European Union Film Festival Turns 25! + The Highlights of 2015
PUBLISHED May 4th, 2015 04:00 pm | UPDATED July 2nd, 2020 02:42 pm
Singapore’s oldest foreign film festival is returning this May with a total of 29 films from 29 European countries, including first time participating coutnries like Latvia and Serbia. The home of the European Union Film Festival (EUFF) this year – which is also the largest festival since its inception – is Golden Village Suntec City, so you’re definitely getting your dose of European cinema in comfort.
We were lucky to have caught snippets of some of the films that will be screening; so if you can’t decide, here are 5 highlights of EUFF:
For those who love stunning black and white films: Ida (2014, Poland)
Recently awarded the Oscar for best foreign language film (and the first Polish film to do so), Ida is a black-and-white Polish drama by Pawel Pawlikowski about a young woman (Agata Trzebuchowska) on the verge of taking vows as a Catholic nun in the 1960s. However before she does, she has to meet her last living relative, the sophisticated and brusque Aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza) who lets her in on a family secret – plus, she develops feelings for a saxophonist, Lis (David Ogrodnik) – which might ultimately change her decision.
Trzebuchowska was lovely, and effective, as the innocent Ida who tries very hard to resist temptation but ultimately begins her uncomfortable venture into smoking and drinking (like most teenagers under peer pressure). Kulesza, Ogrodnik, as well as Adam Szyszkowski, who plays Feliks Skiba (a figure from the past of Ida’s family) play their roles well enough, but the other highlight is definitely the stunning cinematography.
Ida is screening 23 May 2015, 9.30pm.
For fans of epic mob movies: The Connection (2013, France)
Set in 1970s Marseille, The Connection (released as La French in France) stars Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) in the true story of the magistrate who tried to stop the French Connection, one of the most powerful drug organizations of its day. Directed by Cédric Jimenez, it’s billed as the European flipside to William Friedkin’s 1971 classic, the French Connection.
Gilles Lellouche plays charismatic kingpin, Gatean ‘Tany’ Zampa, who runs the largest underground heroin trade into the U.S. and always seems to be one step ahead. Dujardin’s Pierre Michel is ultimately forced to make the most difficult decision of his life: continue waging his war on Zampa’s octopus-like network or ensure his family’s safety before it’s too late.
Dujardin is great as the relentless magistrate and he looked the part with his 1970s sideburns and cheap suit. Unfortunately, Lellouche lacked presence and wasn’t as convincing as a feared and respected drug kingpin. Expect gripping action sequences and a terrific soundtrack.
The Connection is screening 23 May 2015, 4pm.
For those who love WWII rescue operation movies: The Cônsul of Bordeaux (2011, Portugal)
The Cônsul of Bordeaux tells the heartwarming story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the then Portuguese General Consul stationed in Bordeaux, France, who saved 30, 000 people during World War II. Defying direct orders from his government, De Sousa Mendes issued tens of thousands of visas regardless of the applicants’ race, religion, and nationality.
Framed as flashbacks from the perspective of an elderly Francisco de Almeida in the present day, who was really a Jew named Aaron Apelman under de Sousa Mendes’ protection, the film shines in illuminating the nerve-wracking conditions under which he had to work to get people out.
The Consul of Bordeaux is screening 18 May 2015, 9.30pm.
For fans of politics and tragic love affairs: A Royal Affair (2012, Denmark)
Those of you who love Mads Mikkelsen of NBC’s Hannibal, this is your opportunity to catch Dr. Lecter as Johann Friedrich Struensee, a physician that changed the course of Denmark’s history. Set in the 18th century, the film begins when Princess Caroline of Great Britain marries the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark.
She soon falls in love with her husband’s physician, Struensee, who holds similar interests and liberal views. They start an affair and Struensee is appointed Royal Advisor, making him the de facto leader of Denmark. When the court learns about their relationship, a coup is incited.
A Royal Affair is screening 16 May 2015, 7pm.
For those who enjoy adventure comedy: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2013, Sweden)
The big-screen adaptation of Jonas Jonasson’s bestselling novel, the 100-Year-Old Man tells the delightfully absurd tale of the eponymous centenarian Allan Karlsson, who indeed bails out of his retirement home. In surprisingly good health, he ends up with a large suitcase full of money travelling across the Swedish countryside and collecting a strange assembly of friends.
This is one film that’ll keep you on the edge of your seats, especially when the film flashbacks to Karlsson’s very interesting life.
The 100-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is screening 15 May 2015, 7pm.
The EUFF is running from 13 to 24 May 2015 at GV Suntec City. Tickets are priced at $12. For more information and the full schedule, please see EUFF’s website. To purchase tickets, please see Golden Village.
Top Image: The Connection
