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| 10th Edition of the European Film Festival 2008 |
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12/04/2008
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Welcome to the special 10th Edition of the European Film Festival!
Intercultural Dialogue is a fundamental value of the European Union and as such it has been its prime mover for the past 50 years or so. At a time when we all recognize the need to act together on more and more issues to bring about better results for our peoples, it becomes even more important that we find ways to promote better mutual understanding and better ways of living together.
It is therefore most apt and appropriate that 2008 has been named as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, with the aim of bringing out the benefits of cultural diversity, active civic participation in European affairs and to foster a sense of European belonging.
The Representation of the European Commission in Malta is happy to contribute to this joint initiative of the European Union, the Member States and European civil society. Our annual European Film Festival, this year in its 10th edition, will in itself be a celebration of intercultural dialogue. We have sought to link this very important annual event on our calendar to the celebration of diversity, not only within Europe, but also across the five continents from where this year’s films will be sourced.
For this special Edition we have amongst us a number of film directors from different countries/continents who will come together to debate this theme through the artistic medium of film. I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to the various Embassies which so actively collaborate with us to make this event an annual success.
Enjoy!
Joanna Drake - Head of the European Commission Representation in Malta
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MALTA
Saturday, 12th April 2008
HEROES IN THE SKY (2007)
Synopsis:
During World War II, the tiny island of Malta was the most bombed place on earth. Young pilots were sent to defend it, and despite the overwhelming odds, they achieved incredible success. They hailed from every corner of the world, Britain, Canada, The United States, Australia and New Zealand. They were unique, a breed of their own who made a fine art out of fighting in the sky. With no strict rules, Malta was the right place for them to experiment and develop their raw talents.
Festivals:
2007 - Official Selection - European Commission Festival
2007 - Official Selection – Malta International Film Festival
2008 - Official Selection – European Union Film Festival (to be screened in Singapore, Vienna, Rome, France)
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BELGIUM
Sunday, 13th April 2008
L'ENFANT ENDORMI (THE SLEEPING CHILD) (2004)
Synopsis:
A day after their wedding in the countryside of north-eastern Morocco, a young bride, Zeinab, is left alone by her husband as he joins his countrymen to work clandestinely in Europe. Zeinab discovers that she is pregnant. Not wanting her baby to be born before her husband's return, she prolongs her pregnancy. Time passes. Her husband does not return.
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GREECE
Monday, 14th April 2008
MASSALIA, KORI MAKRINI (Marseille, Greek Profile) (2003)
Synopsis:
Two names two identities. French of Greek descent who live in Marseilles where their parents or ancestors landed one day like the Phocaeans who found the city 2600 years ago. The earliest arrivals were wealthy merchants who came from Chios or Constantinopole in the 19th century. The most recent came from Asia Minor or the Dodecanese in the early 20th century, often with empty pockets.
Men and women with a dual identity that intrigues them, they each have their own answer to give. Some even dare to attempt a 'return'. But they all have an unshakeable assurance: their history the family epos that reconciles them with themselves, with their roots.
Yetou, our heroine, helps us collect these stories, leading us from one person to another. Her own story is the emblem of all the others. For like Marseilles is to Greece, she too is a distant daughter…..
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SWEDEN
Tuesday, 15th April 2008
ZOZO (2005)
Synopsis:
Zozo grows up in Beirut. In spite of a raging civil war he leads a normal life with school and friends. One day catastrophe strikes and Zozo is forced to cope with life on his own. His only way out is to try to get to Sweden – to him a completely unknown country.
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IRELAND
Wednesday, 16th April 2008
THE BOY FROM MERCURY (1996)
Synopsis:
Eight year old Harry's father is dead, his mother is worn out and his brother has little time for him. His sole obsession is the Flash Gordon serials screened on Saturday mornings as he conjures up ways of dealing with the school bully. Isolated, he is convinced that he and his dog Max come from Mercury and is in secret contact wit the distant planet at night, using his flashlight. While his belief that he is in fact a Mercurian never dims, he does learn to accept his Earthling family and to value their loyalty.
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DENMARK
Thursday, 17th April 2008
DIREKTØREN FOR DET HELE (The Boss of It All) (1999)
Synopsis:
The owner of an IT firm wants to sell out. The trouble is that when he established his firm he invented a non-existent company president to hide behind when unpopular steps needed taking. When the potential purchaser insists on negotiating with the 'president' face to face, the owner has to take on a failed actor to play the part. The actor suddenly discovers he is a pawn in a game that goes on to sorely test his (lack of) moral fibre.
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ESTONIA
Friday, 18th April 2008
MALEV (Men at Arms) (2005)
Synopsis:
The year is 1208. The first eastern enlargement of Europe is under way. Brutal forces of Teutonic Order are marching steadily eastward. On their path live simple and peaceful people, whose main pastimes include cultivating earth, singing and, if possible, doing both at the same time. They are Estonians. Ignorant in the ways of war, they find an unlikely leader in a young boy with Catholic upbringing. In their fight for freedom, Estonian heathens encounter numerous obstacles including the Germans, French, Russians and, worst of all, Latvians. Will they succeed in defeating their enemies or will they experience cultural awakening.
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HUNGARY
Saturday, 19th April 2008
LORA (2006)
Synopsis:
Lora is a romantic film with dramatic turns, great music, and humour, as the only chance to get through the hardest times. Twenty-something Lora is going through a difficult period in her life. So is Geri. He lives the life of a misfit, drinks a lot, plays his saxophone, and hangs out in the city's nightlife….
Three years earlier Lora lost her boyfriend David, a trendy restaurant owner, in a fatal motorbike accident. David's younger brother Geri has always been attracted to Lora but stepped back for his brother. They haven't seen each other since the tragedy.
Three years later Geri and his band play at a charity concert, where he accidentally catches sight of Lora, who runs a wine-tasting in the concert breaks. Geri wants to see Lora again, but she is very different now; she doesn't want anything or anyone to make her recall the painful past. Lora can't really resist Geri though, and gradually opens up. She finds a helping hand and a loving friend, and Geri the love of his life. Can they be happy in the shadow of their past?
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GERMANY
Sunday, 20th April 2008
WER FRÜHER STIRBT, IST LÄNGER TOT (Grave Decisions) (2006)
Synopsis:
Lorenz Kandler lives in a small Bavarian village. He is a widower and runs the local pub with his sons Franz and Sebastian. Eleven-year old Sebastian, a bright, cheeky little scamp, sees life as one big adventure, yet believes he is responsible for his mother's death because she died while giving birth to him. Apart from this "homicide" – a transgression his older brother Franz refuses to forgive him for – he has an array of other terrible misdeeds to answer for and has consequently become accustomed to battling the scourges of purgatory on a nightly basis.
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CZECH REPUBLIC
Monday, 21st April 2008
PELĺSKY (COSY DENS) (1996)
Synopsis:
The setting is Prague in 1968 prior to the Soviet invasion.
The action takes place in a house, where two families, Sebkovi and Krausovi from different political camps (pro-communist vs. anti-communist) live together.
Both families are celebrating Christmas, but not everyone is in a good mood. Teenage kids think their fathers are totally stupid, fathers are sure their children are nothing more than rebels, hating anything they say.
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EGYPT
Tuesday, 22nd April 2008
OMARET YAKOBEAN (Yaqubian Building) (2006)
Synopsis:
The titular Armenian-owned, Twenties Yaqubian Building in the once elegant, restricted central zone of the city became home to Cairo's rich and powerful when it opened. After the revolution, however, storage sheds on the rooftop were rented out to poor families. This allows for a story about the building's residents that spans society. The action is set in the 1990's.
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FRANCE
Wednesday, 23rd April 2008
TOI ET MOI (You and I) (2006)
Synopsis:
Ariane has a habit of transposing the complicated lives of those around her into the trashy love stories that she writes for a women's magazine. Her current preoccupation is Lena, her half-sister, who has started taking an interest in Mark, a fellow musician. Lena already has a boyfriend, François, but the spark went out of that relationship long ago and Lena is reluctant to let it go any further. When she is not imagining a happy future for Lena, Ariane reflects on her own disappointed love life. She has fallen for Farid, a wealthy businessman who insists that he cannot settle down with her. She fails to notice that her true admirer is Pablo, a Spanish builder.
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MALTESE SHORT FILMS
Thursday, 24th April 2008
GOOD KING STEFAN (2007)
Running time: 16 minutes
Synopsis:
Adapted from Sleeping Beauty by the brothers Grimm, Good King Stefan tells the tragic tale of a king, a princess and an evil curse.
After many years of hope, King Stefan and his queen were blessed with a child and an heir to the throne. The King's half-brother, a powerful sorcerer turned evil by his greed and ill-will to rule, is ragged and casts a spell on the newborn princess Aurora.
Merry Weather, one of the three good fairies, softens the curse. However, King Stefan banishes his newborn daughter with hope that this act would rid the princess of her wicked curse. (English narration)
KATRINA (2006)
Running time: 20 minutes
Synopsis:
"You…….only you can help me"
These are the words of agony uttered by the suffering heart of Katrina. At the moment that life was smiling upon her, she found herself torn apart between her lively childhood memories and her present reality. Will Katrina leave her past behind her to be able to move on for a brighter future? (With English sub-titles)
Awards: 2007 – 1st Prize in Golden Knight Competition
UNLUCKY STRING (2006)
Running time: 8 minutes 30 seconds
Synopsis:
A young guitar player wants to take it one step further and tries to sell his house in order to start his new career. Instead he ends up losing everything through an unlucky string of events. (Instrumental soundtrack only)
The film participated in:
- The Golden Knight Award 2006;
- National Competition 2007, Malta
- BridgeFest (Canada) 2007
MOVING ON (2005)
Running time: 9 minutes 50 seconds
Synopsis:
Waking up from a dream and realising that things aren't the way they used to be. (In English)
The film participated in the Kinemastik Short Film Festival, 2007
ALWAYS IN THE GAPS (2007)
Running time: 3 minutes 30 seconds
Synopsis:
A young man goes round a brighter world after he puts a pair of spectacles. (Instrumental soundtrack only)
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PORTUGAL
Friday 25th April 2008
CAPITÃES DE ABRIL (Captains of April) (2000)
Synopsis:
Capitaes de Abril tells the story of the Carnation Revolution, the military coup that overthrew the right-wing dictatorship in Portugal on 25 April 1974, which continued the fascist policies of long-time dictator Antonio Salazar and of two young army captains who were involved in it.
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AUSTRIA
SATURDAY, 26th April 2008
WELCOME HOME (2004)
Synopsis:
Two police officers are supposed to be deporting a black African back to Ghana. But when they arrive in Africa, all of a sudden the balance of power between black and white is turned upside down. This deeply-black comedy sees the white police officers being sent off on an absurd odyssey through a foreign land in which they are constantly confronted with their own prejudices which, with circumstances reversed, they find are now directed against them.
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UNITED STATES
SUNDAY, 27th April 2008
CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (2007)
Synopsis:
A drama based on a Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.
Awards:
2008:
- Academy Awards, USA: Oscar Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Philip Seymour Hoffman);
- BAFTA Awards: Nominated for BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman);
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated for Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Best Writer (Aaron Sorkin);
- Central Ohio Film Critics Association: Won Actor of the Year Award (Philip Seymour Hoffman);
- Golden Globes, USA: Nominated for Best Motion Picture; Best Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Best Actress (Julia Roberts) and Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin).
- Online Film Critics Society Awards: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
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ITALY
Monday 28th April 2008
UNO SU DUE (One Out of Two) (2006)
Synopsis:
Lorenzo is an ambitious lawyer, he has a girlfriend whom he is not sure he loves, an apartment downtown, a career that he is in the process of building up and – finally an important business activity that is finally expected to enable him and his friend Paolo to boost their waning profession. Everything seems to be going well. But suddenly something breaks down inside. One day he faints while he is out for a walk. He finds himself in hospital room with another patient, Giovanni, a jolly working class Roman truck driver who is to lead him to his personal rebirth. Discharged from hospital, he doesn't recognise his life. All the things around him seem to be fake and only Giovanni can help him. In turn, Lorenzo will help him rebuild his relationship with his daughter Tresy.
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AUSTRALIA
TUESDAY, 29th April 2008
LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI (2000)
Synopsis:
A teenage Australian girl deals with the traumas of everyday life. These include her difficult relationship with her single mother, the unexpected return of her long-lost father, the disapproving nuns at her strict Catholic school, the acceptance of her schoolmates, and romantic dilemmas over two very different boys.
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CYPRUS
Wednesday, 30th April 2008
MELI KAI KRAZI (HONEY AND WINE) (2006)
Synopsis:
Eleni lives alone, haunted by memories of the past. Her life is a routine until she witnesses a quarrel between a young couple in the house across the street. One afternoon, Eleni receives an unexpected visit by Rea, the young woman from the house across the street. She has locked herself out of the house and asks Eleni to use her phone in order to call a locksmith. And so begins a relationship between the two women with unforeseen consequences for both of them.
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NETHERLANDS
Thursday, 1st May 2008
OBER (Waiter) (2006)
Synopsis:
Fifty-year old Edgar is a waiter in a type of spacious unassuming restaurant that doesn't seem to exist anymore since the early eighties. He divides his time between needy mistress Victoria and his bed-ridden wife. Since he has been a waiter for 25 years, he has lost interest in his work in every imaginable way. His life as a waiter consists of being assaulted by customers, either arrogant businessmen, or his mistress, who also frequents the restaurant on a regular basis. One evening, Edgar is given a beating by a bully customer…..
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FINLAND
Friday 2nd May 2008 - CITADEL THEATRE, GOZO
ONNEN VARJOT (Shade of Happiness) (2005)
Synopsis:
Shades of Happiness is a drama comedy in which the lives of two couples are run by children who still don't even exist but who nevertheless mirror their hopes, dreams ad expectations of life.
Paula, an arts teacher and her husband Jarkko, a family therapist for the parish, have tried to have a child for some years. Helena and her husband, Mikko, are career-oriented people who both work at an IT company. They have a perfect relationship, until Helens suddenly realises that she wants to have a child.
The destinies if these two couples get tangled up in surprising ways after Helena and Paula run into each other at a class reunion. Paula finally gets pregnant after one of her many embryo transfers. Helena on the other hand finds out by chance that Mikko is sterile. Helena's obsessive dream of a child frightens Mikko to move out. Paula has a miscarriage and she breaks down completely. Helena visits the therapist Jarkko, unaware that he is Paula's husband. They end up making love and Helena gets pregnant.
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UNITED KINGDOM
SATURDAY, 3rd May 2008 - CITADEL THEATRE, GOZO
AS YOU LIKE IT (2006)
Synopsis:
The story is William Shakespeare's romantic comedy of mistaken identity set in Japan in the 19th century after the country was opened to the West as a trading partner.
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POLAND
SUNDAY, 4th May 2008
SELECTION OF SIX SHORT FILMS BY STUDENTS FROM THE POLISH NATIONAL FILM INSTITUTE IN LODZ.
LAMPA (1959) - 8 minutes
(Lamp)
Synopsis: An old man repairs the dolls. He stops working and leaves at night the dolls revive.
KONCERT ZYCZEN (1967) - 16 minutes
(Concerts of Requests)
Synopsis: A couple are coming back from an excursion and by accident they lose their tent. The confrontation to the unfriendly group of people.
MOJE MIEJSCE (2004) - 30 minutes
(My Place)
Synopsis: A young man from a small town tries to start a new life in a big town.
MIASTO UCIECZKI (2006) - 18 minutes
(The Refuge City)
Synopsis: Soccer fans – the conflict between the fans' determination and the results of that.
POMIEDZY (2006) - 20 minutes
(In Between)
Synopsis: Alicja and Mateusz - she is pregnant and wants to have a baby: the conflict between solitude and love.
PORNO (2006) - 12 minutes
Synopsis: The story of teenagers' love
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SLOVAKIA
MONDAY, 5th May 2008
UTEK DO BUDINA (Escape to Budapest) (2002)
Synopsis:
It is shortly after the first world war. Austria-Hungary broke apart and the Czechoslovak republic was grounded. Tomas, the son of a wealthy farmer from Slovakia comes to study in a law school in Prague. He gets to know Jana, for whom it is not easy to bear the relationships in her burgeoise family. Their spontaneous trip to Budapest breaks Jana's dependence on her strict mother. The lovers find shelter on the estate of Tomas' charismatic father, Stefan Barány. After the wedding, Jana starts to lose emotional contact with the depraved Tomas. She finds a kindred spirit in her lively father-in-law. The marital crisis is attended by the decay of the estate. Stefan does not wasn’t to adapt himself to the manners of the businessmen in this new age. The family tries to find a better life in Vienna. But only the return to Prague brings new hope for them. Jana's brother-in-law Brehm gives them a helping hand. But this does not stop the disintegration of the family. Tomas tries to solve his problems by escaping to Budapest. In the end, he chooses to commit suicide. The shocked Jana finds supo9rt and hope in the person of Stefan …..
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SPAIN
TUESDAY, 6th May 2008
EL PROXIMO ORIENTE (The Near East) (2006)
Synopsis:
Cain is a butcher from the barrio who has never had much luck in love. Cain's married brother Abel, on the other hand, seems to have the exact opposite problem. An annoyingly overconfident womanizer who has recently impregnated pretty Muslim Aisha, Abel refuses to take responsibility for the unborn child. Eager to do the right thing and perhaps find a little female companionship in the process, Cain agrees to wed Aisha and assume responsibility for the child. When Cain learns that he will have to convert to Islam for the marriage to take place, however, the cultural differences between Cain and Aisha's families grow increasingly pronounced.
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CHINA
Wednesday, 7th May 2008
GUA SHA (The Treatment) (2001)
Synopsis:
The Treatment is a Chinese production about cultural conflicts experienced by a Chinese family in the USA. The film looks at Chinese-Western cultural differences from a special angle, and at the same time explores the notions of family, tradition, affection in the context of cultural shock.
Datong (Leung) is a patrician of a St. Louis Chinese-American family and a designer of violent video games. When Datong's father (Zhu Xu) visits from China, he performs a simple traditional Chinese medicinal therapy called Gua Sha on his young grandson. Though painless, the treatment leaves bright red marks on the skin which are interpreted by the kid's teacher as welts. Soon the Child Welfare Agency is accusing the family of child abuse and transfers the kid to a foster home.
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SLOVENIA
THURSDAY, 8th May 2008
RUSEVINE (Ruins) (2004)
Synopsis:
The charismatic theatre director and author Herman is creating a new performance, which is supposed to be better than all of his successful projects until then. He invites all of his friends and the people he has worked with until then to participate, including his girlfriend, the actress Zhana and his friends of many years, the actor Gregor and the set designer Milosh.
Ruins is a love film but it is not about lover for a woman, it is love for a fascination and of one's own ego. The woman here is of secondary meaning. That is why the end is the way it is.
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