Europe Calling: European Cinema

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Premieres, Previews & New Releases of European Cinema

Fri 13 Aug 18:00 (Auditorium)

Germany

I’m Your Man

Ich Bin Dein Mensch – New Release Alma, a scientist, is to live with a humanoid robot, created to make her happy in Maria Schrader’s immensely enjoyable picture. Alma (Maren Eggert) is a scientist at the famous Pergamon Museum in Berlin. In order to obtain research funds for her work, she is persuaded to participate in an extraordinary study. For three weeks, she has to live with a humanoid robot (Dan Stevens) tailored to her character and needs, whose artificial intelligence is designed to be the perfect life partner for her. When the odd couple begins to cohabit, the robot is a catalyst for self-reflection and self-doubt in this comedy-drama that’s as thought-provoking as it is funny. A comictragic tale about the questions of love, longing and what makes a human being human, this is a sensationally funny and gentle science-fictional German rom-com. (Subtitles) Germany 2020 Maria Schrader 105m

Our thanks to Curzon for this film.

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Booking Ref Sat 14 Aug 14:00 (Auditorium) Mon 16 Aug 18:00 (Auditorium)

Mon 16 Aug 15:00 (Auditorium) Thu 19 Aug 21:00 (Auditorium) Germany

Merkel

Die Getriebenen (The Driven Ones) – UK Premiere German newspaper correspondent Robin Alexander’s meticulously researched account of government policies around the fall of 2015, when Angela Merkel opened the borders to refugees, is a page-turner – and now a fascinating movie. Yet what would appear to be well-planned activity is in reality a policy of muddling along, chance, trial and error. ‘The Driven Ones’ is a chronicle of the refugee crisis which shows that the political actors are being driven along, crushed between selfimposed constraints and events that have spun out of control. The film develops a certain pull, a dramaturgy of simultaneity. In some places the screen is divided into several frames, which emphasize the interconnectedness of the various decisions and the protagonists who have to react on the spur of the moment. Imogen Kogge’s portrayal of Angela Merkel is particularly reminiscent of Helen Mirren’s Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears’ ‘The Queen’, a mixture of the private with the public and the professional is inevitable. (Subtitles) Germany 2020 Stephan Wagner 118m

Our thanks to Bavarian Media for this film.

Italy

Code: Karim

UK Premiere The protagonist, after years spent in wartorn Syria, decides to return to Italy, to finally put behind his terrible experiences, and recover his life. But in order to do so, he will have to pay a very high price. ‘Code: Karim’, like the film ‘Traitor’ (2008) which also follows an undercover Muslim secret agent, opens up the discussion about the role of Muslims infiltrating terrorist groups. But what crimes and sins must be committed in getting to the position to help the security services? There are no simple answers to these complex questions. ‘Code Karim’ touches on these topics, but it is steadfastly an action thriller. The story moves at a fast pace, the directing is sharp, the cinematography and editing are excellent. Mohamed Zouaoui’s performance is charismatic, subtle, and unmissable – a combination of Omar Sharif’s talent and Steve McQueen’s charisma. (Subtitles) Italy/Syria 2021 Federico Alotto 103m

Our thanks to Minerva Sales for this film.

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Thu 19 Aug 17:30 (Auditorium)

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Thu 19 Aug 12.00 (Auditorium) Thu 26 Aug 21:00 (Auditorium) Finland

Helene

UK Premiere The story of renowned Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck, and the love affair between her and a younger art critic Einar Reuter. 1915, Helene Schjerfbeck (Laura Birn) lives as a forgotten artist with her elderly mother in the countryside. It has been years since her last exhibition, but Helene continues to paint. Change arrives in the form of art dealer Gösta Stenman (Jarkko Lahti) who wants to organize a big private exhibition. However, Helene’s turning point comes only when she is introduced to Einar Reuter (Johannes Holopainen). Young Einar is a forester, art enthusiast, and a passionate admirer of Helene’s work – and soon becomes Helene’s lover. The film leisurely glides from one small moment to another, often accompanied with a number of gorgeous visual moments filled with authentic period atmosphere and details. The cinematography by Rauno Ronak is stunning in its serene poetic beauty. The film ends with examples of her work – an artist who should really be better known. (Subtitles) Finland 2020 Antti Jokinen 122m

Our thanks to Picture Tree International for this film.

Estonia

Dawn of War

O2 – UK Premiere A spy thriller in the John Le Carré mode, about an Estonian intelligence officer, who has to track down a mysterious Soviet double agent on the eve of WWII. The tensions across Europe just before World War II are finely captured by director Margus Paju in this clockwork thriller. In 1939, Estonia had only known independence for a relatively short time when it was caught between the hostile political machinations of Germany and the Soviet Union. When the head of Estonia’s counter-Soviet intelligence unit is found dead, former spy Feliks (Priit Võigemast) is called back to find the mole and prevent a Russian takeover. Suspicion spreads everywhere and no one can afford a quiet moment – especially when Feliks learns that the Soviets’ secret code book may be up for grabs. As the pace of events quickens, the film travels back and forth in time to see Feliks fall in love with Polish art historian Maria (Agnese Cirule) and discover the many secrets hiding everywhere. ‘Dawn of War’ remains gripping to the very last moment. (Subtitles) Estonia 2020 Margus Paju 100m

Our thanks to Kaleidoscope Pictures for this film.

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Fri 20 Aug 10:30 (Auditorium)

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Wed 18 Aug 20:45 (Auditorium) Sat 21 Aug 14:45 (Auditorium) The Netherlands

The Conductor

Preview Based on the true story of the Dutch-born Antonia Brico, who in the late 1920’s was the world’s first woman to successfully conduct a large symphony orchestra. Another opportunity to see this film which opened the 2018 CIFF as a UK premiere, but still unreleased here. United States 1926: The Dutch, 24-year-old Antonia Brico (Christanne de Bruijn) was a child when she and her parents (Annet Malherbe and Raymond Thiry) emigrated to the United States. She dreams of becoming a conductor, but nobody takes her ambition seriously. Her piano teacher advises her against taking the entrance exam for the conservatory. With little to lose, she returns to her motherland, where she begs the famous conductor Mengelberg (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) to give her lessons. Mengelberg is not comfortable with the idea and sends her to Berlin where perhaps she can fulfil her promise. The film contains superb pieces of classical music especially performed for ‘The Conductor’. This is a thought-provoking and inspirational tale. Netherlands 2019 Maria Peters 137m

Romania

Unidentified

Neidentificat

Premiere An unsolved case. An unknown criminal. An obsessed cop. His investigation plunges him into a world of darkness and violence, pulling everyone around him into a mire of destruction and revenge. ‘Unidentified’ is the story of Florin, a hotheaded cop (Bogdan Farcas) who grows fixated on cracking open a mysterious case of arson that left two women dead. Determined to pin the blame on a young Romani man (Dragos Dumitru), he begins to lose control, driven less by the evidence than by racism and his cold-blooded pursuit of revenge. As we then learn, Florin (and the film’s narrative structure) has been concealing further unflattering information about his professional and personal life. He is in enormous debt, with the local bank threatening to repossess his car, and his school music teacher wife has left him. A film torn between competing tones of satire and character-based realism. A dark, propulsive thriller about corruption and racism in Romania’s police force. (Subtitles) Romania/Latvia/Czech Republic 2020 Bogdan George Apetri 123m

0ur thanks to Wide for this film.

Booking Ref

Booking Ref Wed 25 Aug 14:45 (Auditorium) Fri 27 Aug 15:00 (Auditorium)

Wed 25 Aug 16:00 (Studio) Thu 26 Aug 20:45 (Studio)

Finland

Master Cheng

Mestari Cheng – English Premiere Following the death of his wife, professional chef Cheng (Pak Hon Chu) travels with his young son (Lucas Hsuan) to a remote village in Finland to connect with an old Finnish friend he once met in Shanghai. Upon his arrival, nobody in the village seems to know his friend but local café owner Sirkka (Anna-Maija Tuokko) offers him accommodation and in return Cheng helps her in the kitchen, surprising the locals with the delights of Chinese cuisine. Gradually his cooking encourages these vastly different cultures to connect, and Cheng is soon a celebrated member of the community. Unfortunately, his tourist visa is soon to run out and it’s up to the villagers to come up with a plan to help him stay. Warm, with Finnish humour and beautiful Lapland landscapes exploring culinary art as a means of meeting people and bringing cultures together. (Some subtitles) Finland 2019 Mika Kaurismäki 116m

Our thanks to Parkland Entertainment for this screening.

Belgium

Undergods

New Release An otherworldly journey through a Europe in decline – a collection of darkly humorous, fantasy tales about ill-fated characters and doomed fortune. With echoes of Lynch and Gilliam. Film fans are so accustomed to postapocalyptic wastelands these days that it is a relief when writer/director Chino Moya cuts away from the grim, Chernobyl-esque setting that opens his portmanteau and dives into the first of several bizarre stories. It focuses on a familiar motif: the domestic intruder who seems to slowly take over. But this familiarity is made engaging by compelling performances, an eerie visual style, and Wojciech Golczewski’s alternately pounding and woozy synth score. Soon, new characters weave in and fresh stories are told (or half-remembered) as the gothic fairy tales of E.T.A Hoffmann are invoked in a very Lynchian way. Intelligent production design heightens a glum, post-modern vision of Europe, and, by the time an excellent Adrian Rawlins and Kate Dickie pop in for a comic re-tread of previous events, the nightmare logic of this strikingly loopy film almost makes sense. Belgium/UK 2020 Chino Moya 93m

Our thanks to Modern Films for this film.

Five Russian indies

Displaying exciting new talent. Full details of these five Indie films are on pg34.

Predators

An ambitious life coach is confronted by a millionaire wishing to demolish the cooperative of garages in which the former keeps his prized Jaguar. Mon 16 Aug 21.15

The End

This latest comic feature, a la Woody Allen, from the multiple-prizewinning Vladimir Kott might have been made to define the term ‘meta’. Wed 25 Aug 20:45

Killer News from Chukhloma

A celebrated fashion designer returns from Moscow to the remote northern town from which he escaped ten years ago. Sat 14 Aug 20:15

Cardboard Pier

With elections looming, four journalists from Moscow set out to test the political climate in a remote village with a population of 46. Wed 18 Aug 20:15

Letters of Happiness

Three Russian postwomen deliver their mail. Each has a story to tell. Wed 18 Aug 10:00

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Booking Ref

Sat 28 Aug 17:30 (Auditorium) – See Wine Tasting Event below Sun 29 Aug 16:15 (Auditorium)

Italy

From The Vine

In Vino Veritas – UK Premiere A downtrodden man (Joe Pantoliano) experiences an ethical crisis and travels back to his hometown in rural Italy to recalibrate his moral compass. There he finds new purpose in reviving his grandfather’s old vineyard, offering the small town of Acerenza a sustainable future, and reconnecting with his estranged family in the process. In a rare leading role, Joe Pantoliano (‘Memento’, ‘The Matrix’) stars as Marco Gentile, an Italian born CEO of a Canadian automobile company. He is at a crossroads in his life. Tired of the grind and troubled by an unkept promise he made years ago; he throws it all away. Without consulting his wife Marina (Wendy Crewson) he quits his high-paying job and hopes to reconnect to a way of life that will help him find his centre and regain his moral compass. But will his new beginning spell an end to old relationships? ‘From the Vine’ breathes the same fragrant air as ‘Under the Tuscan Sun,’ ‘A Good Year’ and any number of other movies that offer up beautiful scenery and a stripped-down way of life as a tonic for the soul. (Some subtitles) Italy / Canada 2020 Sean Cisterna 97m

Our thanks to Parkland Entertainment for this screening.

Wine Tasting

An Italian wine tasting session will be held prior to the Saturday screening of this vine-focused film with a big heart.

Sat 28 Aug 16:30 (Jubilee Hall – New Park Centre)

£12 for the tasting.

A Mattter of Perspective

Austria Full details of this Indie film on pg34. Thu 19 Aug 10:00

The Federico Fellini Retrospective

Italy Full details on pg54.

Full details for these films can be found on pg43.

Misha and the Wolves

Belgium A fake Holocaust memoir sparks a search for truth in this extraordinary documentary. Thu 19 Aug 14:45

Our Land, Our Altar

Portugal A few families remain in the tower-blocks of a social housing project in Porto. Their days there are numbered. Fri 20 Aug 10:00

Another Paradise

Belgium Between 1968 and 1974 Britain removed the entire Creole population of the Chagos Archipelago. A campaign led from Crawley to house 3000 Chagossians. Sun 22 Aug 11:00

The Lost Shoes

Italy A ‘submerged part of Italian history’ is how the joint-directors of this absorbing documentary describe the avant-garde Communist movement of the ’60s and ’70s. Tue 24 Aug 11:00