SEPTEMBER does not only usher the extended Christmas season in the Philippines, it also heralds the customary appointment with European cinema at the Shangri-La Plaza.
It is an eagerly awaited annual event that has built a great following among movie aficionados.
Opening on September 8, this year’s festival will revolve around the theme of friendship in all its facets. It is intended to be a gift of the European Union (EU) to the Filipino people. It is a gesture of friendship and a way to share cultural differences and similarities, while showcasing a diversity that mirrors the EU’s own member-states.
This year Poland joins the festival, becoming its 19th participant, a happy coincidence since it is now on its 19th edition.
Underscoring the theme for this year, the festival will be graced by acclaimed Filipino film makers who have earned a niche in Europe and other countries, such as award-winning directors Brillante Mendoza, Ruben Ribay Gutierrez, Gabby Fernandez and Ruben Maria Soriquez, and producer Alem Ang. They will be sharing their expertise during special screening, wherein the audience may be able to interact with them after viewing their respective films.
The opening film befittingly reflects the fruit of one such collaboration that exists in promoting a healthy exchange in filmmaking: Of Sinners and Saints is a Filipino-Italian production by Ruben Maria Soriquez, who earned the Best Actor award in the 2015 edition of the World Premieres Film Festival.
Worth noting that this year marks the EU Delegation’s 25th year in the country, and it also happens to be the 25th anniversary of Shangri-La Plaza, which prides itself in being the home of Cineuropa since its inception.
Incidentally, Spain and the United Kingdom celebrate an important recurrence, the 400th death anniversary of their respective literary giants, Cervantes and Shakespeare, who died in 1616 just a few days apart, the former on April 22 and the latter on May 3.
The Spanish film Miguel y William, according to Instituto Cervantes Director Carlos Madrid, muses on a fictitious encounter between the two writers.
EU Ambassador Franz Jessen thanked diplomatic missions and cultural institutions of the individual member-states that provided the films that will be shown and the venue partners, which have grown exponentially through the years, making it possible for the festival to reach other regions.
Aside from Shangri-La Plaza, other venues for Cineuropa include the Film Development Council of the Philippines; Arts Council of Cebu, Ayala Center in Cebu; University of the Philippines-Visayas in Tacloban; Visayas State University in Baybay Leyte; Liceo de Cagayan de Oro City; and Palawan State University.
Aiming to attract even more viewers this year, the itinerant festival boasts of 24 European films and four Filipino movies, spanning four months and reaching 11 cities and municipalities nationwide.
Image credits: courtesy of theEuropean Union