from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland.
Cine Europa 18 continues to expand as it goes to nine venues this year:
Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City, Cinema 1, 9 to 20 September;
Film Development Council of the Philippines, Baguio City Cinematheque,
22 to 27 September;
Iloilo City Cinematheque, 29 September to 04 October;
Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu City, 09 to 11 October;
Zamboanga Cinematheque, 13 to 18 October;
University of the Philippines, Tacloban City, 21 to 25 October;
Film Development Council of the Philippines, Davao City, 03 to 08 November;
Visayas State University, Leyte, 10 to 15 November;
Liceo De Cagayan University, Cagayan De Oro; 18 to 22 November;
In this year’s festival, the Embassy of Poland based in Kuala Lumpur, for the first time, will participate with their two famous movies – Miasto 44 (a story of love, friendship and pursuit of adventure during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising) and Ida ( a story of a novitiate nun in 1960s who discovers a dark family secret dating back to the Nazi occupation).
Cine Europa’s education component will continue with its series of lectures from Filipino experts in the movie industry providing intellectual insights.
Six short films by popular Filipino filmmakers Jorel Lising, Pamela Reyes, Martika Escobar, Baby Ruth Villarrama-Gutierrez, Pepe Diokno and Ida Anita del Mundo will be screened on 12 and 19 September at Premiere Theater in Shangri-La Plaza.
These movies have been shown in various European film festivals in France, Spain and Switzerland and portray the similarities between Filipino and European culture.
Cine Europa 18 is organised by the European Union Cultural Group in Manila and EU Cultural Institutes accredited to the Philippines including the Embassies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, the Instituto Cervantes de Manila, British Council, Goethe-Institut, Philippine-Italian Association, and Alliance Française.
Cine Europa partners include: the Shangri-La Plaza Mall (Manila), Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Arts Council of Cebu and Liceo de Cagayan de Oro and the University of the Philippines (Tacloban) and Visayas State University (Baybay) in Leyte. Philstar.com is the online media partner of Cine Europa.
Other partners who have played a very important role in the film festival are: JEC Philippines, Institut Francais, the Norwegian Film Institute and the Swiss Cultural Fund – Philippines. (Eagle News Service/European Union Delegation to the Philippines)