MANILA, Philippines — Romanian film "Child's Pose" (Pozitia copilului) opens Cine Europa 17 in Manila on 11 September at Shang Cineplex, Mandaluyong City.
"Child's pose" won the 2013 Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival and its director, Calin Peter Netzer, is best known for his work "Mother and Son" which won the Fipresci Prize, the first film ever from Romania to win the main festival award at the Berlinale.
Child's Pose is an excellent portrayal of the ever-changing family dynamics taking place both in the European Union and the Philippines. Family is indeed the red thread that ties together the movies of Cine Europa 17.
"Today European families come in all shapes and sizes but what remains constant is the strength of familial bonds and the role they play in the rich fabric of our societies," said Lubomir Frebort, Charge d'Affaires of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines.
Frebort along with Lala Fojas, Executive Vice-President of Shangri-La Plaza and Mr Briccio Santos, Chairman, Film Development Council of the Philippines together with European Union Member States Ambassadors, consuls and diplomats inaugurated this year's Cine Europa.
Cine Europa which started out 17 years ago with screenings only in Manila, continues to expand to the provinces with screenings this year planned in 9 Filipino cities.
With movies being shown between September 11 and November 16 Cine Europa is certainly amongst the longest, if not the longest, Film Festival in the Philippines.
Cine Europa will be in Manila (Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City) from 11 September to 21 September in Cinema 2.
It will then move to eight other cities: Baguio City Cinematheque from 23 to 28 September, followed by Iloilo City Cinematheque from 30 September to 5 October, and then Ayala Center Cinema in Cebu City from 10 to 12 October.
The Visayas leg of Cine Europa has been expanded this year to include for the first time screenings at Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte.
Special screenings for families affected by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) are also planned from 21 to 26 October in Tacloban.
In Mindanao, Cinematheque Davao City will host Cine Europa from 28 October to 2 November.
It then moves on to Cinematheque in Zamboanga City from 4 to 9 November before concluding with screenings in Liceo de Cagayan University in Cagayan de Oro City from 13 to 16 November.
The film festival this year has a total of 23 movies from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland.
Cine Europa's education component will see film experts will share their insights about European and Philippine film culture at Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong on 12 and 20 September.
These sessions aim to give young Filipinos considering a career in film, greater insights into the industry and the opportunities for co-operation with their European counter-parts.
Together with this, we are also screening European-awarded Filipino movies that portray the similarities between Filipino and European culture.
This year the educational component will extend beyond Manila with sessions being held for the first time at the University of San Carlos, Cebu on 10 October.
Admission is free for all screenings at all locations for the two-month festival.
Cine Europa 17 is organised by the European Union Cultural Group in Manila and is funded by the European Embassies and Cultural Institutes accredited to the Philippines 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, Alliance Française, British Council, Goethe-Institut, Philippine-Italian Association, and the Instituto Cervantes de Manila with the important contribution of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Our partners include, the Independent Film Cooperative, the Shangri-La Plaza Mall (Manila), Arts Council of Cebu and Liceo de Cagayan de Oro (Mindanao) and the Visayas State University in Baybay.
Philstar.com is the online media partner of Cine Europa.