LOOK: 10 films to see at Cine Europa 26

MANILA, Philippines – Cine Europa is back!

For its 26th edition, the European film festival will run from June 16 to 18, featuring 10 outstanding European films released from 2018 to 2022. The festival will run at the Red Carpet Cinemas at Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City. 

Check out the lineup here:

Murina

Croatia and Slovenia’s Murina will open the festival. The 2021 directorial debut of Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic is a coming-of-age story about restless teenager Julija, her strict father Ante, and their old family friend looking to buy their remote island home. It won the Caméra d’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival and The Best Balkan Film Award at the Sofia International Film Festival.

Ensilumi (Any Day Now)

Hamy Ramezan’s 2020 movie Ensilumi (Any Day Now) from Finland is another film in the lineup. It revolves around an Iranian refugee family awaiting a decision regarding their asylum status in Finland.

Rien à Foutre (Zero F***s Given)

Rien à Foutre (Zero F***s Given) from Belgium follows Cassandra, who gets fired from her job as a flight attendant at a low-cost airline. The 2021 film is directed by Emmanuel Marre and Julie Lecoustre, and stars French actor Adèle Exarchopoulos.

Miss Viborg

Marianne Bilcher’s Miss Viborg from Denmark is a feel-good movie about an unlikely friendship between a rebellious teenager and an old former beauty queen in a small Danish town. The film won the Best Nordic/Dutch Film at the 2022 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Sweat

Poland’s Sweat, directed by Magnus von Horn, centers on a social media star and fitness expert who, amid her popularity, longs for a real connection. The film was an official selection at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.

Szelíd (Gentle)

Szelíd (Gentle) from Hungary and Germany is about a female bodybuilder who is ready to sacrifice everything to achieve the dream she shares with her partner and trainer, winning the world championship. A docu-fiction by Anna Eszter and László Csuja, it won the Grand Prix award at the 2022 Central and Eastern European Film Festival.

My Love Affair with Marriage

In Latvia and Luxembourg’s musical comedy My Love Affair with Marriage, Zelma sets out on a 23-year quest to find perfect love and lasting marriage, learning about society’s destructive expectations for women in the process. Though it is animated, this 2022 film by Signe Baumane is meant for adult audiences.

Ramona

Directed by Andrea Bagney, Spain’s Ramona is about a girl who meets her boyfriend in the streets and begins questioning her career and relationship with him. It is a romantic comedy that was released in 2022, and stars Lourdes Hernández, Bruno Lastra, and Francesco Carril.

Historja – Stygn för Sápmi (Historja – Stitches for Sapmi)

Included in Cine Europa’s lineup is Sweden’s Historja – Stygn för Sápmi (Historja – Stitches for Sapmi), the 2022 documentary by Thomas Jackson. It follows Samí artist Britta Marakatt Labba and how her work depicts her people’s mythology, as well as how she preserves the culture of her indigenous community in the Arctic in the face of climate change.

The Cleaners

Last but certainly not least, Hand Block and Moritz Riesewieck’s 2018 documentary The Cleaners will also be screening at the film festival. The German film focuses on a Manila-based organization that handles content moderation and delves into the psychological toll of the job, as well as social media as a vehicle for damaging false news and hate.

Cine Europa is organized by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the Philippines and the EU Cultural Institutes. Screenings will be held in various venues in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Davao until July 16, according to the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines.

For updates and inquiries regarding the screenings at the Shang, check out Shangri-La Plaza on Facebook or Instagram. – with reports from Sophia Gonzaga/Rappler.com