Europe's Moving Images Film Festival
January 19-26, 2024
THEATRICAL SCREENINGS:
Harris Theater (Pittsburgh Cultural Trust)
809 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
FEATURED FILMS:
Faculty, Staff and students of the University of Pittsburgh may attend for free by showing a Pitt University ID at the door.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2024
Somewhere Over the Chemtrails (2022)
5:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Czech Republic
DIRECTOR: Adam Rybanský
Director and Screenwriter Adam Rybanský’s debut film points to a fantastic career ahead. This humorous parody about misinformation, fear and prejudices screened in the Panorama section of the 72nd Berlin Film Festival. Rybanský says about his film, "This is a story about good people being victims of conspiracy theories and their own fears." Clumsy Standa and recently widowed Bronya are volunteer firefighters in a small village where they enjoy a quiet and peaceful life. Things begin to change when a van crashes into a crowd of people during the Easter Fair. Before anyone notices, the driver runs away from the car crash. People believe it is a terrorist attack and the festive mood is replaced by an atmosphere of fear, hatred, and misinformation. Soon the fire brigade becomes a militia.
France (2021)
7:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: France
DIRECTOR: Bruno Dumont
France de Meurs, played by the amazing Léa Seydoux, is a seemingly unflappable superstar TV journalist. She is a newscasting influencer loved by all but then her career, home life, and psychological stability are shaken after she carelessly drives into a young delivery man on a busy Paris Street. The film’s biting humor takes on the state of news and the state of the state right from her first over the top interaction with President Emanual Macron. Her name symbolizes it all; her first name of course stands in for France the country, but in a play on words her last name suggests both home and death. Is it reality TV, ego performance, or sincere reportage? What is the role of the established media in France? Dumont’s close ups of beautiful France, the person and the place, invite us to do a long take.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2024
Mitra (2021)
2:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Netherlands
DIRECTOR: Kaweh Modiri
Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri hits it home with his second feature film. This thriller is an adaptation of his novel by the same name. Is it her? Scientist Haleh isn’t certain. Still suffering from the trauma of her daughter’s execution in Iran 37 years ago, Haleh has never actually seen Leyla, the woman who betrayed her daughter, but that voice... Opportunity arises for Haleh to avenge her daughter’s execution. How reliable are memories of traumatic events? And how sweet or useful is revenge? Modiri sows doubt in viewers while stubborn Haleh is convinced, she is right. Played by the acclaimed actress Jasmin Tabatabai, will Haleh find the truth and resolution? Mitra is based on Mordiri’s own life: his sister Mitra was executed before he was born.
Lonely Oaks/Vergiss Meyn Nicht (2023)
4:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Germany
DIRECTORS: Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl, Jens Mühlhoff
R.M.N. (2022)
7:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: German
DIRECTOR: Cristian Mungiu
SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2024
Easy Living/La vita facile (2019)
2:30 p.m.
COUNTRY: Italy
DIRECTORS: Orso Miyakawa and Peter Miyakawa
In their debut film brothers Orso and Peter Miyakawa tell us an engaging tale about a small seaside town on the border between France and Italy. Born in Monaco and raised in Italy, the directors know this region and its class and culture differences well. The story focuses on Don, an oddball American tennis teacher who dreams of being a painter, Camilla, a college student who smuggles medicines, alcohol, and cigarettes across the border, and Brando her 14yo brother. Their lives take a turn when they meet Elvis, an undocumented immigrant trying to sneak across the border to catch up with his wife in Paris. Will the border stand against their friendship? A comedy, a drama, a human story.
Ramona (2022)
4:30 p.m.
COUNTRY: Spain
DIRECTOR: Andrea Bagney
Green Border/Zielona granica (2023)
7:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Poland
DIRECTOR: Agnieszka Holland
Acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland's latest documentary follows a family of Syrian refugees, an English teacher from Afghanistan, and a border guard, all converging on the Polish-Belarusian border amidst a humanitarian crisis. The film's release in Poland is said to have impacted the recent elections. This harrowing, urgent drama from the veteran Polish director Agnieszka Holland constructs an intricate account of the contemporary global humanitarian crisis, expanding out to encompass the interconnected lives of security patrol officers, activist lawyers, and civilians who put themselves on the line for strangers. With the sobering and sometimes shocking Green Border, Holland reaffirms both her unyielding commitment to political filmmaking and the ability of immersive storytelling to illuminate the darkest corners of the world.
MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2024
Lonely Oaks/Vergiss Meyn Nicht (2023)
5:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Germany
DIRECTORS: Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl, Jens Mühlhoff
Mitra (2021)
7:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Netherlands
DIRECTOR: Kaweh Modiri
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2024
R.M.N. (2022)
4:30 p.m.
COUNTRY: Germany
DIRECTOR: Cristian Mungiu
Easy Living/La vita facile (2019)
7:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Italy
DIRECTORS: Orso Miyakawa and Peter Miyakawa
In their debut film brothers Orso and Peter Miyakawa tell us an engaging tale about a small seaside town on the border between France and Italy. Born in Monaco and raised in Italy, the directors know this region and its class and culture differences well. The story focuses on Don, an oddball American tennis teacher who dreams of being a painter, Camilla, a college student who smuggles medicines, alcohol, and cigarettes across the border, and Brando her 14yo brother. Their lives take a turn when they meet Elvis, an undocumented immigrant trying to sneak across the border to catch up with his wife in Paris. Will the border stand against their friendship? A comedy, a drama, a human story.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2024
Somewhere Over the Chemtrails (2022)
5:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Czech Republic
DIRECTOR: Adam Rybanský
Director and Screenwriter Adam Rybanský’s debut film points to a fantastic career ahead. This humorous parody about misinformation, fear and prejudices screened in the Panorama section of the 72nd Berlin Film Festival. Rybanský says about his film, "This is a story about good people being victims of conspiracy theories and their own fears." Clumsy Standa and recently widowed Bronya are volunteer firefighters in a small village where they enjoy a quiet and peaceful life. Things begin to change when a van crashes into a crowd of people during the Easter Fair. Before anyone notices, the driver runs away from the car crash. People believe it is a terrorist attack and the festive mood is replaced by an atmosphere of fear, hatred, and misinformation. Soon the fire brigade becomes a militia.
Ramona (2022)
7:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Spain
DIRECTOR: Andrea Bagney
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024
France (2021)
4:30 p.m.
COUNTRY: France
DIRECTOR: Bruno Dumont
France de Meurs, played by the amazing Léa Seydoux, is a seemingly unflappable superstar TV journalist. She is a newscasting influencer loved by all but then her career, homelife, and psychological stability are shaken after she carelessly drives into a young delivery man on a busy Paris Street. The film’s biting humor takes on the state of news and the state of the state right from her first over the top interaction with President Emanual Macron. Her name symbolizes it all; her first name of course stands in for France the country, but in a play on words her last name suggests both home and death. Is it reality tv, ego performance, or sincere reportage? What is the role of the established media in France? Dumont’s close ups of beautiful France, the person and the place, invite us to do a long take.
Green Border/Zielona granica (2023)
7:00 p.m.
COUNTRY: Poland
DIRECTOR: Agnieszka Holland
Acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland's latest documentary follows a family of Syrian refugees, an English teacher from Afghanistan, and a border guard, all converging on the Polish-Belarusian border amidst a humanitarian crisis. The film's release in Poland is said to have impacted the recent elections. This harrowing, urgent drama from the veteran Polish director Agnieszka Holland constructs an intricate account of the contemporary global humanitarian crisis, expanding out to encompass the interconnected lives of security patrol officers, activist lawyers, and civilians who put themselves on the line for strangers. With the sobering and sometimes shocking Green Border, Holland reaffirms both her unyielding commitment to political filmmaking and the ability of immersive storytelling to illuminate the darkest corners of the world.
QUESTIONS? Email us at eufilmfest@pitt.edu
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Sponsors: European Studies Center |
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