Cine enthusiasts from Iloilo City warmly welcomed Cine Europa as the film festival opened Thursday night for the second time with the screening of the heartwarming yet funny story Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland.
Directed by Yasemin Samdereli, Almanya tells of how Huseyin Yilmaz came to Germany in 1964 as an Anatolian guet worker and how shortly before he is about to be naturalized, he realized he is not sure whether he wants to become a German citizen.
Aside from Almanya, moviegoing public from Iloilo will be able to enjoy 20 other European films from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. This is the second time that the film festival is going to Iloilo City in partnership with the Film Development Council.
Dr. Julian Vassallo, Political Counselor of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines, with Dominador Co, executive assistant for tourism of Iloilo City and Wilma Isleta of the Film Development Council of the Philippines opened Cine Europa at the Cinematheque – Iloilo which underlined the strong cultural collaboration of the European Union and the Philippines.
Vassallo acknowledged the full support of the Film Development Council of the Philippines which has endeavored to bring Cine Europa to other parts of the Philippines.
Admission to the film screenings is free on a first-come, first-served basis.
Now on its 16th year, Cine Europa is reaching more Filipinos than ever before with screenings right across the country. With its expansion from three to six cities last year, attendance has increased by a quarter from 29,000 in 2011 to 36,500 in 2012.
With numerous award winning European movies including romantic musicals, wartime movies, historical dramas, family comedies and even world class documentaries, there really is something for everyone at Cine Europa 16.
The film festival opened at the Shangri-La Plaza which screened European Films until Sept. 15. After the Manila, Baguio and Iloilo legs, Cine Europa 16 will then move on to Ayala Center, Cebu City from Oct. 4-6; Liceo de Cagayan University from Oct. 10-13 – Liceo de Cagayan University and finally in Cinematheque Davao City from Oct. 15-20.
Cine Europa 16 is organized by the European Union Cultural Group in Manila which gathers together the Embassies and Cultural Institutes of the European Union (Representations in Manila 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 and the European cultural institutes (Alliance Française, British Council, Goethe-Institut, Philippine-Italian Association, and Instituto Cervantes de Manila,. the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Independent Film Cooperative, the Shangri-La Plaza Mall (Manila), Arts Council of Cebu and Liceo de Cagayan de Oro (Mindanao). Philstar.com and Porsche Design support Cine Europa 16.
Website: http://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/philippines
Facebook: EU Delegation to the Philippines