Every year Melbourne International Film Festival takes us on a journey around the world. The festival opens tonight so here’s our top 5 Eastern European picks for this year:
1. Graduation (Romania 2016) directed by Palme D’Or winner Cristian Mungiu, and the director of the short film Turkey Girl screened at Euraw Stories with the collection Lost and Found. Graduation won him best Direction at Cannes Film Festival this year. The film is a suspenseful thriller about a middle aged doctor who takes matters into his own hands when his teenage daughter is sexually assaulted in the eve of passing her exams on her way to Oxford. (select English subtitles when watching this trailer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VimmuogOOks
2. I, Olga Hepnarova (Czech Republic 2016). Olga Hepnarova was the last woman executed in the former Czechoslovakia. In 1973, at the age of 22, Hepnarova ran down eight people on a Prague sidewalk. It was a ferocious crime whose subsequent trial shocked a nation. But who was Olga Hepnarova? What caused her to cross such a dangerous precipice? How did she become, in her own words, “a wreck, ruined by people”? (one session is already sold out and the other one is selling fast – select English subtitles when watching this trailer)
3. 11 Minutes (Poland 2015) acclaimed director Jerzy Skolimowski has won over his half a decade of activity awards at the most renowned film festivals. He has a reputation for creating eccentric films; 11 Minutes might just be his most ambitious work yet. Described as a ‘highly entertaining thriller and an exercise in startling cinematic invention – taking detours into extreme slow motion, distorted lens and a dog’s eye view’. The film seems to be unlike anything in its genre. (another selling fast film)
4. A Good Wife (Serbia 2016) Well known actress Mirjana Karanovic has taken the leading role of the film she co-wrote and directed. A human rights activist, Karanovic brings genuine warmth, insight and touches of gentle humour to the film – both in front of and behind the camera. It’s a subtle and intimate character study that’s both courageous and compassionate about the present times Belgrade and its people dealing with a past troubled by war and violence.
5. The Lure (Poland 2016) directed by 1st time Agnieszka Smoczynska, this is the winner of the Special Jury Prize for World Cinema at Sundance Film Festival. This looks like an outrageous musical/ zombie/ fantasy/ comedy described as if the people behind Eurovision were tasked with turning The Little Mermaid into a 1980’s vampire flick.
We hope to see you there. And don’t forget to mention to those around you about Euraw Stories!