Thirteen EU member countries will participate in this year's extravanganza
For the sixth consecutive year, the European Union Film Week will take place at Dom Kino on June 7-13. Thirteen EU member countries – except Luxembourg and Ireland, which don’t have embassies in Ukraine – will participate in this year’s film extravaganza.
In the past, the film festival has drawn large crowds, especially movie aficionados who appreciate low-budget or independent films. The festival also offers language students the opportunity to watch non-dubbed films and practice their listening skills.
The aim of European Union Film Week is to promote unity between the peoples of European nations, organizers say.
“I believe that among all differences and diversities, [EU member states] have a lot in common with Ukraine in the cultural arena,” said Denis Daniilidis, the Second Secretary of the Delegation of the European Commission in Ukraine responsible for press and information.
He stressed that the European Union is not just a political and economic power, but a community of values supporting cultural identities.
“We promote the feeling that Ukraine belongs to Europe,” Daniilidis said. “Instead of creating intellectual barriers based on economic criteria, we want to break these walls with the help of culture.”
Organizing the festival has been difficult and time consuming for Daniilidis and his colleagues. In addition to translating 15 films into Ukrainian, they had to coordinate delivery so that every film would arrive at around the same date.
The films were selected according to several criteria. First, the films must have been a commercial success at home and in other countries. Secondly, the films had to present a social element of the country of origin. Finally, the organizers had to take into consideration that the audience would primarily be Ukrainians.
“The level of culture and education in Ukraine is high, which means that these films can be quite intellectual and give a deeper perspective, than films shown in other parts of the world with different cultural traditions,” Daniilidis said.
The plots are very different; some are historical, others reflect on contemporary daily life. Some flicks are quality commercial films, while others are highly artistic works by recluse directors.
One movie in particular is the Swedish erotic film “Together,” (2000). The film revolves around the hippie movement of the mid-1970s. The film’s main character, Elizabeth, is an oppressed, bored housewife who leaves her husband to go live with her brother. Elizabeth eventually finds herself in a hippie commune where sex is casual, politics is liberal and red wine is the staple diet. Eventually, Elizabeth’s old and new worlds collide – setting off a drama that changes everyone’s life forever.
Another noteworthy film is “1922” (Greece, 1978). It was banned for three years due to the violent content. The action is set in 1922, when the Greek army was retreating from Asia Minor during the Greek-Turkish exchange of ethnic minorities. Hundreds of thousands of Greeks were forced to advance through the barren plains of Anatolia, pursued by hunger, thirst and the Turkish army. The film’s director Nikos Koundouros called it “the ballad of violence and cruelty.”
“In China They Eat Dogs” (Denmark, 1999) is Denmark’s first black gangster comedy. This action film is packed with hold-ups, explosions and sudden death. However, unlike your usual Sylvester Stallone blockbusters, the film is poignant in that it focuses on the misfortunes of an honest citizen who finds himself befriending a bunch of thugs.
The EU Film Week also gives Kyivans an opportunity to watch lesser-known films with varying backgrounds. “It’s useful to show the global picture of European film production because in Ukraine, as in EU countries, American films dominate the screens,” Daniilidis said.
Films with Russian or Ukrainian live translation will be shown in the Red Hall. The same films will be shown in the original language in the Blue Hall. Most films have English subtitles.
This is Daniilidis’ third festival, and he enjoys watching the audience as much the films.
“Sense of humor is the nucleus of any nation’s identity. If you can understand a nation’s sense of humor, you can understand the nation’s collective soul,” he said.
Daniilidis relishes seeing young Ukrainians watching foreign films.
“In Western Europe, you see the mixing of different cultures everyday. But in Ukraine people don’t use a foreign language in everyday life or for business. They study it out of love toward a culture, and this is very moving,” Daniilidis said.
The EU Film Week runs from June 7-12 at Dom Kino (6 Saksahanskoho).
For a complete schedule of the films, see Movie Listings below. Admission by invitation only. For invitations, call 227-0438. Seating is limited.
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The opera “Moses” by composer Myroslav Skoryk will premiere at Lviv’s Opera on June 23. The opera is timed to the visit of Pope John Paul II, who will be in Ukraine on June 23-26. There is a slight possibility that “Moses” will also run in Kyiv during the pope’s visit.
