We’re now really back to normal, especially for the film industry as Cine Europa is bringing back its physical events. Now on its 26th edition, it’s the longest-running European film festival in the country and one of the most anticipated film events in the metro is happening from June 16 to 18, 2023.
Organized by the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines together with the EU Cultural Institutes, Cine Europa 26 is showcasing 10 outstanding releases from 2018 to 2022 from different parts of the old continent. One of the notable things about this year’s lineup is, some of the films are tackling what's happening in cyberspace.
Directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, the 2018 eyeopener “The Cleaners” (Germany) is among the lineup. Focusing on an organization based in Manila, it explores the disturbing world of content moderators or people who monitor social media platforms to remove distressing and forbidden content such as those with excessive violence and pornography. Apart from revealing the psychological toll of being a content moderator, the film also warns about how these social sites can be used to spread damaging false news and hate.
“Sweat” the official entry from Poland by Magnus von Horn is an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival 2020. It gives a closer look at the life of a social media star and fitness expert who longs for a real connection amid her growing stardom.
Opening Cine Europa 26 is the 2021 critically acclaimed directorial debut of Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic, “Murina” (Croatia and Slovenia). This coming-of-age drama revolves around restless teenager Julija who seeks freedom from her strict controlling father Ante while an old family friend and potential buyer of their remote island home spends the weekend. It won the Caméra d’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival and The Best Balkan Film Award at the Sofia International Film Festival.
Another feature on the lineup includes “Ensilumi” (Any Day Now, Finland), a 2020 Hamy Ramezan movie about an Iranian refugee family in Finland whose asylum application got denied just when they thought things were starting to fall into place. Starring acclaimed French actor Adèle Exarchopoulos, “Rien à Foutre” (Zero Fucks Given, Belgium) centers on workaholic flight attendant Cassandra who’s forced to head home after being dismissed a low-cost airline. This 2021 flick is directed by Emmanuel Marre and Julie Lecoustre.
Cine Europa is also presenting the 2022 Anna Eszter and László Csuja docu-fiction “Szelíd” (Gentle, Hungary and Germany). Receiving the Grand Prix award at the 2022 CinEast (Central and Eastern European Film Festival), the production is about a female bodybuilder who is ready to sacrifice everything to win the world championship, which is a dream she shares with her life partner and trainer.
There’s an animated movie in the mix for this year’s festival. It’s the 2022 Signe Baumane production “My Love Affair with Marriage” (Latvia and Luxemburg). Made for adult audiences, this imaginative musical comedy follows the journey of Zelma who sets out on a 23-year quest for perfect love and lasting marriage, while learning and unlearning about the destructive expectations society has on women.
These are just some of the films to be screened for free in this year’s festival that will kick-off this June 16-18, 2023 at the Red Carpet at the Shang. Cine Europa will also go around different provinces in the Philippines including Cebu, Davao, and Ilo-Ilo.
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