The 14th Annual European Union Film Festival
From March 4 through 31, the Gene Siskel Film Center welcomes you to the 14th Annual European Union Film Festival, the largest showcase in North America for the cinema of European Union nations. This year’s festival, our largest yet, boasts 64 films representing 24 nations, highlighted by new films from major directors including Michael Winterbottom (THE TRIP), Catherine Breillat (THE SLEEPING BEAUTY), Tony Gatlif (KORKORO), Álex de la Iglesia (THE LAST CIRCUS), Nicholas Philibert (NÉNETTE), Manoel de Oliveira (THE STRANGE CASE OF ANGELICA), Christi Puiu (AURORA), Pedro Costa (CHANGE NOTHING), Pantelis Voulgaris (WITH HEART AND SOUL), and Jan Hrebejk (KAWASAKI’S ROSE).
According to the tradition of our festival, the opening night is presided over by the nation currently holding the presidency of the European Union. On Friday, March 4, our hosts are the Honorable Karoly Dan, Consul General of Hungary in New York, and Kaarina Koskenalusta, Honorary Consul of Hungary, Chicago, who will introduce the opening night film BIBLIOTHÈQUE PASCAL, Hungary’s dark and fanciful designated Academy Award contender. Director Szabolcs Hajdu and star Orsolya Török-Illyés will be present for audience discussion.
Also scheduled to appear are director Cary Fukunaga and star Mia Wasikowska of the United Kingdom’s JANE EYRE (March 6), director Tomas Donela of Lithuania’s FAREWELL (March 12 and 17), and actress/supermodel Liya Kebede of the United Kingdom's DESERT FLOWER (March 13). Other possible guest appearances were unconfirmed at press time; please check back for updates on guest appearances and added special events in association with screenings.
In all, the festival includes nine films that were selected to represent their nations in this year’s competition for Best Foreign Language Film. In addition to BIBLIOTHÈQUE PASCAL, we screen the official Academy Award contenders from Austria (LA PIVELLINA), Belgium (ILLEGAL), the Czech Republic (KAWASAKI’S ROSE), Estonia (THE TEMPTATION OF ST. TONY), Italy (THE FIRST BEAUTIFUL THING), Portugal (TO DIE LIKE A MAN), Slovakia (THE BORDER), and Slovenia (9:06).
We close the festival on Thursday, March 31, with Michael Winterbottom’s hilarious road comedy THE TRIP, followed by a closing night reception hosted by Whole Foods Market.
The Gene Siskel Film Center thanks the consulates, the consuls general, and the cultural institutes of the European Union in Chicago, and their embassies in Washington, D.C., for their enthusiastic participation. We especially salute the efforts of all those who served on the festival planning committee.
Vote for the Audience Award! Win a Free Membership!
Vote for the European Union Film Festival's Audience Award, and your ballot may be selected for the grand prize of a year's membership to the Film Center! Ballots are available in the lobby. Past winners of the award include I'M NOT SCARED (2004), COLOSSAL SENSATION! (2005), CLEAN (2006), AFTER THE WEDDING (2007), THE UNKNOWN WOMAN (2008), THE BEACHES OF AGNES (2009), and THE WORLD IS BIG AND SALVATION LURKS AROUND THE CORNER (2010).
Purchase a European Union festival pass for $50!
6 movies for the price of 5, plus a free small popcorn with each film. Turn your pass in at the end of the festival for a $5 discount on a Gene Siskel Film Center membership. An $83 value for $50!
For their generous assistance in obtaining films for the European Union Film Festival, the Gene Siskel Film Center thanks:
Austria: Dr. Thomas Schnoell, Joanne McAllister, Consulate General of Austria
Belgium: Martine Leclerq, Wallonia (Belgium) Trade & Investment, Chicago; Claude Stomp, Flanders Investment and Trade, Chicago; Frank Verpoorten, Flanders House, New York; Madeline Shapiro, Caviar Films
Bulgaria: Valentin Donchev, Lila Georgieva, Bulgarian Consulate General, Chicago; Mila Petkova, Bulgarian National Film Center; Christian Nochev, Andy Film; Anri Koulev, Svetlana Ganeva, Koulev Film Production
Czech Republic: Dana Hunatova, Consulate General of the Czech Republic, Chicago; Denmark: Lizette Gram Mygind, The Danish Film Institute
Estonia: Tristan Priimagi, Estonian Film Foundation
Finland: Jenni Domingo, The Finnish Film Foundation
France: Institut Français; Laurence Geannopulos, Jean-François Rochard, Cultural Services at the Consulate General of France in Chicago
Germany: Werner Ott, Eugene Sampson, Goethe-Institut, Chicago
Greece: Liza Linardou, Greek Film Center
Hungary: Bela Bunyik, Bunyik Entertainment; Katalin Vajda, Magyar Filmunio; Karoly Dan, Consulate General of Hungary, NY; Kaarina Koskenalusta, Honorary Consulate of Hungary, Chicago; Miklos Martin Kovacs, Hungarian Investment & Trade Commission; Bonnie Miller
Ireland: Tim Reilly, Consulate General of Ireland, Chicago; Claire McCaughley, Treasure, Entertainment, Ltd.
Italy: Silvio Marchetti, Mary Anne Melchior, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Chicago; Barbara Klein, Italian Film Festival of St. Louis; Catia Rossi, RAI Trade S.p.A.
Lithuania: Skaiste Aniuliene, Agnė Vertelkaitė, Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania, Chicago; Tomas Donela
Luxembourg: Joy Hoffmann, Centre National de l’Audiovisuel; Valeska Neu, Films Boutique
Netherlands: Carla Bourgonje, Consulate General of the Netherlands, Chicago; Madeline Shapiro, Caviar Films
Portugal: Anne-Mathilde Roudaut, Insomnia World Sales
Romania: Oana Radu, Romanian Cultural Institute; Anne Wiedlack, M-appeal
Slovakia: Alexandra Strelková, Slovak Film Institute; David Corba, Leon Productions; Silvia Pinterova, Film Europe
Slovenia: Estelle Gadaud, Insomnia World Sales
Spain: Javier Ruperez, Consulate General of Spain; Ignacio Olmos, Teresa Hernando, Instituto Cervantes de Chicago
Sweden: Gunnar Almér, Swedish Film Institute; Kerstin Lane, Consulate of Sweden
and also: Jed Rapfogel, Anthology Film Archives; Ryan Krivoshey, The Cinema Guild; John Poole, Jr., Corinth Films; Rebeca Conget, Film Movement; Paul Marchant, First Run Features; Sonia Pachmayer, Focus Features; Livia Bloom, Icarus Films; Ryan Werner, Jonathan Hertzberg, Elizabeth Brambilla, Cary Jones, Kim Kalyka, IFC Films; Gary Palmucci, Jason Leaf, Kino International; Neal Block, Magnolia Pictures; Neil Friedman, Menemsha Films, Inc.; Ed Arentz, Brian Andreotti, Suzanne Fedak, Music Box Films; Laura Kim, James Lewis, National Geographic Entertainment; Adam Sekuler, Northwest Film Forum; John Tilley, Olive Films; Debbi Berlin, Palisades Tartan; Brandon Peters, Strand Releasing; Lara Bogenrief, Terry Hines & Associates; Kelli Larson, Lindsay Wiser, World Wide Motion Picture Corporation; Carl Youngdahl; Clemence Taillandier, Zeitgeist Films.
BIBLIOTHÈQUE PASCAL
Showtimes
Tickets
Opening night film!
Filmmakers in person!
- BIBLIOTHÈQUE PASCAL
- 2010, Szabolcs Hajdu,
- Hungary/Denmark/UK, 111 min.
- With Orsolya Török-Illyés, Oana Pellea
“Visually impressive…stories and tableaux with Terry Gilliamesque touches.”
—Boyd Van Hoeij, Variety
Hungary’s official Academy Award submission is characterized by a delicate balancing act, presenting the harrowing story of a woman sold into sex slavery by her father in the fantastical style of a bizarre fairytale studded with dream sequences and animation. Mona, a single mother, attempts to regain custody of her small daughter by spinning a wild yarn of Gypsy lovers, gangsters, and fortune-tellers, culminating in her surreal sojourn in the literary-themed brothel Bibliothèque Pascal. Director Hajdu (WHITE PALMS) graces his resilient heroine with an extravagant imagination as a weapon against the trauma of memory. In Hungarian and English with English subtitles. 35mm print courtesy of Magyar Filmunió. (BS)
Director Szabolcs Hajdu and star Orsolya Török-Illyés will be present for audience discussion on Friday.
Note: No free passes or blue tickets will be valid for the opening night screening.
THE TRIP
Showtimes
Tickets
Closing Night Film!
- THE TRIP
- 2010, Michael Winterbottom, UK, 107 min.
- With Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon
"A mostly improvised, totally hilarious road movie."
—Karina Longworth, Village Voice
"Funny and strangely affecting...in its wry pricking of supercilious egos, suggests a more self-aware version of SIDEWAYS."
—Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
After the harrowing THE KILLER INSIDE ME, the unpredictable Winterbottom shifts gears yet again to come up with a mellow, hugely enjoyable road comedy. Reprising their shtick from Winterbottom's TRISTRAM SHANDY, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play skewed versions of themselves--Coogan the pompous narcissist, Brydon the sly, salt-of-the-earth needler. Coogan is hired by the Observer to take a culinary tour of the Lake District; when his girlfriend jilts him, he brings Brydon as a last-minute substitute. The two wits amble through gorgeous scenery, dine on scrumptious gourmet food, recite Romantic poetry, discourse on matters trivial (food stuck in teeth) and profound (death), and try to one-up each other with hilarious movie-star impressions (their dueling Michael Caines are a special highlight). In English. Special advance screening courtesy of IFC Films. (MR)
Update 3/31: The Closing Night screening of THE TRIP is SOLD OUT!
Immediately following the screening, the audience is invited to a closing night reception hosted by Whole Foods Market.
Note: No free passes or blue tickets will be valid for the closing night screening.
Films of the 14th Annual
European Union Film Festival
By default, films are listed alphabetically by country. You can also search for films from a particular country or by language by making your selection from the appropriate drop-down menu.
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BIBLIOTHÈQUE PASCAL
Showtimes
Tickets
Opening night film!
Filmmakers in person!
- BIBLIOTHÈQUE PASCAL
- 2010, Szabolcs Hajdu,
- Hungary/Denmark/UK, 111 min.
- With Orsolya Török-Illyés, Oana Pellea
“Visually impressive…stories and tableaux with Terry Gilliamesque touches.”
—Boyd Van Hoeij, Variety
Hungary’s official Academy Award submission is characterized by a delicate balancing act, presenting the harrowing story of a woman sold into sex slavery by her father in the fantastical style of a bizarre fairytale studded with dream sequences and animation. Mona, a single mother, attempts to regain custody of her small daughter by spinning a wild yarn of Gypsy lovers, gangsters, and fortune-tellers, culminating in her surreal sojourn in the literary-themed brothel Bibliothèque Pascal. Director Hajdu (WHITE PALMS) graces his resilient heroine with an extravagant imagination as a weapon against the trauma of memory. In Hungarian and English with English subtitles. 35mm print courtesy of Magyar Filmunió. (BS)
Director Szabolcs Hajdu and star Orsolya Török-Illyés will be present for audience discussion on Friday.
Note: No free passes or blue tickets will be valid for the opening night screening.
VESPA
Showtimes
Tickets
- VESPA
- 2010, Diana Groó, Hungary, 85 min.
- With Sándor Toth, Juli Nyakó
“Charming…a coolly observant yet affecting tale that never slides into sentimentality.”
—Boyd Van Hoeij, Variety
A boy’s secret trek from his country town to Budapest to claim a prize evolves into the hopeful search for his missing father. Lali, a Roma boy, wins a chocolate bar from a friend in a card game and discovers that the wrapper makes him the lucky winner of a red motor scooter. How to claim the prize in person, as required, when you’re only twelve and look much younger? First-time director Groó creates a sure and realistic depiction of childhood on the cusp of manhood in this sensitive and lovingly crafted coming-of-age story. In Hungarian with English subtitles. HDCAM video courtesy of Magyar Filmunió. (BS)
CRACKS
- CRACKS
- 2009, Jordan Scott, Ireland/UK, 104 min.
- With Eva Green, Juno Temple
“Plays like a cross between PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK and THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE.”
—Todd McCarthy, Variety
“The film is gorgeous, with impeccable period detail.”
—Jay Seaver, eFilmCritic.com
Life in a snooty British girls’ school circa 1934 is made bearable for the repressed boarders by the presence of Miss G (Green), the glamorous, daring youngest teacher. Glorying in the worship of her girls, Miss G smokes, flouts authority, and regales her wide-eyed charges with tales of her exotic foreign adventures. The outside world is moved a little closer with the arrival of Fiamma, a beautiful Spanish aristocrat. Director Scott (daughter of director Ridley Scott) builds the suspense in teasing increments as the new girl becomes the catalyst for jealousy, erotic ambitions, and more--much more. In English. Special advance screening courtesy of IFC Films. 35mm. (BS)
MY BROTHERS
Showtimes
Tickets
- MY BROTHERS
- 2010, Paul Fraser, Ireland, 90 min.
- With Timothy Creed, Paul Courtney
A deceptively simple but profound story, MY BROTHERS follows 17-year-old Noel and his two younger siblings Paudie and Scwally, on an impromptu but urgent trip to a working-class seaside resort on a mission to replace the cheap but dearly treasured watch of their dying dad. Set over Halloween weekend, this character-driven road movie gets extra spark from the quirkiness and audacity of misfit middle brother Paudie (Courtney). The Irish countryside plays a starring role as the boys together learn the strength to face the end of the journey. In English. HDCAM video courtesy of Treasure Entertainment. (BS)
NOTHING PERSONAL
Showtimes
Tickets
- NOTHING PERSONAL
- 2009, Urzula Antoniak,
- Ireland/Netherlands, 85 min.
- With Stephen Rea, Lotte Verbeek
“A pleasure to watch.”
—Ernest Hardy, Village Voice
A female hitchhiker (Verbeek) arrives at an isolated Connemara cottage and strikes a deal for food in exchange for work with the owner, a congenial but hermit-like widower (Rea). Hostile, withdrawn, and demanding to remain nameless, the visitor appears to have something to hide, but so does her host, a lonely man who, in time, seeks to wheedle her friendship with home-cooked meals and music. Their spare and prickly relationship finds its opposite in the sensuality of the film’s imagery, from the awe-inspiring beauty of the western Irish landscape to the food on the kitchen stove. In English. Special advance screening courtesy of Olive Films. DigiBeta video. (BS)
THE FIRST BEAUTIFUL THING
Showtimes
Tickets
- THE FIRST BEAUTIFUL THING
- (LA PRIMA COSA BELLA)
- 2010, Paolo Virzi, Italy, 122 min.
- With Valerio Mastandrea, Stefania Sandrelli
Italy’s 2010 Oscar submission, THE FIRST BEAUTIFUL THING is a funny and moving tribute to a remarkable if exasperating mother (and to the remarkable actress, Stefania Sandrelli of DIVORCE--ITALIAN STYLE and THE CONFORMIST, who plays her in the film’s present-day scenes). Growing up, Bruno was both fascinated and embarrassed by his vivacious, promiscuous mother. In middle age, he is a failed poet and fitfully employed teacher, his pinched life a seeming rebuke to his mother’s reckless exuberance. She is now mortally ill, but still as uninhibited as ever. The film shuttles freely between flashbacks and the present, evoking a glorious if checkered past whose value Bruno must learn to recognize before it is too late. In Italian with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of Palisades Tartan. 35mm. (MR)
HAPPY FAMILY
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Tickets
- HAPPY FAMILY
- 2010, Gabriele Salvatores, Italy, 90 min.
- With Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Margherita Buy
"Gorgeous lensing, a tongue-in-cheek script and playful thesping grace HAPPY FAMILY...Pic's winningly breathless style is a model of dense but concise scripting."
—Jay Weissberg, Variety
Gabriele Salvatores, who won an Oscar for MEDITERRANEO and, even more impressively, an EUFF Audience Award for I'M NOT SCARED, returns with a sparkling metafictional comedy. Disappointed in love and career, scriptwriter Ezio (Fabio De Luigi) throws himself (in more ways than one) into a new screenplay involving two disparate families who collide at a fractious dinner party when their teenage children decide to marry. With a nod to Pirandello, the creator interacts freely with his characters, who criticize his writing, demand bigger parts, and force him to devise a new ending. Ezio even becomes romantically involved with one of his fictional offspring! Filled with witty references to such films as THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, MANHATTAN, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, and THE GRADUATE (including a Simon & Garfunkel score), HAPPY FAMILY is a tribute to both love and the love of movies. In Italian with English subtitles. 35mm widescreen print courtesy of RAI Trade. (MR)
PURPLE SEA
Showtimes
Tickets
- PURPLE SEA
- (VIOLA DI MARE)
- 2009, Donatella Maiorca, Italy, 105 min.
- With Valeria Solarino, Isabella Ragonese
"Relying heavily on the stunning sensuality of the female leads and the incredible beauty of the Sicilian island locale, PURPLE SEA is visually mesmerizing--at least to anyone with an appreciation for magnificent Italian women frolicking in the Mediterranean sun."
—Don Simpson, Smells Like Screen Spirit
Based on a true story, this unusual love story is set on a rocky island off Sicily during the nineteenth century. When the independent-minded Angela’s childhood friend Sara returns to the island, the two young women commence a passionate relationship. Angela is beaten and imprisoned by her intolerant father until her mother comes up with a solution: Angela becomes Angelo, revealing that she had “really” been a man all these years. This ruse enables her to marry Sara, but social pressures continually place the couple in jeopardy. Director Maiorca handles the provocative material with a sober lyricism that avoids both sanctimoniousness and sensationalism. The Italian title refers to a species of fish that is born female but can change to male later in life. In Italian with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of Strand Releasing. 35mm. (MR)
LE QUATTRO VOLTE
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- LE QUATTRO VOLTE
- (aka THE FOUR TIMES)
- 2010, Michelangelo Frammartino, Italy, 88 min.
“Highly pleasurable…often gorgeous.”
—Aaron Cutler, Slant Magazine
“Ambitiously understated…sustained by a delightful, original strain of humor that prevents it from becoming excessively ponderous or precious.”
—Neil Young, Jigsaw Lounge
One of the most acclaimed discoveries of the recent festival circuit is this unique film that seems to either baffle or enchant viewers. One might (hesitantly) describe it as a cosmic comedy, free of dialogue and strong on long shots, concerning transmigration and the eternal cycle of life and death through four stages in an Italian mountain village. The first episode employs Tatiesque slapstick and an Easter procession to accompany the demise of an aged goatherd. The next episodes follow the cycle through the stages of animal (a baby goat that loses its way), vegetable (a towering tree chopped down for use in a festival), and inanimate (the wood smoked into charcoal…or perhaps the smoke itself). No audible dialogue. Special advance screening courtesy of Kino International. 35mm. (MR)
REHEARSAL FOR A SICILIAN TRAGEDY
Showtimes
Tickets
- REHEARSAL FOR A
- SICILIAN TRAGEDY
- (PROVE PER UNA
- TRAGEDIA SICILIANA)
- 2009, Roman Paska, Italy, 77 min.
- With John Turturro
Italian American actor John Turturro explores his Sicilian roots in this haunting documentary in which marionettes, mummies, and memories all play a part. You don’t need to be Italian to appreciate the poignancy of the lost or dying traditions that Turturro takes to with fervor, starting with preparations for the Sicilian day of the dead, once a bigger feast than Christmas. Puppeteer Mimmo Cuticchio, the last great master of his art, holds the place of honor in this film, as he puts his beautifully crafted puppets through their paces in the courtly and swashbuckling dramas so dear to generations of Sicilians. In English and Italian with English subtitles. Special advance screening courtesy of First Run Features. DigiBeta video. (BS)
