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The reel world through the eyes of the European Union Film Festival
Verging between beautiful and brutal, EUFF 2011 provides Singapore with a neat take on European cinema
Wim Wenders, the legendary German film director best remembered for directing “Buena Vista Social Club,” has often questioned whether European cinema has evolved enough to become the soul of Europe.
“Does it exist or is it just the sum of various national cinemas?” he asks.
Some say that in the unification of Europe, the continent's overall identity has been superseded by its representation as an economic power, which fails to take full advantage of its cultural potential.
We have already tasted the notion of the bitter, saccharine sweet American Dream with the likes of Hollywood, but what of Europe? Now a continent without borders, there’s even more diversity in this shifting identity that begs to be articulated but in a less blockbuster fashion.
For many without a bank account to traverse so far, the EUFF is an initial and significant step to catching a glimpse of the varying emotional and geographical landscapes of Europe. Call it escapism or perhaps, the beginnings of an awareness beyond what we are accustomed to.
"Of Gods and Men": A story about faith and fallibility.
France – “Des Hommes Et Des Dieux (Of Gods and Men)”
“Of Gods and Men” comes at an apt time as a counterpoint to Sarkozy’s intolerant polling path to banning the niqab. The film sees an order of Trappist monks living in a Muslim hillside community outside Algiers who foster a relationship with their neighbors by observing their religious traditions while imparting pastoral advice in a time of bloody civil war -- a parable that touches on higher faith and human fallibility.
May 7; 8 p.m.
A ride round the world to rediscover one's self.
Bulgaria – “The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner”
Based on an award-winning autobiography by Ilija Trojanow, this is the tale of Alexander, an amnesiac helped by his charismatic grandfather to rediscover himself on a bicycle ride. Through the journey back to the town of his birth, Alexander’s identity crisis paints a more oppressive picture of a country still reeling from an oppressive communist era.
May 10; 7:30 p.m
"The Man That Would Come": The lyrical simplicity of a village outside of Bologna comes undone.
Italy – “L’uomo Che Verrà (The Man Who Will Come)”
A recreation of events leading up to the 1944 massacre of 800 people by SS troops in the mountains near Bologna, eight-year-old Martina who hails from a peasant family awaits the impending birth of her baby brother, whose arrival could be a symbol of salvation or death in the crossfire of a battle beyond her control.
May 6; 6:30 p.m.
Travel the road of freedom in "Carreteras Secundarias."
Spain – “Carreteras Secundarias (Backroads)”
Nearing the end of the Franco dictatorship, an impoverished father and son leave their unsatisfying lives to travel the coast of Spain in a Citroën to seek happiness and a sense of belonging in a gypsy life, getting embroiled in contraband and torrid love affairs along the way, leading them to an unexpected twist of fate.
May 11; 9:15 p.m.
For a full film schedule and other details, visit www.euff.sg or join the EUFF Facebook Fan Page (www.facebook.com/EUFFsg) to win tickets to the invitation-only opening ceremony.
