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EUROPEAN UNION FILM SHOWCASE
MANHUNT [Oblawa]
Wed, Dec 18, 7:20; Sat, Dec 21, 1:00
A forest in occupied Poland, autumn of 1943: hard-bitten,
highly skilled resistance fighter Wydra (Marcin Dorocinski)
routinely takes on his squadron’s most dangerous assignments,
dispatching rough justice to the Nazi collaborators in the
region. But he has a mysterious history with his latest target,
Henryk (Maciej Stuhr), a prosperous baker, as well as with
Henryk’s wife, Hanna (Sonia Bohosiewicz), revealed in
flashback as Wydra’s past and his precarious future collide.
Silver Lion, 2012 Polish Film Festival; Official Selection, 2012
Hamburg, Montréal, New Horizons Film Festivals.
DIR/SCR Marcin
Krzysztalowicz; PROD Krzysztof Gredzinski, Malgorzata Jurczak. Poland/Serbia and Montenegro,
2012, color, 96 min. In Polish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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PORTUGAL
A WOMAN’S REVENGE
[A Vingança de Uma Mulher]
Mon, Dec 9, 9:40; Wed, Dec 11, 9:10
Rita Azevedo Gomes adapts one of the juiciest stories from
Jules Barbey d’Aurevilly’s scandalous 1874 collection “Les
Diaboliques” (the same author’s 1851 novel “Une Vieille
Maîtresse” was recently adapted by Catherine Breillat),
in this handsomely conceived, provocative period drama,
reminiscent of recent work by Manoel de Oliveira for its self-
conscious theatricality, and Raúl Ruiz (MYSTERIES OF LISBON)
for its delight in stories-within-stories. Roberto is a rich and
handsome libertine, disdainful of convention and a seeker
of new adventures. On one evening’s debauch, he meets
an exceptionally beautiful prostitute, one whose manner and
bearing mark her as a lady of refinement. Intrigued, he wants
to know more about her. What follows is a hair-raising tale of
a wronged noblewoman, a troubled marriage, an illicit affair,
murder and a very complex revenge. Official Selection, 2012
Rotterdam, Edinburgh Film Festivals.
DIR/SCR Rita Azevedo Gomes; PROD
Joana Ferreira. Portugal, 2012, color, 100 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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ROMANIA
SLOVAKIA
2013 Oscar Selection, Slovakia
MY DOG KILLER [Môj pes Killer]
Sat, Dec 14, 11:05 a.m.; Mon, Dec 16, 9:10
Living on a struggling vineyard on the Slovak-Czech border,
18-year-old skinhead Marek finds solace in the company of
his pitbull, Killer. Times are tough and Marek’s father is forced
to sell their property, but before they can sign the papers, they
need a signature from Marek’s long-absent mother. Marek
is surprised to find her living in town with a new addition: a
young half-brother, whose gypsy father has since moved on.
Racial and familial tensions weigh heavy on Marek after his
skinhead friends find out about the new addition to the family.
Mira Fornay’s intense drama won the Hivos Tiger Prize at the
Rotterdam Film Festival. Best Director, 2013 Vilnius Film Festival;
Official Selection, 2013 Jerusalem, Karlovy Vary and Seattle
Film Festivals.
DIR/SCR/PROD Mira Fornay; PROD Juraj Buzalka, Viktor Schwarcz.
Slovakia/Czech Republic, 2013, color , 90 min. In Slovak with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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SLOVENIA
DUAL [Dvojina]
Sat, Dec 14, 11:00 a.m.; Mon, Dec 16, 9:45
Iben is a free spirited Dane, stopping through Slovenia on the
way to a holiday in Greece. When her flight is delayed, she
crosses paths with Tina, the straitlaced bus driver who picks her
up at the airport. As the two spend the evening together, sparks
begin to fly. “A delicately crafted charmer of a film, for a while
Nejc Gazvoda’s colorful, funny and insightful film feels like a
lesbian equivalent of BEFORE SUNSET as two young women
wander the warm nighttime streets of Ljubljana, talking, having fun
and gradually coming under each other’s spell.” –Mark Adams,
ScreenDaily. Official Selection, 2013 Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
DIR/SCR Nejc Gazvoda; SCR Janez Lapajne; PROD Aleš Pavlin, Andrej Štritof. Slovenia/Croatia/
Denmark, 2013, color, 102 min. In Slovenian and Danish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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SPAIN
THE WISHFUL THINKERS [Los ilusos]
Sat, Dec 7, 5:15; Mon, Dec 9, 9:10
Waiting for the green light on his next project, young filmmaker
León (Francisco Carril) is in a state of limbo. So what’s he to
do? Wander Madrid, get drunk, go on dates, meet up with
friends, fall in love, get drunk again and of course talk about
movies. Shot on black-and-white 16mm film stock, writer/
director Jonás Trueba’s (EVERY SONG IS ABOUT ME, 2011
AFI European Union Film Showcase) second feature is a
joyous love letter to cinema and the filmmaking process, in
particular the French New Wave, whose vintage aesthetic
the film consciously evokes. Best Actor (Carril, in his screen
debut), 2013 Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival. Official
Selection, 2013 BFI London and San Sebastian Film Festivals.
DIR/SCR/PROD Jonás Trueba; PROD Javier Lafuente. Spain, 2013, b&w, 93 min. In Spanish with
English subtitles. NOT RATED
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SPECIAL PRESENTATION
GRAND PIANO
Special Presentation: Fri, Dec 6, 7:30 (also showing
Sat, Dec 7, 10:30)
Q&A with filmmaker Eugenio Mira, plus post-screening
reception sponsored by SPAIN arts & culture, Embassy of
Spain, on Dec 6
Lured out of retirement, disgraced pianist Tom Selznick (Elijah
Wood) attempts to conquer his nerves and rejuvenate his
career with a tribute performance to his mentor. But when he
sits down at the piano in front of a sold-out crowd, he finds a
terrifying message: “Play a wrong note and you die.” Now
Tom must overcome the ultimate case of stage fright, and
discover who has it in for him. This spine-tingling thriller from
Spanish filmmaker and rising star Eugenio Mira provides a
fresh take on its Hitchcockian setup, and was a sensation at
the 2013 Fantastic Fest. With John Cusack and Kerry Bishé.
DIR Eugenio Mira; SCR Damien Chazelle; PROD Rodrigo Cortés, Adrián Guerra. Spain, 2012,
color, 90 min. In English. NOT RATED
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SPECIAL PRESENTATION
2013 Oscar Selection, Romania
CHILD’S POSE [Pozitia copilului]
Fri, Dec 20, 7:30
Detained at the local police station after being involved in
a fatal traffic accident, intoxicated thirtysomething Barbu
(Bogdan Dumitrache) gets bailed out by his mother, the
formidable Cornelia (Luminita Gheorghiu, in a tour-de-force
performance). Bursting onto the scene with her pal Olga
(Natasa Raab) in tow, bedecked in a fur coat and in high
dudgeon, Cornelia immediately takes charge of the situation,
letting the cops know she has friends in high places and
is not someone to be trifled with. Over the coming days
Cornelia will continue to bully, cajole and wheedle all those
involved in deciding her son’s fate, which comes naturally
to her. But the impassive Barbu, increasingly resentful of his
mother’s domination, comes to realize that he has a say in
his fate, too. Writer/director Calin Peter Netzer (MEDAL
OF HONOR) collaborates with celebrated screenwriter
Razvan Radulescu (4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS;
THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU; TUESDAY, AFTER
CHRISTMAS) in this intelligent, hard-hitting drama. FIPRESCI
Prize, 2013 Berlin Film Festival, Official Selection, Toronto
Film Festival.
DIR/SCR/PROD Calin Peter Netzer; SCR Razvan Radulescu; PROD Ada
Solomon. Romania, 2013, color, 112 min. In Romanian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
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Courtesy of Attraction Distribution
Courtesy of C.R.I.M.
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Courtesy of Zeitgeist Films
MANHUNT
A WOMAN’S REVENGE
