The 24th Edition of the International Romantic Film Festival in Mons
From 8 to 15 February
http://www.fifa-mons.be/
We have the great honour to present the 24th edition of the International Romantic Film Festival of Mons. This event will take place from 8 to 15 February 2008 in the city of Mons, in Wallonia (Belgium). The festival promises to be rich and exciting.
The festival is split into several sections: “International Competition”, “Previews”, Enlightenment from Elsewhere - Films from the South, “Regards Croisés”(Comparative films in Europe and North America - undistributed), overview of Italian Cinema, special screenings, educational associations and a section on the “Short Movie”. A new section has also been established - the documentary film section. Our hearts go out to Claude Lelouch.
The 24th edition of the Festival will offer a tribute to Ahmed Attia, who died on 10 August 2007. This great Tunisian movie maker (producer, film maker, etc), born on 26 May 1945 in Sousse, created his own production company, Cinétéléfilms. Also worth noting is that this year the focus is on the 60 years of Independence of the State of Israel.
“Love also sings", and for the second year the festival welcomes a great singer, Enrico Macias, who will perform at the Theatre Royal . His international career extends over many years and is one of the most enduring. Since he started, the artist has tried to get his principles of peace and solidarity across through an extremely diverse repertoire and cultures.
“Ezra”
(by Newton Aduaka, Nigeria/Austria/France) – in English
A Sierra Leone boy, taken away from his family at the age of seven by rebels and forced to fight in a devastating civil war, attempts to re-establish some sense of normality after the war ends. However, he is forced to speak before a Truth and Reconciliation Committee. Young Ezra was a child when abducted and spirited away into the jungle for military training. Seven long years have passed since that fateful day, and as Ezra struggles to recall the details of a deadly village raid which has become the subject of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee investigation, the boy's mute sister reveals a long hidden secret that puts his entire life into a completely different perspective.
“When she jumped”
(by Sabrina Farji, Argentina) – in Spanish
At the centre of Sabrina Farji's folklore-ish, Spanish-language comedy-drama is the character of Ramiro ( Ivan de Pineda), a 26-year-old loser who lives with his mother in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is without any basic direction in his life. When a local young woman, Angela, opts to commit suicide by jumping off her roof, Ramiro happens upon the articles she left behind, including a CD with two personal creeds on it: 1) Learn to observe, internally and externally; 2) Recognize the difference between viewing and perceiving. In time, Ramiro meets and strikes up a rapport with Angela's twin sister, Lila, who is feigning her sister’s identity, as she believes it will open the door for her to work in a bar and resurrect the feeling of having her late sibling near her.
“A Via Lactea” (“The Milky Way”)
(by Lina Chamie, Brasil)- in Portuguese)
Heitor and Julia love one another. After a violent quarrel over the phone, he decides to go after her. Anguished, he drives his car through the busy streets of Sao Paulo, in the rush hour. The traffic, the traffic jams, the pedestrians, the homeless, the bars and the cityscape, all interact with Heitor and his transgressions. The fine line between life and death, time and space are aligned with the stars and suns: they explode light years away to shine one night over Sao Paulo and to inspire a tender kiss of life - or death....
Mutlulukde (“Deliverance”)
(by Abdullah Oguz,Turkey) – in Turkish
17-year-old Meryem is found alone and unconscious by a lake. Her family, which lives in a village in the east of Turkey, thinks that she has willingly had her chastity corrupted, and decides to kill her as their custom necessitates. The grim task is given to her close relative Cemal. Meanwhile, a well-known sociology professor, Irfan Kurudal sets sail, leaving the life he lived in Istanbul as a result of the identity crisis he has been going through. Meryem and Cemal's paths cross with Professor Irfan Kurudal unexpectedly on the journey of death they take. Are these three people, who set out for freedom and a second chance in life, going to be able to change their destinies on this journey ?
Regarde-moi (“Look at Me”)
(by Audrey Estrougo, France) – in French
The day begins like any other in the suburbs of Paris. Jo, future player in training for Arsenal Football Club, began jogging. Yannick wants to win back the love of his beautiful Melissa and Mouss would like to consecrate his relationship with Daphne. Twenty four hours to seal their destiny. The day starts like any other for Fatimata and Julie, except that Fatimata is black and Julie is white, they like the same boy and during the next 24 hours their destinies will be sealed...
Il 7 e Il 8 (“7th and the 8th”)
(by Valentino Picone, Salvatore Ficarrak, Giambattista Avellino - Italy)- in Italian
In Palermo, Tommaso pirates anything that sells. But it also deals with his mother and his sister, his father had disappeared. Daniele, however, is of a completely different environment. The son of a colonel and engaged to a young lady just as authoritarian, she spends her days relaxing on the benches of the factory. Unbelievably, their lives ultimately cross one day, by accident. This happens when news that Daniele is to go to university to return to his thesis director his work on CD. It is then reversed by Tommaso, chased by the police because he has a bag full of pirate CDs.
Nessuna qualita agli eroi
(by Paolo franchi, Italy) – in Italian
Bruno is a 40 year old man, quiet and reserved with no secrets. One day, a doctor tells him that he can no longer have children. Disappointed, he decides not to tell his wife Anna. Bruno keeps this news a secret because he thinks it will change everything in his life. However, one day, the unexpected happens when he meets Luca, a mysterious little talkative boy who seems to know him.
Gegenuber
(by Jan Bonny, Germany)- in German
Policeman George is well-liked by his co-workers for always being calm and collected. His partner, Michael, also admires his seemingly positive marriage to Anne, an attractive primary school teacher. When George gets promoted, he begins to lose control over the carefully maintained facade of his happy family life. Hidden conflicts start to surface and, in particular, the domestic violence can no longer be kept under wraps!
Tuya Siempre
(by Manuel Lombardero, Spain) - in Spanish
Latest from hot Latino wonder – babe Flora Martínez (her first since the success of Rosario Tijeras). As physically impressive as her awesome acting talents, here she´s a Jazz club waitress plotting a better life with her low – life petty thief boyfriend. Equally impressive Danish music star Caroline Henderson is the jazz club tonsil – tickler in this moody dramatic thriller.
Am ende kommen touristen (“After the Tourists have Gone”)
(by Robert Thalheim, Germany) - in German
Auschwitz wasn't what Sven, a young German, had in mind when he signed up to do his civil service abroad. For him, Auschwitz is a small town in Poland, with a strange language, a concentration camp and all the musty greyness of high-school German history classes. To make matters worse, he's got to care for an unpleasant old man, Stanislaw Krzeminski, a former inmate who never left the camp and now spends his time either giving contemporary witness lectures or repairing suitcases. Krzeminski's world revolves around the suitcases taken from the Jews as they arrived at the concentration camp from all over Europe. Besides having to endure Krzeminski's haughty, gruff manner, Sven also has to put up with the barely concealed contempt of various locals. Luckily, there's Ania, a young guide who lets Sven stay at her place … As the weeks go by, Sven begins to discover both Auschwitz and Oswiecim, the place of horror and the Polish town, the memorial to inhumanity and the tourist industry that has sprung up around it. Despite his conflicting sensations about his surroundings, etc, his love for Ania grows, as does his compassion for Krzeminski, and the troubling, challenging realization about his own role in preserving the memory of this place.
“The Darjeeling Limited”
(by Wes Anderson, USA) – in English
The Darjeeling Limited is a drama-comedy film about a journey through India by three brothers, played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman. The fifth feature film by director Was Anderson, was also co-written by him, Roman Coppola and Schwartzman. The film also stars Waris Ahluwalia, Amara Karan, Barbet Schroeder, Anjelica Huston, Natalie Portman and Bill Murray in cameo roles.
For more info on the schedule and the Cinema where the movies will be shown visit shapeonline.net from 25 January.
Schedule
