Following the success of last year’s virtual European Film Festival, the 2021 edition will take place predominantly online from October 14 to 24, 2021.
A selection of 18 films from Europe, 13 of which have been directed by women, will be screened free of charge, providing a window onto what is fresh and new in the film industries of the respective countries. Four new participants – the Czech Republic, Denmark, Switzerland and Ukraine – will complement those from last year: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, along with the return of Portugal.
This is reflected in the theme of this year’s festival, Healing Journeys. Healing – be it mental, physical, spiritual or societal – is vital to the human condition, to our humanity, to our existence. This applies in both South Africa and in Europe, where despite our different contexts and histories, there exists common experience and a mutual need for healing.
The films on show will present, through the lenses of European filmmakers, a snapshot of experiences of re-establishing oneself after sometimes traumatic and possibly cathartic experiences. They deal with journeys that include organic growth, transition, and processes of self-discovery. Many include a healthy dose of humour, bringing some possibly much-needed laughter into our lives. Much of the humour is of a more cerebral nature … films that make you smile and think at the same time.
Essentially, these films present stories of hope, humanity and thought-provoking intrigue, show-casing new work by some of Europe’s most accomplished filmmakers alongside exciting new talent.
“We are deep into our second year of confronting the threat of Covid-19, both in terms of our lives and our livelihoods. It has been difficult … everyone is affected. This year’s European Film Festival has been inspired by overcoming difficulty and challenge. Its theme, Healing Journeys, seems rather appropriate for our times. I take this opportunity to invite you – irrespective of whether you are a repeat or a first-time viewer –to join us on this year’s exciting cinematic, and healing, journey,” says EU Ambassador Riina Kionka.
(Above: A scene from “Mr Bachmann and His Class” (c) Madonnen Film)
The Films:
Here is a brief look at the 2021 line-up of
films, nearly all of which have won awards, with the newer films also certain
to do so.
Austria
A woman needs a new kidney, but is her
husband ready to donate? Michael Kreihsl’s Risks
and Side Events is a lively comedy about marriage, hypochondria, friends,
architects, secrets, and taking risks.
Belgium
Jan Verheyen and Lien Willaert’s film Save Sandra is based on the true and
highly topical story of a girl diagnosed with a rare muscular disease, and her
father’s fierce battle with the pharmaceutical industry to gain access to
medical treatment, raising ethical and societal questions in the process.
Czech Republic
Agnieszka Holland’s politically charged
drama Charlatan takes us inside the
conflicted life of a non-conformist herbalist, exploring his unshakeable
commitment to his calling, the illicit relationship with his assistant, as he
perseveres first under Nazi then Communist regimes in Czechoslovakia.
Denmark
The 2021 Oscar for Best International
Feature Film went to Thomas Vinterberg’s Another
Round, in which four jaded high school teachers embark on a risky
experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday.
Mads Mikkelsen is at his scintillating best in this mature blend of comedy,
tragedy, and human behaviour.
(Left: A scene from “Robust”)
France
Starring Gérard Depardieu and Déborah
Lukumuena, Robust is an outstanding
feature debut by Constance Meyer about an aging film star and a young security
guard responsible for watching over him.
Despite their differences, life has shaped them in ways more similar
than they thought, and their unlikely friendship becomes a search for
authenticity, laden with intrigue and humour.
Germany
In Mr
Bachmann and His Class (see pic above),
the ever-patient teacher uses unconventional methods to inspire his young
citizens-in-the-making with a sense of curiosity and appreciation of the
complex social and cultural realities of their worlds. Maria Speth’s
life-affirming documentary beautifully highlights what a quietly spectacular
process education can be.
Ireland
Ruth Meehan’s The Bright Side is a moving and uplifting story about a stand-up
comedian diagnosed with breast cancer. Armed with cynicism and blackly comic
jokes, her exit strategies are upended when she encounters four powerful women
whose unsolicited friendships challenge her, soften her and ultimately blow
open her shut-down heart.
Italy
On the face of it, the brightly-paced
comedy Parents vs Influencers,
directed by Michela Andreozzi, seems to focus on the world of social media and
influencers, but the heart of it is about change and resistance to change. And
father-daughter relationships! And
family!
(Right: Scene from “The Jump”)
Lithuania
A high-seas jump from a Soviet ship to a US
vessel in an attempt for political asylum goes horribly wrong. About an
ordinary man who became a symbol for freedom-seeking refugees everywhere,
director Giedrė Žickytė’s The Jump
takes us on a stranger-than-fiction journey that reaches all the way up to the
White House.
The Netherlands
Antoinette Beumer’s My Father is an Airplane is about a woman’s poignant search for the
puzzle pieces of her past, a journey that raises questions about parental
boundaries, the risks and dangers of childhood as well its joys, and of what it
means to be loved and understood.
Poland
Never
Gonna Snow Again is writer/ director Malgorzata
Szumowska’s exquisitely off-beat story about how a masseur and hypnotist gains
acceptance and stature in a wealthy gated community, touching on class,
immigration, and global warming.
Portugal
With magnificent black and white
cinematography, João Botelho’s The Year
of the Death of Ricardo Reis brings to screen José Saramago’s novel about a
fictitious author’s homecoming, his romantic dalliances, and his mysterious
encounters with the ghost of Fernando Pessoa.
(Right: A scene from “Rosa's Wedding” ©Natxo Martínez)
Spain
Icíar Bollaín’s gem of a romantic comedy Rosa’s Wedding concerns a woman making
radical changes in her life, and this includes a surprise wedding, much to the
dismay of her family. A film about self-empowerment and gaining independence.
Sweden
Run
Uje Run is an biographical music dramedy about the
way life takes turns you could never have imagined. Henrik Schyffert’s
directorial debut features musician and actor Uje Brandelius playing himself in
this unusual and darkly witty indie drama about appreciating what you have.
Switzerland
Writer-director duo Stéphanie Chuat and
Véronique Reymond’s, My Little Sister
is an intimate, personal tale about sibling love in which a sister gives her
all to support her ailing twin brother, and inspires herself at the same time.
A powerful look at the bonds both breakable and unbreakable in family.
Ukraine
Kateryna Gornostai’s Stop-Zemlia anchors its open-ended narrative around an introverted
schoolgirl and her classmates in this sympathetic portrait of the tidal forces
of teenage-hood. A deeply personal story about self-discovery and the patience
it requires.
United Kingdom
In Aleem Khan’s ground-breaking feature
debut After Love, Joanna Scanlan puts
in a phenomenal performance as a white, English Muslim convert uncovering
secrets after the death of her husband, while exploring complex themes of loss,
cultural identity and reconciliation.
(Right: Scene from “Quo Vadis”)
Special Co-Production Presentation
Oscar nominee Jasmila Žbanić’s Quo Vadis Aida? is an extraordinary co-production between nine European countries, in which a UN translator is caught between doing her job and trying to help local inhabitants and her own family when the Serbian army takes over the small town of Srebrenica.
NB: The films are geo-blocked for viewing
in South Africa only. For film synopses, trailers and how to watch, visit
www.eurofilmfest.co.za
The European Film Festival 2021 is a partnership project of the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa and 17 European embassies and cultural agencies in South Africa: the Embassies of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the British Council, Camoes Institute of Portugal, Diplomatic Representation of Flanders, French Institute in South Africa, Goethe-Institut, and Italian Cultural Institut. The festival is organised in cooperation with Cineuropa and coordinated by Creative WorkZone.
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