Cine Europa 12 presents over a dozen critically-acclaimed films

LAST OF TWO PARTS

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuano film buffs must brace themselves for a sizeable feast of the best in European cinema as Cine Europa 12 unreels at Ayala Center Cebu’s Onstage cinema this coming October 9 to 11, 2009.

Celebrating its 12th year, Cine Europa is presented by the European Union States’ Embassies and the Delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines, in cooperation with the Arts Council of Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu. Admission is free.

The countries participating in this year’s Cine Europa are Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

We continue yesterday’s list of Cine Europa 12 screenings in the following article.

YOU AND ME

France

R-13

Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 10:00 am - 11:30 am

The editor of the magazine, “Toi et Mio,” Ariane tends to write about her love life and that of her sister Lena, and embellishing them. Meanwhile, their real life is far from Romanesque: Ariane clings to Farid who hardly cares about her, while Lena is bored with her companion, Francois. What if Ariane abandons her love for Pablo, the handsome Hispanic worker in her building, and if Lena allows herself to fall for Mark, the talented violinist? Between their real life and the glossy magazine stories, will the two sisters find their true love?

THE BLIND FLYERS

Germany

GP

Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 11:45 am - 1:13 pm

The Blind Flyers follows the adventures of best friends Maria and Inga as they audition for a school band in the hope of appearing on a TV show. The two are just like typical music-loving teenagers, except for one thing; they are blind. The Blind Flyers is a refreshingly unsentimental film that promotes neither stereotypes nor pity; it is simply a film that shows that the handicapped are truly just like “normal” people. This inspiring film has won awards such as the 2004 German Film Awards for Best Children’s Film, a special mention in the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival, and a Euro Kids Film Award in 2004.

THE DEMONS OF ST. PETERSBURG

Italy                                                

R-13

Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 1:30 pm - 3:28 pm

St. Petersburg, 1860. A member of the Imperial family is assassinated. A few days later, the writer Fyodor Maikhailovich Dostoevsky meets Gusiev, a young man being treated in a psychiatric hospital. Gusiev confesses that he is part of the terrorist group involved in the assassination and reveals that his comrades are planning to kill another of the Tsar’s relatives. The young man also gives Dostoevsky the address of Aleksandra, their leader. Dostoevsky must find her and try and convince her to stop this new attack. The writer is at his wits’ end, hounded by his creditors, under pressure to deliver his next book and plagued by frequent attacks of epilepsy. By day, with the help of Anna Grigoryevna, a young stenographer, he dictates “The Gambler”. At night, he continues his desperate search for the terrorist group….

LOVE IS ALL

The Netherlands

PG-13

Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 3:45 pm - 5:45 pm

Love is like Santa Claus: you have to believe in it, otherwise it will not work. Following her husband’s infidelity with their son’s teacher, Klaasje falls for a teenage Don Juan. Her best friend Simone seems happy with her own husband but her tenacious striving for perfection is beginning to take its toll on the marriage. Kiki is in love too, and enjoying her fling with Prince Valentijn, the most eligible prince within the Dutch royal family. Kees, an undertaker, and lifeguard Victor are in love. They intend to get married soon, but now Kees seems to be holding back. All the storylines within this romantic comedy are linked to a greater or lesser degree. But sooner or later, every character ends up meeting Jan, the hero of this film, who, in his role of dues ex machine, sees to it that, in the end, love conquers all.

ZOO RANGERS IN SOUTH AMERICA

The Netherlands

PG-13

Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 6:00 pm - 7:40 pm

While on the trail of an extremely rare butterfly, the ZOO Rangers save the South American rainforest from total destruction. When the ZOO Rangers are asked to find an extremely rare species of butterfly in South America, they initially split up into two groups. A number of rangers pay a visit to the members of the expedition that originally found the butterflies. The others go into the tropical rain forest to seek out the butterflies themselves.

DARK BLUE WORLD

Czech Republic

R-13

Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 8:00 pm - 9:45 pm

March 15, 1939: Germany invades Czechoslovakia. Czech pilots flee to England, joining the RAF. After the war, back home, they are put in labor camps, suspected of anti-Communist ideas. This film cuts into a post-war camp, where Franta is a prisoner in England during the war. Franta is like a big brother to Karel, a very young pilot. On maneuvers, Karel crash lands at the rural home of Susan, an English woman whose husband is MIA. She spends one night with Karel, and he thinks he’s found the love of his life. It complicated Susan’s attraction to Franta. How will the three handle innocence, love, friendship and the heat of war? When war ends, what then?

SUNDAYS ON LEAVE

Romania

R-13

Sunday, October 11, 2009 | 2:30 pm - 4:15 pm

It is late in the Ceausescu era in Romania, and Cristina is having a difficult time with her boyfriend. He wants her to be intimate with him before he goes off to do his obligatory stint in the army. She wants him to marry her first. She also gets involved with her slightly rebellious actor, a would-be ladies’ man. He has some vague plans to defect – could those be the reasons he is receiving mysterious phone calls? Or are they the work of his anonymous admirer?

THE GUY IN THE GRAVE NEXT DOOR

Sweden

PG-13

Sunday, October 11, 2009 | 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm              

Desiree, a modern librarian with urban friends and interests is visiting her late husband’s grave when she meets Benny, a simple farmer. After his mother’s death, Benny lives alone in the run-down farm, desperately seeking a woman to take care of him. In spite of their differences the two have that special dream of finding that special someone in common, and fall passionately in love. Benny wants Desiree to marry him and start a family as soon as possible. But being a framer’s wife is not something she is very enthusiastic about. Just presenting Benny as her boyfriend proves to be an embarrassing experience. And when she gets a tempting job offer in Stockholm, she has to consider her priorities carefully.

RASCALS ON THE ROAD

Switzerland

PG-13

Sunday, October 11, 2009 | 6:15 pm - 8:00 pm

Eugen, Wrigley, Baschteli and Eduard are four young rascals who spend their time playing pranks upon the citizens of 1960’s Berne. Incidents involving an antique helmet and a leaky boat get them into hot water with their parents, and Eugen and Wrigley face cruel and unusual punishment: no scouts’ camp, and banishment to boarding school.

Our two heroes hightail it in order to look for Fritzli Buhler, the erstwhile King of Rascals, whose legendary pranks are still the talk of Berne’s cobbled streets. Their odyssey takes them to the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, where they are joined by Baschteli and Eduard, and by bicycle across the Alps to Zurich. Pursued by worried parents, wrathful peasants and a number of policemen, they travel all over Switzerland. While their parents and the authorities launch a nationwide search, the four boys strengthen their friendship and enter into a bond to rival that of the Swiss Confederation: “We shall stand united as a people of brats.” By the end of their adventures the four rascals will be famous – and much more.

For more questions and other details on movie schedules, please call the Arts Council of Cebu at 233-0452.