“THE MISSING Lynx” from Spain
Cine Europa grows bigger yearly in both audience size and reach, Julian Vassallo, political counselor of the Delegation of the European Union in the Philippines, told the Inquirer.
On its 17th year, the annual festival presents 23 films from 17 countries and moves from its original venue, Shangri-La Plaza mall in Mandaluyong, to eight other locations.
After Shang Cineplex (ongoing until Sept. 21), the fest goes to Baguio (Sept. 23-28), Iloilo (Sept. 30-Oct. 5), Cebu (Oct. 10-12), Leyte (Oct. 16-19), Tacloban (Oct. 21-26), Davao (Oct. 28-Nov. 2), Zamboanga (Nov. 4-9) and Cagayan de Oro (Nov. 13-16).
Vassallo noted that some of these places were devastated by calamities, both natural (Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in Leyte and Tacloban) and man-made (the armed conflict in Zamboanga).
“It’s a sincere gesture to provide entertainment to the people and the aid workers in the field,” said Vassallo.
He recognized challenges for the free screenings in certain areas due to the lack of infrastructure. “We are teaming up with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, which will screen the movies at its Cinematheques (in Zamboanga, Baguio, Iloilo, Davao),” he said.
The EU delegation is also tapping longtime partners. “In Leyte, we have a long-standing cooperation with the Visayan State University in Baybay City,” Vasallo added. In Tacloban, the Tacloban City Convention Center is being considered. “Or we could hold open-air screenings,” he said.
Changing family
The outreach is in keeping with the festival theme of “family solidarity.”
Vasallo explained, “This year’s films share the common theme of families prevailing in spite of the changes in society.”
“The meaning of family is changing,” said Petra Raymond, director of the Goethe Institut.
“There are single-parent, mixed-culture, same-sex families. But the essence of family remains constant. Family members will always be there for each other.”
MADS Mikkelsen in “The Hunt,” from Denmark
Meritxell Parayre-Sabes, first secretary of the Embassy of Spain, agreed. “These films show [how families] cope with crisis.”
Said Diana Pearl Chan, senior projects officer of the Embassy of Switzerland, “Though Switzerland is not an EU member, we are happy to participate in this festival.”
Emanuela Adesini, cultural attaché of the Italian embassy, asserted: “We are united in the diversity and richness of our culture.”
The French movies in exhibition illustrate how small the world has become. Noted Martin Macalintal, audiovisual attaché of the Embassy of France: “The docu ‘Planet Ocean’ is a French-Swiss coproduction. ‘Chinese Puzzle’ is in the French, Spanish, English… languages and is set in New York’s Chinatown.”
Pia Heide Salman, deputy head of mission of the Embassy of Denmark, said: “The Royal Danish Embassy here closed in 2002 and just reopened. The festival is a good way to reintroduce ourselves to the community, share Danish stories with Filipinos.”
“We want to continue contributing to the vibrant film and culture scene in the Philippines,” said Carlos Madrid, director of the Instituto de Cervantes, coordinating agency for this year’s event.
The films to be screened include an animated feature from Spain (“The Missing Lynx”), an environmental documentary from Switzerland and France (“Planet Ocean”), a comedy from Italy (“Scialla!”), an Oscar-nominated drama from Denmark (“The Hunt”), a four-hour black-and-white epic from Germany (“Home from Home”) and a crime-thriller from the United Kingdom but set in the Philippines (“Metro Manila”).
Three family-centered Filipino movies that have won acclaim in Europe are on the list: Maryo J. de los Reyes’ “Magnifico” (2 p.m.), Kanakan Balintagos’ “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” (4 p.m.) today and Lav Diaz’s “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” (3:30 p.m.) on Sept. 20.
(bayanisandiegojr@gmail.com)