From east to west and north to south, films from all across Europe will be on display at the nineteenth Art Film Fest, held from 17 to 25 June in Tren\u010dianske Teplice and Tren\u010d\u00edn. Its European Corner<\/b> section will provide an overview of Europe\u2019s manifold countries, languages, traditions and mentalities, a selection of powerful motion pictures whose success has resounded throughout Europe and abroad, winning illustrious awards such as the Oscar, the Golden Globe, San Sebastian’s Golden Shell and Venice\u2019s Silver Lion.<\/p>\n
As in previous years, European Corner is the festival\u2019s most extensive section. No wonder, as European films are highly sought-out at all the highest-profile film festivals. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur selection features the work of experienced, respected masters, but we also draw attention to auspicious new talents. It\u2019s an ideal symbiosis,\u201d says the section’s coordinator, Art Film Fest director Peter N\u00e1gel. <\/p>\n
For the first time in Slovak cinemas, the section will screen "In a Better World<\/b>" (H\u00e6vnen), this year\u2019s recipient of the world’s most prestigious awards \u2013 the Oscar for Best Foreign Film<\/b> and a Golden Globe<\/b>. Already nominated for a previous Oscar, the notable Danish director Susanne Bier presents a tale of two families whose fates are intertwined by the friendship of their two adolescent boys. Elias\u2019s father works as a doctor in Africa as his marriage crumbles to pieces, and Elias himself is bullied in school. His self-appointed protector Christian just moved to town with his father, following his mother\u2019s recent death. The film addresses ethical issues of vengeance and the violence associated with it, all over the backdrop of actual global conflicts. <\/p>\n
With San Sebastian’s Golden Shell<\/b> in tow, \u201cNEDS<\/b>\u201d, the latest from distinguished British director and actor Peter Mullan, will also pay the festival a visit. Taking us back to 1970s England, this scathingly realistic drama focuses on a quiet, intelligent boy named John, who comes from a family with a less-than-ideal reputation. Butting against the firm wall of social prejudice, he begins to favour the school of the street over his formal education, and after a few years, he himself has become another hooligan gaining notoriety through the spread of fear and hatred.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Last Circus<\/b>\u201c (Balada triste de trompeta), from Spanish director \u00c1lex de la Iglesia, has earned awards such as the Silver Lion for Best Director<\/b> and an Osella for Best Screenplay<\/b> from the Venice FF<\/b>.
In an analogy of Spain\u2019s 1937 Civil War, the film features two clowns: Javier, the sad one, who falls in love with a beautiful acrobat, unfortunately in a relationship with Sergio, Javier’s authoritarian counterpart.<\/p>\n
A deadly contest over the acrobat\u2019s heart plays out between the two clowns, who represent two competing influences in Spanish society \u2013 the violent autocracy of Franco\u2019s regime versus playful innocence. <\/p>\n
Renowned Hungarian director B\u00e9la Tarr will present "The Turin Horse<\/b>" (A torin\u00f3i l\u00f3), winner of the Berlinale’s Jury Grand Prix<\/b>. This black-and-white film transports viewers to a severe windstorm on a remote farm, whose harsh conditions are home to an aging man and his adult daughter. \u201c\u2019The Turin Horse\u2019 is about the heaviness of human existence. We just wanted to see how difficult and terrible it is when every day you have to go to the well and bring the water, in summer, in winter… All the time. The daily repetition of the same routine makes it possible to show that something is wrong with their world,\u201d said the director about his film. <\/p>\n
Speaking of great directors, the Best Director Award<\/b> at last year’s Karlovy Vary IFF<\/b> went to Rajko Grli\u0107 for his film "Just Between Us<\/b>" (Neka ostane medju nama). Grli\u0107 studied at the Prague Academy of Arts\u2019 Film and TV School, and has become one of Croatia\u2019s most prominent filmmakers. Nikola, a fun-loving Zagrebian, is the hub of the film\u2019s mosaic of relationships. Leavened by comedy but infused with bitter truth, the film asks: Is there anything positive about infidelity, or is it undeniably contemptuous? And does it matter whether it’s premeditated or spontaneous?<\/p>\n
Another laureate of last year\u2019s Venice FF<\/b>, winner of the festival\u2019s Grand Special Jury Prize<\/b> comes to us from Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski: \u201cEssential Killing<\/b>\u201d. The film tells the story of a Muslim soldier who is captured in the desert by US troops and brought to an unnamed European country. While travelling through an unfamiliar wintry landscape, he manages to escape, but to survive, he ends up having to destroy everything that crosses his path. \u201cThe political aspects of the situation didn\u2019t interest me: to me politics is a dirty game and I don\u2019t want to voice my opinions. What is important is that the man who runs away is returning to the state of a wild animal, who has to kill in order to survive. I don’t even say whether the film starts in Afghanistan, Iraq or maybe some other place\u2026\u201d explains the director. The starring performance of American actor Vincent Gallo, known for his independent film work, earned him a Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice FF<\/b>.
For a very different kind of survival struggle, we turn to the German picture \u201cKhodorkovsky<\/b>\u201d from director Cyril Tuschi. This feature-length documentary is the electrifying story of a man who has gone from being the richest Russian to Putin\u2019s most famous prisoner: Mikhail Khodorkovsky. At the same time, it is also a story about the son of a Jewish father and the odyssey of an oligarch whose entrance into politics enraged Putin. The film features first-hand accounts from the families of Vladimir Putin, George W. Bush and Khodorkovsky himself.<\/p>\n
European Corner will also include recent films by even more famous directors, such as Tom Tykwer’s "Three" and Bent Hamer\u2019s \u201cHome for Christmas" (Hjem til jul). <\/p>\n
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The 19th Art Film Fest International Film Festival 2011 in Tren\u010dianske Teplice and Tren\u010d\u00edn is made possible by the financial support of the Audiovisual Fund.<\/p>\n
Organizers: ART FILM, n.o., FORZA, a.s.<\/p>\n
Co-organizers: The town of Tren\u010dianske Teplice, the Tren\u010dianske Teplice Spas<\/p>\n
Main Sponsors: Tatra banka, Slovnaft, VUJE<\/p>\n
Official Transport Provider: Lancia<\/p>\n
Logistics Sponsor: DHL<\/p>\n
Free student Cinepasses provided by: Prv\u00e1 stavebn\u00e1 sporite\u013e\u0148a (First Housing-Construction Savings Bank)<\/p>\n
Sponsors: TIPOS, Ernst & Young, AVI studio, Cinemax<\/p>\n
Official Supplier: HUBERT J.E.<\/p>\n
Main Media Sponsors: Slovensk\u00e1 telev\u00edzia, R\u00e1dio FM, Pravda, zoznam.sk<\/p>\n
Media Sponsors: JOJ Television, Central Europe Television, Kino CS, Muzika CS, Doku CS, R\u00e1dio Europa 2, R\u00e1dio Hit FM, .t\u00fd\u017ede\u0148, Eurotelev\u00edzia, Pardon, OK!, Kam do mesta, Focus, Boomerang Media, SITA, moviemania.sk, BlueSky<\/p>\n
Sponsors: The City of Tren\u010d\u00edn, the Embassy of Israel in Slovakia, the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, the Slovak Film Institute<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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