Film Feature: 14th Annual EU Film Festival Arrives at Siskel Film Center

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CHICAGO – With the over-hyped and underwhelming 2010 Oscar ceremony finally in our rearview mirrors, moviegoers are ready for something completely different. How about a rare and acclaimed foreign film screening for the first (and, perhaps, only) time in Chicago? Look no further than the Siskel Film Center’s annual European Union Film Festival.

This year’s edition, running from March 4th through the 31st, includes high profile films from world renowned filmmakers like Michael Winterbottom, Catherine Breillat, Jan Hrebejk, Nicholas Philibert, Álex de la Iglesia and Philipp Stölzl. Movie lovers will have the opportunity to see the latest work from some of the world’s most acclaimed and beloved actors, including Paprika Steen, Gérard Depardieu, Sally Hawkins, Eva Green and Tilda Swinton. Some filmmakers and actors will be appearing at the festival as well, including “Jane Eyre” star Mia Wasikowska, one of the most promising young actresses in Hollywood. Though Wasikowksa is best known to mainstream audiences for her titular role in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” she has been delivering powerhouse performances in everything from HBO’s “In Treatment” to Lisa Cholodenko’s Oscar contender, “The Kids Are All Right.”

Orsolya Török-Illyés stars in Szabolcs Hajdu’s Bibliothèque Pascal, the opening night selection at the 14th Annual EU Film Festival.
Orsolya Török-Illyés stars in Szabolcs Hajdu’s Bibliothèque Pascal, the opening night selection at the 14th Annual EU Film Festival.
Photo credit: Magyar Filmunió

The 14th Annual European Union Film Festival is the biggest one yet, with a grand total of 64 films representing 24 nations. Nine of the pictures were chosen to represent their respective countries in this year’s Best Foreign Film competition. Luckily, “The King’s Speech” is not among them.

As usual, the festival kicks off with the annual custom of a celebration presided over by the nation currently holding the presidency of the European Union. On Friday, March 4th, the hosts are the Honorable Karoly Dan, Consul General of Hungary in New York, and Kaarina Koskenalusta, Honorary Consul of Hungary, Chicago. They will introduce the festival’s opening night selection, “Bibliothèque Pascal.” This audacious and inventive picture marks the third feature film collaboration between acclaimed Hungarian director Szabolcs Hajdu and actress Orsolya Török-Illyés, both of whom will be present at the Siskel Center for audience discussion at the 6pm and 6:45pm screenings. Török-Illyés plays Mona, a woman attempting to regain custody of her daughter, while utilizing surrealistic fantasy as a barrier to protect her from the harshness of reality. The film promises to be a wild ride, opening the festival with a cinematically extravagant bang. The film will also screen at 8:15 pm Monday, March 7th.

Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan star in Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip, the closing night selection at the 14th Annual EU Film Festival.
Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan star in Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip, the closing night selection at the 14th Annual EU Film Festival.
Photo credit: IFC Films

There’s an equal amount of anticipation swirling around the festival’s closing night selection. It’s the latest film from the hugely versatile British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, who hasn’t made a pure comedy since 2005’s uproarious “Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story.” In “The Trip,” the director teams up again with “Shandy” star Steve Coogan, the modern master of deadpan narcissism. Winterbottom’s fascination with blending fiction and reality is more than apparent in this picture, which casts Coogan as a heightened version of himself.

Assigned to cover a culinary tour, Coogan invites his friend Rob Brydon (also playing himself) to tag along. The resulting lark has garnered comparisons to “Sideways,” with its off-kilter portrait of male friendship set against a picturesque backdrop. The supporting cast includes several former Winterbottom collaborators, including Paul Popplewell (“24 Hour Party People”), Claire Keelan (“Shandy”) and Margo Stilley (“9 Songs”). If audiences find their mouths watering while watching the film’s assemblage of gourmet food, they are advised to stay after the 6:30pm screening Thursday, March 31. Whole Foods Market will be hosting a closing night reception after the film.

These pictures function as bookends to a month loaded with endless unmissable titles. Here are fifteen films, in order of appearance, that are particularly worth your while…

Mia Wasikowska stars in Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre.
Mia Wasikowska stars in Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre.
Photo credit: Focus Features

“Jane Eyre,” UK, Cary Fukunaga

Sunday, March 6, 7:30pm

Synopsis: “Charlotte Brontë’s oft-adapted classic gets a fresh, non-starchy reworking from Cary Fukunaga, director of the acclaimed 2009 immigrant drama SIN NOMBRE. Mia Wasikowska (ALICE IN WONDERLAND, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT) stars as the orphan who survives a harsh childhood to become governess at isolated Thornfield Hall, presided over by the brooding Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender of HUNGER and FISH TANK) and haunted by dark secrets. The cast also includes Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins, and Jamie Bell. In English. Special advance screening courtesy of Focus Features. 35mm widescreen. Director Cary Fukunaga and star Mia Wasikowska will be present for audience discussion.”

“Young Goethe in Love,” Germany, Philipp Stölzl

Friday, March 11, 6pm

Synopsis: “This lively biopic traces the great author’s impetuous early years, including his struggle to become a writer despite his father’s disapproval, his haphazard pursuit of a law career, and the intense romance with Lotte Buff (played with great vivacity by Miriam Stein) that inspired his hugely successful novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. Director Stölzl takes liberties with the facts for the sake of dramatic coherence, and, as in his previous film NORTH FACE, demonstrates great visual flair in rendering natural beauty and period settings. Cast against type, Moritz Bleibtreu (RUN LOLA RUN) plays Goethe’s priggish rival Albert Kestner. In German with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of Music Box Films. 35mm widescreen. Professor Astrida Orle Tantillo will lead an audience discussion after the film. Ms. Tantillo is Professor of Germanic Studies and History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The current President of The Goethe Society of North America, she has published extensively on Goethe, including her latest book Goethe’s Modernisms.”

“Illegal,” Belgium, Oliver Masset-Despasse

Friday, March 11, 8:15pm
Monday, March 14, 8pm

Synopsis: “Belgium’s official submission for Oscar consideration made its world premiere in the prestigious Directors Fortnight at Cannes, where the powerhouse performance by actress Anne Coesens was a standout. Tania (Coesens), a Russian citizen living illegally in Belgium with her pre-teen son, is apprehended and imprisoned pending deportation. ILLEGAL rips the lid off a Pandora’s Box of horrendous human rights abuses of detainees and their children. The film’s dramatic characterization of a meek woman who grows a spine of steel makes this no ordinary prison drama. In French, English, and Russian with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of Film Movement. 35mm.”

Olga Generalova and Dainius Kazlauskas star in Tomas Donela’s Farewell.
Olga Generalova and Dainius Kazlauskas star in Tomas Donela’s Farewell.
Photo credit: Acme Film

“Farewell,” Lithuania, Tomas Donela

Saturday, March 12, 4:30pm
Thursday, March 17, 8:15pm

Synopsis: “In this haunting tale of mortality and memory, a sailor prepares for his last voyage, but it is not one that he will take by ship. Audrius, a veteran of the merchant marine, knows that he is dying. He disembarks at the port city of Klaipeda and sets out to pay a final visit to the people who have been important in his life: lovers, friends, enemies, relatives, and his divorced wife and their son. Audrius is a complex, fascinating character, and the rich color cinematography beautifully captures the ambience of the docks and the countryside. In Lithuanian and Russian with English subtitles. 35mm print courtesy of Tomas Donela and the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania, Chicago. Director Tomas Donela will be present for audience discussion at both screenings.”

“Mammuth,” France, Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine

Saturday, March 12, 7pm
Monday, March 14, 6pm

Synopsis: “Big man, big hair, big motorcycle. Gérard Depardieu gets a tailor-made, tour-de-force role in this picaresque tale from the creators of the 2005 EUFF attraction AALTRA. He plays Serge, a former slaughterhouse worker whose recent retirement has left him as restless as a caged bear. When he finds out that missing paperwork is holding up his pension payments, Serge gets his 1973 Münch Mammut motorcycle out of mothballs and sets off to collect the required signatures from ten past employers who have scattered far and wide. Managing not to get overshadowed by Depardieu’s massive charisma, the cast includes memorable turns by Yolande Moreau (SERAPHINE), Philippe Nahon (I STAND ALONE), Isabelle Adjani, and the delectable Miss Ming. In French with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of Olive Films. DigiBeta video.”

“Cracks,” Ireland/UK, Jordan Scott

Sunday, March 13, 3pm

Synopsis: “Life in a snooty British girls’ school circa 1934 is made bearable for the repressed boarders by the presence of Miss G (Eva Green), the glamorous, daring youngest teacher. Glorying in the worship of her girls, Miss G smokes, flouts authority, and regales her wide-eyed charges with tales of her exotic foreign adventures. The outside world is moved a little closer with the arrival of Fiamma, a beautiful Spanish aristocrat. Director Scott (daughter of director Ridley Scott) builds the suspense in teasing increments as the new girl becomes the catalyst for jealousy, erotic ambitions, and more—much more. In English. Special advance screening courtesy of IFC Films. 35mm.”

“Kawasaki’s Rose,” Czech Republic, Jan Hrebejk

Thursday, March 13, 5pm
Wednesday, March 16, 8pm

Synopsis: “A failing marriage and a son-in-law’s resentment set the stage for the downfall of a national hero in this official Czech submission for Oscar consideration. Director Hrebejk (BEAUTY IN TROUBLE, I’M ALL GOOD) deftly juggles intersecting storylines of infidelity and betrayal with a characteristic infusion of wry humor, as a distinguished doctor on the eve of being honored with a national award is revealed to be other than he seems. The family threatens to collapse like a house of cards, but disaster turns out to have a warmly human face in this drama that plumbs the depths of guilt and comes out the other side. In Czech with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of Menemsha Films, Inc. 35mm widescreen.”

“Desert Flower,” Spain, Sherry Hormann

Sunday, March 13, 7pm

Synopsis: “Based on the true-life story of Somali-born supermodel Waris Dirie, this joyous biographical tale with a message mixes high-fashion glamour with an account of harrowing girlhood travails that include the customary female circumcision practiced in Dirie’s native village. Equally noted supermodel Liya Kebede does a winsome turn as the Somalian shepherd girl stranded in London, where she is befriended by a wacky Top Shop sales girl (Sally Hawkins) and discovered by a noted photographer (Timothy Spall) before becoming a runway sensation and a United Nations advocate for genitally mutilated women and girls. In English and Somalian with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of National Geographic Entertainment. 35mm. Star Lia Kebede will be present for audience discussion.”

Liya Kebede and Sally Hawkins star in Sherry Hormann’s Desert Flower.
Liya Kebede and Sally Hawkins star in Sherry Hormann’s Desert Flower.
Photo credit: National Geographic Entertainment

“The Last Circus,” Spain, Álex de la Iglesia

Friday, March 18, 6pm
Saturday, March 19, 3pm

Synopsis: “The political history of 20th-century Spain as represented by two psychotic killer-clowns? THE LAST CIRCUS is over the top even by the standards of Alex de la Iglesia (THE PERFECT CRIME, LA COMUNIDAD), the gonzo auteur of recent Spanish cinema. Beginning with a bloody last stand of circus performers during the Spanish Civil War, the story traces the lifelong rivalry between two clowns, one a sadistic exploiter, the other a sad patsy (but not forever!). At the heart of the film is an audacious allegory of Spain’s battle between fascism and leftism, with the clowns’ masochistic, pole-dancing sweetheart (Carolina Bang) as the prize they fight over. De la Iglesia’s logic is sometimes shaky, but his visual inventiveness never falters. You will undoubtedly see more consistent films this year, but you might not see one with as many memorable images. Winner of the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards at the Venice Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. 35mm widescreen.”

“Applause,” Denmark, Martin Zandvliet

Sunday, March 20, 3pm
Wednesday, March 23, 6pm

Synopsis: “Paprika Steen, a mainstay of modern Danish cinema (THE CELEBRATION, MIFUNE, OPEN HEARTS), delivers a career performance in APPLAUSE. She plays Thea Barfoed, a stage actress whose current role as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is uncomfortably close to her offstage life. Alcoholic, sarcastic, an expert at burning bridges, she makes a desperate attempt to put her life back together in order to win back custody of her two sons from her ex-husband (Falch). In his first feature film, Zandvliet channels Dogme and Cassavetes with an observant handheld style that captures the raw power of Steen’s performance. In Danish with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation. 35mm widescreen.”

“Nénette,” France, Nicholas Philibert

Sunday, March 20, 3pm
Wednesday, March 23, 6:15pm

Synopsis: “She’s a star, a bombshell who wore out three husbands, and, although age has made her a bit slower and grayer, fans still flock to partake of her considerable charisma. The focus of the latest film by master documentarian Nicolas Philibert (subject of a 2003 Film Center retrospective) is a 40-year-old female orangutan who for many years has been a star attraction at the Jardin des Plantes zoo in Paris. NÉNETTE is as remarkable for its ingenious structure as for its photogenic subject. The tourists, children, keepers, and experts who chatter about Nénette and her caged comrades are never seen, except in ghostly reflection. The camera always faces the non-human primates, effectively locking us in our own cage and compelling us to compare the two worlds on either side of the glass. In French with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of Kino International. DigiBeta video.”

“Rabbit à la Berlin,” Poland/Germany, Bartek Konopka

Sunday, March 20, 4:45pm
Wednesday, March 23, 7:45pm

Synopsis: “Nominated for an Oscar in 2010, this unique and thoroughly charming cold war allegory is a tale of the rabbit colonies that proliferated in the “death zone” between layers of the Berlin Wall. Seen from the bunny point of view, it appears that they have been sequestered in a special rabbit paradise created for their own protection. Those who attempt to escape meet a grim fate. Director Konopka’s cottontails are cuter than any subjects of a political documentary have a right to be, but there’s nothing warm or fuzzy about his satirical observations on freedom. In German with English subtitles. DigiBeta video. Special advance screening courtesy of Icarus Films. Screening first on the program with THE INVISIBLE FRAME by Cynthia Beatt.”

“The Invisible Frame,” Germany, Cynthia Beatt

Sunday, March 20, 4:45pm
Wednesday, March 23, 7:45pm

Synopsis: “In 1988, in CYCLING THE FRAME, avant-garde filmmaker Beatt documented British star Tilda Swinton’s bicycle journey along the entire 160 km length of the Berlin wall. Twenty years later in THE INVISIBLE FRAME, she follows the actress in a similar trek in the empty path of the wall. A laid-back and poetic documentary, this film begins and ends at the Brandenburg Gate, taking in booming urban Berlin and miles of bucolic countryside, as Swinton muses on the unsettling ghosts of division. In English and German with English subtitles. DigiBeta video. Special advance screening courtesy of Icarus Films. (BS)
Note: Screening second on the program with RABBIT À LA BERLIN by Bartek Konopka.”

Carla Besnaïnou stars in Catherine Breillat’s The Sleeping Beauty.
Carla Besnaïnou stars in Catherine Breillat’s The Sleeping Beauty.
Photo credit: Strand Releasing

“La Pivellina,” Austria, Tizzi Covi and Rainer Frimmel

Saturday, March 26, 3pm

Synopsis: “Austria’s official submission for Oscar consideration follows the progress of a two-year-old child abandoned at a playground after she’s discovered by Patty, a flame-haired circus performer who lives in a nearby trailer park. Filmmakers Covi and Frimmel forego sentimentality, and instead infuse their drama with the effortless air of a documentary, as the appealing tot’s illicit presence poses a score of knotty questions for Patty and her knife-thrower husband, but opens new channels in their lives and hearts. In Italian with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of First Run Features. DigiBeta video.”

“The Sleeping Beauty,” France, Catherine Breillat

Saturday, March 26, 5pm
Monday, March 28, 6pm

Synopsis: “THE SLEEPING BEAUTY follows BLUE BEARD (screened in the 2010 EUFF) in Breillat’s series of postmodernized fairy tales, but, while BLUE BEARD was a relatively faithful adaptation, BEAUTY is a much more radical rewriting of the original. As expected, a magic spell puts the little princess to sleep for a hundred years, but Breillat concentrates on the sleeper’s dream life, following a stream-of-consciousness path through a series of adventures including a toylike ghost train, an amorous Gypsy girl, the cruel Snow Queen, and a modern-day finale in which the heroine is awakened, like most Breillat heroines, into bittersweet knowledge. In French with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of Strand Releasing. DigiBeta video.”

For more information on the 14th Annual European Union Film Festival, visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org/euff2011.

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

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