Krakow Film Festival together with “Somewhere in Europe” series invite us to the journey around the old continent.
Krakow Film Festival, like every year, with a little help from the cinema will move us to closer and further corners of the world, and together with “Somewhere in Europe” series invite us to the journey around the old continent. Is there anything we still don’t know about Europe?
Unusual histories of the ordinary Europeans, documentaries, which move, terrify, intrigue, focusing the camera on something we still don’t know about Europe, we will have the chance to see them in “Somewhere in Europe” series.
The projections of the cycle will be opened by “On Power” directed by Zován. A documentary on G8 summit, which took place in Genoa in 2001, gathering leaders of the world superpowers as well as 300 000 alter- globalists. It is not difficult to imagine that such an event provoked the use of force. The film produced in an experimental form as for a documentary, edited from the material recorded on the street, absorb people’s attention as strongly as the controversial topic.
Straight from the territory of the street riots we will move to a small, sleepy town somewhere in Georgia. In a building collapsing from the old age we will find: Chinese shop, amusement arcade, office of the local politician and handful of people’s stories immobilized by the time inertia. Static scenes of “Bakhmaro” by Salomé Jashi dispel all doubts that not only the provincial town but also the whole country awaits changes.
Out of the inertia atmosphere we will be shaken by a seemingly blissful history beginning by beautifully framed rays of morning sunshine, which spill over the wide meadow. Somewhere in the French countryside the camera follows a herd of cows. Storm, plastic bag in the grass, sad mooing, birth of a calf, joy from the chewed apple. A bit later- a journey to the unknown. Idyllic film landschaft will be shattered by the finale of “Cattle” by Emmanuel Grass.
We will be back for a while to the rustic atmosphere to observe filmed by Dezső Zsigmond “Sheep Clouds” and together with them to watch the life of a little boy from the shepherd’s family, who lives his arduous life close to his family and nature somewhere near the Hungarian-Ukrainian border.
From the peaceful countryside we will return to the great politics. We will walk the corridors of the European democracy and business centre to find out in Brussels, who manages one of the most powerful world economies. “The Brussels Business”, directed by Friedrich Moser and Matthieu Lietaert, following the tracks of characters of both sides of the political barricade: high qualified lobbyist and anti-lobby activist, on behalf of us asks the provocative question: As it was once said, that in democracy one man represents one thought, how much is one thought worth today in Brussels?
Gabriëlle Provaas together with Rob Schröder will carry us to the next country of the old Europe- the neighbouring Netherlands, where we will “Meet the Fokkens”. The inseparable twins, always together, despite their non-youthful years, part with each other only when they work.
From the liberal Netherlands we will land in the Moscow railway station to observe with the camera eye of Marat Magambetov (“Time and Place”) the impatience of passengers waiting in the long queue and their uncoordinated out of time moves, which take place in every temporary space. The film is accompanied by the excellent music of Portico Quartet.
Beyond the European borders, far up to the Spanish enclave on the African territory- Ceuta we will be taken by Agata Maciaszek, who together with Alberto Garcia Ortiz, filmed the temporary camp of immigrants, where the fate of the African strangers to Europe is decided.
“Los Ulises”, filmed far from the old continent, holds on its borders strongly with the web of its connections and dreams. The documentary was honoured on the DOCSDF festival in Mexico and Sikh International Film Festival in New York.