European Film Festival is back
One of the much awaited annual events of film lovers’ calendar, European Film Festival will be back in Colombo after a break of three years due to Covid 19 pandemic here and the world over. The festival will be held from December 2 to 5 as a physical event at the National Film Corporation Cinema, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7.
Last held in 2019, the festival had to be cancelled both in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid 19 pandemic.
This year nine award winning and critically acclaimed European films representing France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Sweden, Georgia, Belgium, Poland and the Netherlands will be screened with daily screenings at 3.30 pm and 6.00 pm.
European Film Festival is presented by the European Delegation in Colombo with the partnership of Cineuropa, ‘Institut Francais’ and ‘Goethe-Institut’.
The public screenings will start with the Italian-Spain film ‘My brother chases Dinosaurs’
(102”/2019) at 3.30 pm on December 2. Directed by Stefano Cipani, the film revolves around Jack who has always wanted a little brother to play with, and when Gio is born, his parents tell him his brother is a ‘special’ child.
French comedy film ‘Perfumed’ directed by Grégory Magne will be screened at 6.00 pm on December 2. A divorced father, Guillaume Favre is desperate to get shared custody of his daughter. He needs to keep his job as a chauffeur to pay for somewhere better to live, with room for his daughter.
Screening at 3.30 pm on December 3, Slovak-language drama film ‘Let there be light’ is directed by Marko Škop. A Slovakian man, who works in Germany, soon learns that his son joined a paramilitary youth group, which was involved in the death of a classmate.
2019 Georgian drama film ‘And then we danced’ (more suitable for adults) will be screened at 6 pm on December 3. The film was premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival where it received extremely positive response including a15-minute standing ovation.
Screening at 1.30 pm on December 4, the Belgian-French comedy-drama ‘Our Struggles’ is directed by Guillaume Senez. It was screened in the International Critics’ Week section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and it received seven nominations at the 9th Magritte Awards and won five including Best Film and Best Director for Guillaume Senez.
Dutch drama film ‘Romy’s Salon’ directed by Mischa Kamp will be screened at 3.30 pm. on December 4. Made based on the book of the same name by Tamara Bos. In 2019, the film was shortlisted as one of the nine films in competition as the Dutch entry for the Academy Award for ‘Best International Feature Film’ at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Polish-German comedy-drama film ‘Never gonna snow again’ directed by MagorzataSzumowska will be screened at 6 pm on December 4.
‘Servants’ a film from Czech Republic -Slovak Republic directed by Ivan Ostrochovský will be screened at 3.30 pm on December 5. The final film of the festival ‘Lola’ (more suitable for adults), a Belgium-France production directed by Laurent Micheli will be screened at 6.00 pm on December 5..