Cine Europa 11's opening night

When Cine Europa 11 unreeled recently, dignitaries and high officials from member countries of the European Union were in town to grace the opening night of the much-anticipated, three-day-long screenings of commercially successful and critically acclaimed European films.

Formally opening the event were Gabriel Munuera Vinals, head of Political, Economic, Trade and Public Affairs Section of the Delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines together with several members of the Arts Council of Cebu.

"Beauty in Trouble" from the Embassy of Czech Republic served as the opening film of Cine Europa, which has grown in attendance by leaps through the years. Before the opening itself, long lines of moviegoers already formed outside the Onstage Cinema of Ayala Center Cebu, which has hosted Cine Europa screenings since it debuted in Cebu on 2005.

Vinals noted to The Freeman that for three years now, Cine Europa has earned so big a following here that outside Manila, Cebu is the only city that they consistently bring the film fest to. In the past, it was also shown in Davao and Baguio, and this year, Cagayan de Oro.

According to Vinals, this year's edition of Cine Europa was another chance for Cebuano film enthusiasts to enjoy Europe's various facets as dramatized and adapted for the big screen, and is especially fitting as it is also the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.  

The film festival also included European countries which are not members of the EU as the Embassy of Switzerland participated in Cine Europa for the first time.

Screened were movies from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and anchored on themes like love, hope, despair, laughter, survival and family relationships.

Indeed, Cine Europa, which first commenced in the country in 1998, continued to be an artistic and cultural nod to the partnership of the European Community with the Philippines.