Hungarian Film Festival returns to the Shang

Bet on horses and more as the Embassy of Hungary, Film Development Council of the Philippines, and the Shangri-La Plaza present the 3rd Hungarian Film Festival happening on November 14-17, 2019 at the Shang's Red Carpet.

Leading the selection of films is Kincsem - Bet on Revenge, Hungary's most expensive local film production to date and the biggest box-office hit in the past decade. This film is based on the true story of the legendary racehorse Kincsem who held the longest streak of any racing horse in history. 

Other films in the lineup include the romantic drama Moscow Square/Moszkva tér, the adventure romcom Brazils/Brazilok, the true to life drama Genesis/Genezis, and the animated feature Tales from the Lakeside/Lengemesék.

Hungarian Embassy's Deputy Head of Mission
Dávid Ambrus

Admission to the films are for free on a first come, first served basis. Films will be shown in their original language with English subtitles with the exception of Tales from the Lakeside which will be dubbed in English.

Here are the selection of films lined up for the 3rd Hungarian Film Festival.

Kincsem - Bet on Revenge

Director: Gábor Herendi

Cast: Ervin Nagy, Andrea Petrik, Tibor Gáspár, József Gyabronka, Tamás Keresztes, Fekete Tibor, Péter Scherer, Zoltán Rátóti, Lehel Kovács, Zalán Makranczi, Mónika Balsai, Kati Lázár, Zoltán Seress, Zoltán Schneider, János Papp, Csaba Krisztik

The new owner of a brilliant race horse finds love while carrying out his revenge on the man who murdered his father.

Moscow Square/Moszkva tér

Director: Ferenc Török

Cast: Zsolt Kovács, Erzsi Pápai, Gábor Karalyos, Ilona Béres, Eszter Balla, András Réthelyi, Simon Szabó, Bence Jávor, Imre Csuja, Vilmos Csatlós

April 27th, 1989. It is Petya's 18th birthday and his friends gather in Budapest's Moscow Square to pop champagne and begin lengthy celebrations. May Day sees them swimming in the famous Hotel Gellert and breakfasting on Liberty Bridge, as the political clouds begin to lift and it seems youth and the country face a brave new future...

Brazils/Brazilok

Director: Csaba M. Kiss, Gábor Rohonyi

Cast: Erik Lakatos, Barnabás Bergendi, Dániel Viktor Nagy, Béla Dóra, Csaba Lakatos, Renátó Lakatos, Krisztofer Pászik, Franciska Farkas, Norbert Nagy, Gergely Kaszás, Blanka Mészáros

The mayor of the small village of Acsa, urged by the new young priest of the village, announces that this year the gypsy football team called Brazils can also take part in the football championship of the village; and this year, thanks to a Brazilian millionaire originally from Acsa, the winning team will be invited to Rio de Janeiro.

Genesis/Genezis

Director: Árpád Bogdán

Cast: Milán Csordás, Anna Marie Cseh, Eniko Anna Illesi, Lídia Danis, Zsolt Kovács, Levente Molnár, Tamás Ravasz, István Szilvási, Szofi Berki, Roland Tzafetás

The three stories within Genesis are rooted in the biblical notion of family: a woman in her late thirties rediscovers the faith she lost as a child; a mother goes to extreme lengths to ensure that her child is saved from the fate that she was forced to endure; a Roma boy's family are killed, and the perfect world of his childhood is destroyed. All three stories are based on real events that took place in Hungary: the Roma murders. The three protagonists are one way or another affected by these events, which change their lives fundamentally.

Tales from the Lakeside/Lengemesék

Director: Zsolt Pálfi

The green Verdies are the tiny, but brave guardians of the lakeside. The young Verdies only become guardians when their hair turns brown. Until then, however, life is boring. The youngsters with green hair are not allowed to fly on warblers, not allowed to row alone, and they're not allowed to ride wild frogs at the rodeo. Willy Whistle's big dream is to become a guardian, but his curiosity always gets him into trouble. However, the whole lake becomes at risk when the enemies of the lakeside, the Grimps and the swans, enter into alliance. The guardians are helpless, but Willy comes up with a daring plan in order to save his home and his trapped friend, Jeremiah Jump. Luckily he is not alone, because Grandpa, the water snakes and the frogs also come to his aid.

Here is the screening schedule for the 3rd Hungarian Film Festival.

November 14, 2019
3:20 PM Brazils/Brazilok
5:30 PM Moscow Square/Moszkva tér
7:30 PM Genesis/Genezis

November 15, 2019
2:50 PM Genesis/Genezis
5:20 PM Brazils/Brazilok
7:30 PM Kincsem - Bet on Revenge

November 16, 2019
2:50 PM Tales from the Lakeside/Lengemesék
5:20 PM Kincsem - Bet on Revenge
7:30 PM Brazils/Brazilok

November 17, 2019
2:50 PM Tales from the Lakeside/Lengemesék
5:00 PM Genesis/Genezis
7:30 PM Moscow Square/Moszkva tér

The 3rd Hungarian Film Festival is presented by the Embassy of Hungary, Film Development Council of the Philippines, and the Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

Love, magic and mischief in Ballet Philippines' A Midsummer Night's Dream

The cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream

Back in early 2013, I saw the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra perform Felix Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream Suite at one of their season concerts and it made me regret right away missing Ballet Philippines' adaptation of that William Shakespeare play that the company staged just the month before.

It didn't help that BP continued to present in subsequent years an excerpt from this Carlo Pacis choreographed ballet set to the Nocturne which is my favorite piece from the suite. This left me wondering for years where this excerpt fits with the rest of the ballet. And to remind me further of what I've missed was Tanghalang Pilipino's 2016 production of Panaginip sa Isang Gabi ng Gitnang Tag-Araw, a Filipino translation of the play.

Denise Parungao and Dan Dayo

Six years later, I finally saw the whole picture as Pacis' A Midsummer Night's Dream made a successful comeback to the Cultural Center of the Philippines' stage as the second offering of Ballet Philippines' 50th Gold Anniversary Season.

The ballet adaptation is straightforward retelling of Shakespeare's comedy of the intertwined stories of the faerie king Oberon and queen Titania, the Athenian lovers Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, the royals Duke Theseus of Athens and Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons, and lastly, a group of ragtag band of actors led by Quince.

AL Abraham, Sarah Alejandro, Jemima Reyes, and Earl John Arisola
lead the dancing at the Wedding

The neoclassical choreography by Pacis clearly conveyed the story and established the characters spot on. The otherworldliness of Titania (Denise Parungao and Katrene San Miguel) and Oberon (portrayed by Ronelson Yadao and Lester Reguindin) was shown by having them carried by the corps of faeries and faerie men giving them the illusion of weightlessness.

The boundless energy of Puck (Victor Maguad and Dan Dayo) with his multitude of tricks contributed to his impish nature. The personification of Love-In-Idleness/Flower (Gia Gequinto and Jemima Reyes) gave Puck not just a dancing partner but also worthy accomplice in spreading his mischief.

There was a sense of being grounded with the four Athenian lovers, Hermia (Jemima Reyes and Monica Gana), Lysander (Earl John Arisola), Helena (Sarah Alejandro and Jessa Tangalin), and Demetrius (AL Abraham and Eugene Obille) whose lives and eventual fates were at the mercy of the capricious supernatural beings. How these pair of lovers willingly/unwillingly came into contact with each other through the course of the ballet was a foil to the tension and disconnect between Titania and Oberon.

The cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream

While brief, the spotlight on the Rustics composed of Bottom/Pyramus (Dan Dayo and Emmanuelle Guillermo), Starveling/Wall (John Ababon/Mark Balucay, Quince/Director (Ace Polias), Snug/Lion (Emmanuelle Guillermo and Luigie Barrera), Flute/Thisbe (Erl Sorilla and Bonifacio Guerrero), and Snout/Moonshine (Earvin Guillermo) was a comedic highlight.

With all the spotlight on the other characters, the pair that was left with the short end of the stick for me in characterization was that of Queen Hippolyta (Stephanie Santiago and Denise Parungao) and Duke Theseus (Eugene Obille and Ronelson Yadao). The pair somehow made up for their lack of characterization by being part of the intricately choreographed group wedding scene.

Post show meet and greet with the cast

The costumes by Eric Pineda with additional design by Ricardo Eric Cruz gave the faeries tights with a single vivid color (blue for Oberon and pink for Titania) with minimal detail/accessories. This was supported by the imposing stylized tree set occupying a huge chunk of the set. Instead of going all traditional in how faeries and a mystical forest are depicted, this production went with a distinctly modern touch. My only gripe was when the some of the upper branches of the tree went down to form some sort of panels at the wedding scene, the stage got a bit too cramped with all the dancers doing the intricate choreography.

Finally, I was able to see the epilogue with the Nocturne music with its proper context. I appreciate how Oberon and Titania now wore nude tights with hints of green foliage detail as if they finally shed their brightly colored tights as well as their egos. Their movements became softer and their points of contact more intimate. A growth within the pair upon realizing what they've done out of pettiness and with it, the ballet ended with Puck offering a final thought on whether all had been a dream.

Souvenir programs and a sprout pencil giveaway

The biggest surprise for me in this ballet was hearing more than just the incidental music that Mendelssohn composed. Also used were music from what I believe belonged to his string symphonies. Which ones, I couldn't tell. But the biggest music highlight for me was the clever use of the 2nd and 3rd movements of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 in key scenes of the ballet. There was a time when I got sick and tired of this piece but because of the ballet and seeing the music in a different light, I cannot wait to see a live performance of this concerto once again.

RAd's Playlist | Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Relive the ballet with Felix Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream (and more) recorded by Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Levine.

Polish jazz pianist, composer Artur Dutkiewicz to hold concert, workshop at the CCP

The Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland present Polish jazz pianist and composer Artur Dutkiewicz in a solo concert on November 12, 2019 at 7:30 PM at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

The concert, billed as Impromazurka, will feature music by Antonín Dvořák, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Alexandre Tansman, and Dutkiewicz own improvisations on the mazurka.

The morning after, on November 13, 2019, 10:00 AM, Dutkiewicz will conduct a piano improvisation workshop to be held also at the CCP's Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino.

Ticket prices for the concert are at P1000 and P800 with 50% discount for students and 20% discount for senior citizens. There will be an admission fee of P100 for observers at the workshop.

Artur Dutkiewicz,called as the Ambassador of Polish Jazz, studied composition and arrangement where he graduated from the Jazz Department at the Academy of Music in Katowice (Poland), receiving a diploma with distinction. He was a finalist of the Thelonious Monk Competition in Washington, USA.

Dutkiewicz has taken part in dozens of renowned jazz and music festivals around the world including the Hague’s Northsea Jazz Festival, Warsaw’s  Jamboree, Hamburg’s Campnagel Theater, Bern’s Festival Kleiner Bunchen, Nuremberg’s Jazz Ost West, Cannes’ MIDEM, Milan’s Music Oggi, Paris’ Festival D`Europe Centrale, Budapest’s Sziget Festival, Havana’s Jazz Plaza Festival, Tel Aviv Jazz Festival, Glasgow Jazz Festival, Duesseldorf’s Jazz Rally, Berlin’s World Culture Festival, Milan’s  Notturni in Palestro Festival, Beijing’s BJ Ninegates Jazz Festival, Helsinki’s Kontu Festival, and Melbourne’s International Jazz Festival.

He has released several albums as a solo artist, (Mazurki) and as the leader of the Artur Dutkiewicz Trio (Prana, Traveller). For the readers' listening pleasure, here is Prana, a recent Artur Dutkiewicz Trio release with Dutkiewicz alongside bassist Michał Barański bass and drummer Łukasz Żyta.

4th German Film Week commemorates 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

The 4th German Film Week commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall with films depicting life in a divided Germany to be screened on November 6-12, 2019 at the SM Manila and SM Megamall cinemas.

Presented by the Goethe-Institut Philippinen, the festival boasts a selection of twelve feature length films, half of which is in keeping with the Fall of the Berlin Wall Anniversary theme.

Here are the films to be screened at the 4th German Film Week.

25 km/h

Director: Markus Goller
Cast: Franka Potente, Alexandra Maria Lara, Lars Eidinger, Jördis Triebel, Sandra Hüller, Jella Haase, Bjarne Mädel, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Martin Brambach, Dirk Helbig

Lars Eidinger and Bjarne Mädel play two completely disparate brothers who decide at their father’s funeral to follow a crazy whim and, at long last, fulfill their long-held dream of traveling through Germany on their mopeds. While they make some strange new acquaintances and experience all kinds of crazy situations during their marathon journey, the brothers gradually come to realize that, in the end, blood is thicker than water.

100 Things/100 Dinge

Director: Florian David Fitz
Cast: Florian David Fitz, Matthias Schweighöfer, Miriam Stein, Hannelore Elsner, Wolfgang Stumph, Katharina Thalbach, Johannes Allmayer, Sarah Victoria Frick, Max Bretschneider, Maria Furtwängler

Toni loves his espresso machine. Paul adores his smart phone. Toni can’t do anything without his hair-growth pills. Paul can’t function without Amazon. All hilarious hell breaks loose when a drunken argument at a party leads to an unthinkable wager between the two men: they vow to rid themselves of all possessions for 100 days. Only allowing themselves to retrieve one item out of storage per day, Paul and Toni are forced to confront what is really important in their lives, and what they can do without.

All About Me/Der Junge muss an die frische Luft

Director: Caroline Link
Cast: Luise Heyer, Sönke Möhring, Diana Amft, Joachim Król, Elena Uhlig, Maren Kroymann, Julius Weckauf, Ursula Werner, Theresa Schneider, Katharina Hintzen

Film adaptation of the autobiography of German entertainer Hape Kerkeling.

The story begins in the Ruhr Valley of 1972: Hans-Peter is nine years old and a bit chubby, but full of self-confidence. The latter is not least due to his ability to make other people laugh, a talent that he trains on every occasion - be it in the grocer's shop of his grandmother Änne, with the customers as an audience, or at the various meetings with his party-prone relatives. But the idyllic family life takes a turn for the darker when Hape's mother loses her sense of smell and taste as the result of a chronic sinus infection and starts struggling with depression. The father is helpless and doesn't know how to deal with his wife's mental illness. But for Hape, the sadness of his mother is an even greater incentive to act out his comedic side.

Balloon/Ballon

Director: Michael "Bully" Herbig
Cast: Friedrich Mücke, Karoline Schuch, David Kross, Alicia von Rittberg, Thomas Kretschmann

Based on actual events, this feature film tells the story of a spectacular escape from the GDR. In summer 1979, after two years of preparations and planning, the Strezlzyk and Wetzel families want to escape from the GDR in a self-built hot-air balloon. The Strelzyk family goes first, but has to make an emergency landing before they get to cross the border. The damaged balloon gets carried away by the wind. While the family can make if back home safely, both, the Strelzyks as well as the Wetzels know it won’t be long before the Stasi are onto them. Feverishly, they start building a new, more stable balloon to undertake another attempt to escape.

Barbara

Director: Christian Petzold
Cast: Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld, Mark Waschke, Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Jannik Schümann, Christina Hecke

Summer, 1980. Barbara, a doctor, has applied for an exit visa from the GDR (East Germany). Now, as punishment, she has been transferred from Berlin to a small hospital out in the country, far from everything. Jörg, her lover from the West, is already planning her escape. Barbara waits, keeping to herself. The new apartment, the neighbors, summertime, the countryside – none of that means anything to her. Working as a pediatric surgeon under her new boss Andre, she is attentive when it comes to the patients, but quite distanced toward her colleagues. Her future, she feels, will begin later. But Andre confuses her. His confidence in her professional abilities, his caring attitude, his smile. Why does he cover for her when she helps the young runaway Sarah? Does he have an assignment to keep track of her? Is he in love? But as the day of her planned escape quickly approaches, Barbara starts to lose control. Over herself, her plans, over love.

Berlin Blues/Herr Lehmann

Director: Leander Haußmann
Cast: Christian Ulmaen, Katja Danowski, Detlev Buck, Tim Fischer, Uwe-Dag Berlin

Using elusive measures Herr Lehmann has successfully ignored the demands of parents, landlord, neighbours and women for years. Now, in the year 1989, he lives pretty much trouble-free in Berlin, when he’s not in the nearest bar. But then, out of the blue, one unexpected annoyance after the other disrupts the routine of his beloved daily grind...

Cold Feet/Kalte Füße

Director: Wolfgang Groos
Cast: Heiner Lauterbach, Emilio Sakraya, Sonja Gerhardt, Aleksandar Jovanović, Alex Czerwinski, Michael Ostrowski, Gerti Drassl, Jasmin Gerat, Jeanne Goursaud, Adam Halajczyk

Through a curious mix-up, the petty criminal Denis suddenly finds himself in the position of a caretaker for the stroke patient Raimund. All he really wanted to do was break into Raimund’s house in order to finally pay off his debts to some disagreeable crooks. Instead, he now sits captive in the rich businessman’s house, who, since his seizure has been confined to a wheelchair. When Raimund’s granddaughter Charlotte shows up to check on him, it’s finally too much for Denis. But escape is not an option as a mighty snowstorm is raging in the region. And so he must continue to play the role of the caretaker – very much to Raimund’s dismay, who is doing everything he can to fend off the intruder. In contrast to Charlotte, Raimund has long since seen through Denis’ facade. A game of cat-andmouse begins, in which the handicapped senior and the clever young man put their resources to terrific use...

Good Bye, Lenin!

Director: Wolfgang Becker
Cast: Daniel Brühl, Katrin Saß, Florian Lukas, Chulpan Khamatova, Maria Simon, Alexander Beyer

October 1989 was a bad time to fall into a coma if you lived in East Germany - and this is precisely what happens to Alex’s proudly socialist mother. Alex has a big problem on his hands when she suddenly awakens eight months later. Her heart is so weak that any shock might kill her. And what could be more shocking than the fall of the Berlin Wall and the triumph of capitalism in her beloved East Germany? To save his mother, Alex transforms the family apartment into an island of the past, a kind of socialist-era museum where his mother is lovingly duped into believing that nothing has changed. What begins as a little white lie turns into a major scam as Alex’s sister and selected neighbours are recruited to maintain the elaborate ruse - and keep her believing that Lenin really did win after all!

Gundermann

Director: Andreas Dresen
Cast: Alexander Scheer, Peter Schneider, Milan Peschel, Bjarne Mädel, Thorsten Merten, Alexander Schubert, Anna Unterberger, Axel Prahl, Alexander Hörbe, Leni Wesselman

Biopic about East-German singer-songwriter Gerhard Gundermann (1955–1998). During the day, he worked as a digger operator in a coal mine. Yet after his shift, he successfully performed as a singer who reached the masses. In his songs, he pondered existential questions of life and death, but also didn’t shy away from addressing current political and social issues. His very personal lyrics and authentic performances made him a cultural icon in the German Democratic Republic of the Eighties. At the same time, he frequently got into trouble with the authorities. After the fall of the wall, Gundermann’s popularity not only remained, it even grew bigger. Even when it was revealed in 1995 that Gundermann used to be an informant for the notorious secret state police Stasi, the news didn’t really tarnish his success – and though his musical career garnered him a good income, he continued to work as a digger operator. In 1998, Gerhard Gundermann passed away after suffering from a brain seizure.

The Keeper/Trautmann

Director: Marcus H. Rosenmüller
Cast: David Kross, Freya Mavor, John Henshaw, Harry Melling, Dave Johns, Barbara Young, Chloe Harris, Mikey Collins, Gary Lewis, Dervla Kirwan

While visiting a PoW camp near Manchester at the end of WWII, Margaret and her father, the manager of the local football team, notice a young German soldier Bert Trautmann. Margaret’s father is so taken by Bert’s prowess as a goal-keeper that he gets him out of the camp to play for his team. While Margaret’s and Bert’s love slowly blossoms despite local hostility, Bert’s heroics in goal are noticed by Man City. Rather than going back to Germany, Bert marries Margaret and signs for Man City. His signing causes outrage to thousands of fans, many of them Jewish. But Bert and Margaret receive support from an unexpected direction: Rabbi Alexander Altmann, who fled the Nazis. Thus Bert’s path to acceptance begins. At the 1956 FA Cup Final he achieves ultimate reconciliation, when he secures victory by playing on despite breaking his neck. Yet fate twists the knife for both Margaret and Bert and their loyalty to each other will be put to the test once more.

The Lives of Others/Das Leben der anderen

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.
Cast: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur

East Berlin, November 1984. Five years before its downfall, the former East-German government ensured its claim to power with a ruthless system of control and surveillance. Party-loyalist Captain Gerd Wiesler hopes to boost his career when given the job of collecting evidence against the playwright Georg Dreyman and his girlfriend, the celebrated theater actress Christa-Maria Sieland. After all, the “operation” is backed by the highest political circles. What he didn’t anticipate, however, was that submerging oneself into the world of the target also changes the surveillance agent. The immersion in The Lives of Others – in love, literature, free thinking and speech – makes Wiesler acutely aware of the meagerness of his own existence and opens to him a completely new way of life which he has ever more trouble resisting. But the system, once started, cannot be stopped. A dangerous game has begun...

A Regular Woman/Nur Eine Frau

Director: Sherry Hormann
Cast: Almila Bağrıaçık, Rauand Taleb, Aram Arami, Meral Perin, Mehmet Ateşçi, Mürtüz Yolcu, Merve Aksoy, Armin Wahedi

The film traces the fate of the German Turk Hatun Aynur Sürücü, her struggle for a free, self-determined life against the resistance of the family. Her brothers don’t accept her lifestyle and insult and threaten her more and more. Finally, the young woman files charges against her eldest brother and moves with her child to a friend as she doesn’t feel safe at home anymore. Simultaneously, the family tries to find a wife for the future murderer, Hatun’s eldest brother. In just a few weeks they manage to educate the young Turk Melek (Evin) to become a strict Muslim. She becomes part of the plan to take over and look after Hatun’s little boy after her death. Then the murder happens.

Here is the screening schedule for SM Manila Cinema 6.

November 6, 2019
7:00 PM Balloon

November 7, 2019
7:00 PM 25 km/h
9:30 PM Berlin Blues

November 8, 2019
7:00 PM Goodbye, Lenin!
9:30 PM The Keeper

November 9, 2019
7:00 PM Cold Feet
9:30 PM Gundermann

November 10, 2019
7:00 PM 100 Things
9:30 PM The Lives of Others

November 11, 2019
7:00 PM All About Me
9:30 PM Balloon

November 12, 2019
7:00 PM A Regular Woman
9:00 PM Barbara

Here is the screening schedule for SM Megamall Cinema 2

November 7, 2019
7:00 PM All About Me
9:30 PM Balloon

November 8, 2019
7:00 PM A Regular Woman
9:00 PM Barbara

November 9, 2019
7:00 PM 25 km/h
9:30 PM Berlin Blues

November 10, 2019
7:00 PM Goodbye, Lenin!
9:30 PM The Keeper

November 11, 2019
7:00 PM Cold Feet
9:30 PM Gundermann

November 12, 2019
7:00 PM 100 Things
9:30 PM The Lives of Others

Tickets to the screenings are P100 each while students can enjoy a discounted price of P50 per screening. Tickets can be purchased at the counters of the participating SM cinemas,online via smcinema.com or through the SM Cinema App. The premiere night screening on November 6 is free and open to all on a first come, first served basis.

The 4th German Film Week is presented by the Goethe-Institut Philippinen with the partnership with SM Lifestyle Malls and SM Cinemas and the support of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.