The Best of European Cinema: PICTURE EUROPE! in Madrid
The film event called PICTURE EUROPE! The Best of European Cinema will open next Friday (April 11) in Madrid. From April 11 - 17, thirteen current box-office hits from the neighbouring countries will be screened at the Cinema Princesa and Roxy B.
Director Jan Sverák and actor Jan Budar will personally introduce the absolute top hit from the Czech Republic, VRATNÉ LAHVE (EMPTIES), at the opening of the event. Most of the other films are being presented by their director, producer or an actor, as listed below:
Jan Sverák, director, Jan Budar, actor: VRATNÉ LAHVE (EMPTIES) Primož Bezjak, actor: PETELINJI ZAJTRK (ROOSTER’S BREAKFAST) Ferenc Török, director: OVERNIGHT Angeliki Antoniou, director: EDUART Albert ter Heerdt, director: KICKS Gerda Kordemets, co-director KLASS (THE CLASS) Nicolau Breyner, actor, Alexandre Valente, producer: CORRUPÇÃO (CORRUPTION) Christian Pfeil, actor SHOPPEN (SHOPPEN MUNICH)
Under the banner of “Let’s see what’s happening at the neighbours!” European Film Promotion (EFP) is organising the PICTURE EUROPE! event in cooperation with its member organisations, the cinema partners and with financial support from the MEDIA Programme of the EU. As in the previous year, Volkswagen is the event's main sponsor. After the successful launch of the film event in Munich, the European voyage of discovery continued in Copenhagen in March and will end now in Madrid.
There will be a glittering opening for the film event with the screening of the bitter-sweet Czech comedy VRATNÉ LAHVE (EMPTIES), about an old man facing up to his mortality, and finding meaning to life in retirement. This humorous and linguistically captivating film, in which the director Jan Sverák has again after the success of KOLJA cast his father Zdenek Sverák in the lead part (other leads: Daniela Kolárová, Ondrej Vetchý, Tatiana Vilhelmová and Jan Budar), is the most successful Czech box-office hit of all time with 1.2 million admissions.
With the closing film PAZACHYT NA MYRTVITE (WARDEN OF THE DEAD), the Bulgarian director Ilian Simeonov (RAGE) has created a compelling metaphor for the war-ravaged Balkans. The film has Vladimir Georgiev, Samuel Fintzi and Itzhak Fintzi in the lead roles and was Bulgaria's Oscar® candidate.
The 13 films for PICTURE EUROPE! in Madrid range from comedies through dramas and melancholic studies of social environments to tension-filled debates. Every country has its own stars and its own blockbusters, seldom venturing beyond their respective national borders. With its PICTURE EUROPE! programme, EFP reaches a wide audience, showing them just how complex, thrilling, moving and entertaining individual stories from all over the continent are. At each venue, the films are presented personally by their directors or stars. The programme for PICTURE EUROPE! has been compiled from the vast wealth of European films that were successes in their lands of origin and that bear the potential to also excite audiences in neighbouring countries.
The complete programme as well as photographic material is available at www.picture-europe.eu
