Films from the New Europe at USC
The University of Southern California is presenting the mini-festival "Films from the New Europe" on Friday, February 29, and Saturday, March 1, at the Norris Cinema Theatre/Frank Sinatra Hall in downtown Los Angeles. All screenings are free and open to the general public, but individual reservations will be required for each screening.
As per the USC website, the showcase includes "recent feature films and animated shorts from Eastern and Southern Europe that directly engage with post-Cold War transformations and the rethinking of what European identity and European cinema mean. The films that will be presented combine the auteurist legacy of European arthouse films with an aesthetic appeal that makes them accessible and competitive on a global market. They examine and challenge the emotionally and politically charged redefinitions of ‘Europe’ since the fall of the Berlin Wall and grant access to underexplored voices from traditionally marginalized cultures."
I’ve only seen one of the feature films: Corneliu Porumboiu’s quirky Romanian comedy and Cannes 2006 Golden Camera winner 12:08 East of Bucharest, which has received quite a bit of praise in the United States and elsewhere. In my view, the film — which pokes fun at the (mis)construction of history — has its moments, but I didn’t quite get much of Porumboiu’s humor.
Also in the program, György Pálfi’s bizarre Taxidermia (above) — Hungary’s submission for the 2008 best foreign-language film Academy Award; Pawel Pawlikowski’s Last Resort, about an asylum-seeking Polish woman who develops a relationship with a seaside merchant in Britain; Fatmir Koçi’s Albanian documentary The Land of Eagles, about the convoluted history of that small country; and Koçi’s narrative feature Tirana Year Zero, about a young couple in search of a better life away from Albania.
(And I’m assuming the USC release meant Southeastern — not Southern — Europe; since the showcase focuses on former Communist countries, no films from Italy, Spain, or Portugal are part of the program.)
The schedule below is from the USC website:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29
7 p.m. Animated Shorts Program
Introduced by Prof. Christine Panushka (USC).
8:30 p.m. Taxidermia (2006), directed by György Pálfi, Hungary, 91 min.
Followed by a panel discussion with Prof. Aniko Imre (USC), Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak (Ohio University) and Prof. Melinda Szaloky (UCSB).
SATURDAY, MARCH 1
12 p.m. 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006), directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania, 89 min.
Introduced by doctoral candidate Alice Bardan (USC).
2 p.m. The Land of Eagles (2007), directed by Fatmir Koçi, Albania, 77 min.
Followed by a Q&A with director Fatmir Koçi and producer Donika Bardha.
4 p.m. Tirana Year Zero (2001), directed by Fatmir Koçi, Albania, 89 min.
Followed by a Q&A with director Fatmir Koçi.
6 p.m. Catered reception in Queen’s Courtyard
Open to all, no reservations necessary.
7 p.m. The District (2005), directed by Áron Gauder, Hungary, 87 min.
Followed by a Q&A with director Áron Gauder and writer/producer Erik Novák.
9 p.m. Last Resort (2000), directed by Pawel Pawlikowski (Poland), UK, 73 min.
Given the uncertainty of an available 35mm print, this film may be screened from a DVD.
Introduced by doctoral candidate Alice Bardan (USC).
Subscribe / Syndicate
Leave a Comment
Tags: 12:08 East of Bucharest, Corneliu Porumboiu, Films from the New Europe, György Palfi, Los Angeles Screenings, Taxidermia, The Land of Eagles, Tirana Year Zero
Comments
Leave a Reply
NOTE:
All comments are moderated and may take some time before they are posted. Different views and opinions are welcome, but courtesy is imperative. Rude/crass/bigoted comments and name-calling of any sort will be immediately deleted.
Also, please be aware that the Alternative Film Guide has no contact information for the talent mentioned in this blog and no information pertaining to or access to distributors'/producers' film prints.
