European Film Festival 2012 Juba, South Sudan
The European Film Festival (EFF) has become a much-anticipated cinematic experience which brings South Sudanese on a journey through Europe, offering a unique perspective into the rich and diverse cultures of the European continent. This year’s EFF in Juba, Republic of South Sudan, will feature 14 films from nine European countries. The movies are being screened at the Institut Français on the University of Juba premises from November 23, to December 1, 2012.
conTent Foreword
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Location & Contact
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Timetable
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The Untouchables (France 2011)
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The Orange Girl (Norway 2009)
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Mondays In The Sun (Spain 2002)
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With Your Permission (Denmark 2007)
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The Wedding Photographer (Sweden 2009)
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Wine and Kisses (Italy 2007)
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Nowhere in Africa (Germany 2001)
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Submarine (United Kingdom 2010)
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Sonny Boy (Netherlands 2011)
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Attack the Block (United Kingdom 2011)
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Fighter (Denmark 2007)
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All That Glitters (France 2010)
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Soccer Days (Spain 2003)
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Goodbye Lenin (Germany 2003)
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© Embassy of the European Union South Sudan 11 | 2012 European Union Compound Kololo Road Juba, South Sudan Layout | Photography: Dominik Lehnert www.xchange-perspectives.org
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Foreword European Union Delegation to South Sudan 11 | 2012
Ambassador Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff Head of the European Union Delegation to South Sudan
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I would like to welcome you to the European Film Festival 2012 in Juba, co-organised by the Institut Français, the University of Juba, and the Delegation of the European Union to South Sudan, as well as the Embassies of Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. This Film Festival serves as a contribution to strengthening the cultural dimension of the close partnership between Europe and South Sudan. European cinema has always been an important medium in promoting these common values notably in fighting against prejudice, intolerance and discrimination, in fostering both individual and collective aspirations for more freedom and justice -- and in
uniting people of all origins, creed and beliefs while celebrating their diversity. Thus there is more to the European Film Festival than just Entertainment – although I trust you will find the selected movies very enjoyable. This year’s film festival is a selection of 14 movies from nine European countries, providing a wide and diverse spectrum of European cinema, and showing its diversity and originality. The annual European Film Festival in South Sudan has become a valuable tradition which I trust we will carry on for many years to come. I wish you an enjoyable trip on the silver screen through Europe and beyond!
Ambassador Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff Head of the European Union Delegation to South Sudan
LocatioN & Contact
Institut Français University of Juba Main Campus Phone: +211 (0) 955 381 983 E-Mail:
[email protected]
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Timetable DAY
TIME
COUNTRY
TITLE
Friday, Nov. 23
19:00 - 21:02
France
Untouchables
Friday, Nov. 23
21:15 - 22:35
Norway
The Orange Girl
Saturday, Nov. 24
19:00 - 20:55
Spain
Mondays In The Sun
Saturday, Nov. 24
21:15 - 22:40
Denmark
With Your Permission
Sunday, Nov. 25
19:00 - 20:53
Sweden
The Wedding Photographer
Sunday, Nov. 25
21:15 - 22:40
Italy
Wine and Kisses
Monday, Nov. 26
19:00 - 21:16
Germany
Nowhere in Africa
Tuesday, Nov. 27
19:00 - 20:34
United Kingdom
Submarine
Wednesday, Nov. 28
19:00 - 21:10
Netherlands
Sonny Boy
Thursday, Nov. 29
19:00 - 20:30
United Kingdom
Attack The Block
Thursday, Nov. 29
20:45 - 22:22
Denmark
Fighter
Friday, Nov. 30
19:00 - 21:08
France
All That Glitters
Friday, Nov. 30
21:15 - 23:13
Spain
Soccer Days
19.00 - 21:00
Germany
Goodbye Lenin
Saturday, Dec. 1
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The Untouchables TITLE : THE UNTOUCHABLES (INTOUCHABLES) YEAR : 2012 DIRECTOR: Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano LANGUAGE: French SUBTITLES: English RUNTIME: 112min
A French comedy-drama about the unlikely friendship between a wealthy quadriplegic and his utterly outspoken caretaker from Parisian Ghetto. Left quadriplegic by a paragliding accident, Phillipe who owns a luxurious Parisian mansion, starts to be irascible and could not find a caretaker who suits him. He finally hires Driss, a young and poor man from a bleak Parisian suburb, as his live-in caretaker. Thus begins an improbable pairing, one which will transform both their lives in a significant way. This film, loosely based on the true story of two men who should never have met, recounts the friendship between two men who are untouchables in different ways.
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The Orange Girl Georg lives with his mother Veronika in Oslo. On his eighteenth birthday, he receives a thick letter from his father, Jan Olav, which his father wrote just before he died, when Georg was only six years old. On the same day, Georg is going to the mountains, equipped with skis and telescope, in order to photograph a rare celestial phenomenon. He is ambivalent concerning his father’s letter, and has repressed his memories of him. Still, he brings the letter with him. On the train to the mountains, he meets Stella, of the same age as him. In the letter, his father asks Georg a fundamental existential question: What is the point of living when were going to die anyway, maybe even when life is at its best? Would you want to be born if you had a choice? But before Georg is allowed to answer, his father wants to tell him a story about the Orange Girl he met in 1982. Page 08
TITLE : The Orange Girl (Appelsinpiken) YEAR : 2009 DIRECTOR: Eva Dahr LANGUAGE: Norwegian SUBTITLES: English RUNTIME: 81min
Mondays in the Sun TITLE : Mondays in the sun (los lunes al sol) YEAR : 2002 DIRECTOR: Fernando León de Aranoa LANGUAGE: Spanish SUBTITLES: English RUNTIME: 115min
Set in the Spanish port city of Vigo, Fernando León de Aranoa’s Mondays in the Sun is a touching drama about a group of workingclass men who find themselves suddenly unemployed and unwanted in their middle age. Laid off from the local shipyard, the men spend their days at the town bar, where they reminisce, philosophize, and commiserate about their current state. Gruff Santa puts up a tough front, refusing to sink into self-pity, and occasionally pricking his friends’ hopes. Morose José openly worries about his wife, whom he fears might leave him. That seems to have been the fate of Amador, the oldest of the bunch, who keeps reassuring everyone that his wife will be back any day now from her trip. Meanwhile, Lino refuses to give up hope of employment, going to interview after interview for jobs being offered to applicants half his age. Presiding over the glum bunch
is Rico, the bar owner and the men’s co-worker from the shipyard days. Despite its depressing subject and downbeat mood, Mondays in the Sun was a big winner at the 2003 Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. Page 09
With Your Permission Ordinary Jan has no easy life. He is by far the most unpopular employee at work. At home it’s even worse. His marriage with the not so ordinary Bente is on the verge of a breakdown. Jan’s boss finally sends him into group therapy where an unlikely friendship emerges between Jan and the two mechanics Rudy and Alf. Had Jan only known that Alf loved opera , and had Bente known what Rudy and Alf were up to, they would never had let them into their home. On the corner of chance and destiny, their lives take unexpected turns.
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TITLE : With your permission (Til døden os skiller) YEAR : 2007 DIRECTOR: Paprika Steen LANGUAGE: Danish SUBTITLES: English RUNTIME: 95min
The wedding photographer TITLE : The wedding photographer (Bröllopsfotografen) YEAR : 2009 DIRECTOR: Ulf Malmros
When the factory in Molkom shuts down, Robin leaves his beloved hometown to try his luck in Stockholm as a wedding photographer. This experience changes not merely his outlook on life but also his hairstyle. The film was awarded the national film prize Guldbagge Award for best directing 2010.
LANGUAGE: Swedish SUBTITLES: English RUNTIME: 113min
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Wine and kisses The story of one family, devoted to wine. Sveva, the youngest daughter, is a wine steward and trying to re-make the Rubro, a wine her deceased mother used to produce. Her sister Desideria tried her luck as a singer but failed and now works back in the family business. The family together now only has the one goal of achieving in making the Rubro so that it will be included in the famous wine stewards’ guide.
TITLE : Wine and kisses (Come le formiche ) YEAR : 2007 DIRECTOR: Ilaria Borrelli LANGUAGE: Italian SUBTITLES: English RUNTIME: 85min
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Nowhere in africa TITLE : Nowhere in africa (Nirgendwo in Afrika) YEAR : 1999 DIRECTOR: Caroline Link LANGUAGE: German SUBTITLES: English
A Jewish family emigrates from Germany to Kenya in 1937/38. The husband works as manager on a farm and his wife has trouble adapting to the tough, lonely life. Only their daughter quickly makes contact with the natives. When the war breaks out, the family is first interned but then released. The man joins the army, the daughter attends boarding school and the woman continues to live on a farm. After the war, the family returns to Germany, not without a certain reluctance.
RUNTIME: 136min
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submarine “I have been waiting too long for the film of my life. My name is Oliver Tate. This film will capture my particular idiosyncrasies, for example, the way I seduce my classmate Jordana Bevan using only my mind. Also, since my parents’ marriage is being threatened by a man who runs courses on Mental and Physical Wellbeing, the film will probably feature some elaborate set-pieces of me taking him down. There will be helicopter shots. There will be slow-mo, but also transcendent moments, like when I cure my father’s depression. Knowing me as I do, I will be surprised if this film runs to less than three hours.”
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TITLE : submarine YEAR : 2010 DIRECTOR: Richard Ayoade LANGUAGE: English SUBTITLES: RUNTIME: 94min
Sonny Boy TITLE : Sonny boy YEAR : 2011 DIRECTOR: Maria Peters LANGUAGE: Dutch SUBTITLES: English
Based on a scandalous true story, Sonny Boy is about a young black man who emigrates from Dutch Guiana to the Netherlands in the 1930s. Defying social norms, he marries a high-spirited Dutch woman who had been trapped in a loveless marriage. The happy but financially struggling couple, who manage a modest hotel, shelter Jews during the Nazi occupation. This gripping film illustrates the extremely high risks taken by those who aided Jews during the war.
RUNTIME: 130min
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Attack the block From the producers of ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ comes Attack The Block, a fast funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters. It turns a London tower block into a fortress under siege, and a weapon wielding teenage thugs into heroes. It’s inner city versus outer space.
TITLE : Attack the Block YEAR : 2011 DIRECTOR: Joe Cornish LANGUAGE: English SUBTITLES: RUNTIME: 90min
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Fighter TITLE : Fighter YEAR : 2007 DIRECTOR: Natasha Arty LANGUAGE: Danish SUBTITLES: English
Aïcha, a high-school student, is a passionate kung fu fighter. Her Turkish parents expect to get good grades so she can get into medical school, like her brother Ali. But school doesn’t inspire her. Defying her family, Aïcha starts to secretly train at a professional, co-ed kung fu club. A boy, Emil, helps Aïcha train for the club championship and they fall in love. But the rules of life are not as simple as the rules of kung fu, and Aïcha is forced to decide who she is and what she wants.
RUNTIME: 97min
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All that glitters The movie relates the story of two young women in their late 20s’ early 30s’, from the Parisian suburb who are tired to live “10 min from everything”. Lila and Ely, are two “working class” gal pals, hailed from stable families, in the quiet (and boring) neighbourhood of Puteaux, few minutes outside of the capital city of France. The magnetism of the “City of Light” elite, leads the close friends to attempt to scale the ladder of Parisian society. Picking up tips and tricks from a women’s magazine on how to infiltrate haute society, each girl carves a unique path for herself. But the new social circles have unpredictably negative consequences on their lives; after all, all that glitters is not gold.
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TITLE : All that glitters (TOUT CE QUI BRILLE) YEAR : 2010 DIRECTOR: Géraldine Nakache, Hervé Mimran LANGUAGE: French SUBTITLES: English RUNTIME: 118min
Soccer days TITLE : Soccer days (Días de fútbol) YEAR : 2003 DIRECTOR: David Serrano LANGUAGE: Spanish SUBTITLES: English RUNTIME: 118min
Jorge’s life is sad and depressing. He finds his work boring, his girlfriend has just left him and his friends are all losers. Antonio, his best friend, is just out of jail after various petty crimes and has decided to become a psychologist. But he can only get a job as a cab driver, so he decides to practice his special brand of psychology on the road. Jorge’s other friends aren’t doing much better, so he and Antonio try to find a way to change their miserable lives. The solution is to resurrect a soccer team they had in their youth and finally win something in life. Nothing seems to work at first, and they lose every match. However, when Antonio’s close friend Serafin appears on the scene, things change as Serafin finds some unusual ways of succeeding on the soccer field.
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Goodbye lenin! Berlin (East) in autumn 1989: Alex Kerner’s mother is in a coma after a heart attack and misses the fall of the Berlin Wall. She awakes in summer 1990. Her doctor declares that excitement of any kind could be fatal. Alex must conceal the fall of the SED regime from her. He and his friends pretend to the sick woman that the GDR still exists; the illusion remains perfect until one day the truth can no longer be concealed. The clever comedy was the most successful film of the year in 2003.
TITLE : Goodbye lenin YEAR : 2003 DIRECTOR: Wolfgang Becker LANGUAGE: German SUBTITLES: English RUNTIME: 120min
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EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL 2012 NOV. 23 - DEC. 1, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN Page 23
Europe on top of Mount Kinyeti, South Sudan’s highest mountain.
Supported by: Delegation of the European Union British Council DANIDA Dutch Embassy German Embassy Institut Français Italian Embassy Spanish Embassy Swedish Embassy Norwegian Embassy University of Juba