Cine Europa 15

Organizers make a toast to Cine Europa 15

For the second year in a row, I was fortunate to be among the invited guests at Cine Europa’s opening night. This year, which is the film festival’s 15^th year, will feature 21 films from member nations of the European Union to be screened over at the Shang Cineplex from September 6-16, 2012. As always, the screenings for this festival generate long lines for admission is free and the movies shown are a breath of fresh air compared to the usual mainstream stuff out there.

Christian Tan, Kim Mirandilla-Ng, Chino David and Aris Solares

The Shangri-La Plaza Atrium was the venue for the cocktails that was held prior to the screening of the opening film Upperdog. Guests were treated to music by tenor Nic Norman Tugaff and a string quartet composed of Christian Tan, Kim Mirandilla-Ng, Chino David and Aris Solares. Several members of the diplomatic corps, officers of various cultural institutions and key figures from the film industry enjoyed the music, food and wine that were served on that evening. As an added treat, everybody was asked to fill out forms that would as entries as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines raffled out a business class ticket to Europe to a lucky guest that evening as well.

Upperdog

The screening of the Norwegian film Upperdog opened Cine Europa 15 marking the first time that Norway participated in the festival. It’s quite fitting that this film was chosen since one of its stars, Hermann Sabado, is Filipino-Norwegian. Unfortunately, Hermann wasn’t present during the opening. If he was able to attend, then it would just be his second time to visit the country.

The movie, written and directed by Sara Johnsen, is an intimate and character driven story that revolves around two Asian half-siblings who got separated as kids when they adopted by a different set of Norwegian parents. The younger sibling, Axel (Hermann Sabado) was adopted by an affluent family and it shows in his spoiled and playboy lifestyle. His older sister, Yanne (Bang Chau) was taken in by a family with a more modest lifestyle and she had spent years wondering where her younger brother was. Their roads cross when Yanne’s friend Maria (Agnieszka Grochowska) ends up working with Axel’s family (and also becoming intimate with him as well). One would think that this would end up in a happy family reunion but things are not simple as that as all of the characters have their respective baggage. Add to the mix Per (Mads Sjøgård Pettersen), a discharged soldier who provides some love spark in Yannes life. Incidentally, Per is indirectly connected with Axel through his former job. Personally, all this connection was too much since it was too convenient and too forced for my taste. What I liked most in this movie was the ending where Axel and Yanne’s families finally having the chance to meet and then left it at that. The audience is left thinking what would happen next and that there’s still another story after that meeting. It was satisfying for me despite its open ending. If one is looking for an epic story, then Upperdog is not a film for them.

From 11 films back in 1998, this edition of Cine Europa boasts of 21 European films fom Austria, Belgium. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. This edition also marks the debut of the participation of the Philippine Independent Filmmakers Cooperative (IFC) that will further enhance the educational component of the festival.

Cine Europa is organized by the European Union Cultural Group in Manila which gathers together the Embassies and Cultural Institutes of the European Union. Partners of Cine Europa are the Embassies of Norway and Switzerland, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Independent Film Cooperative, the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Arts Council of Cebu and Liceo de Cagayan de Oro.

Cine Europa 15 goes to Ayala Center in Cebu on September 21-24, 2012, Liceo de Cagayan in Cagayan de Oro on September 27-30, 2012 and in FDCP Cinemateques in Davao, Baguio and Iloilo on October 4-21, 2012.