Films highlighting the plight of female issues will be the centre of attraction at the upcoming 11th edition of the European Film Festival.
The issues will include gender-based violence, patriarchy and convention; relationships and independence; humour, satire and surrealism; coming-of-age stories and dysfunctional families.
The film festival, with cinema screenings in two cities – at Ster-Kinekor’s The Zone in Rosebank in Johannesburg and at The Labia in Cape Town – will also treat film lovers to films, including two nominated for an Oscar, from 14 countries.
The festival, set for October 10 to 20, forms part of a showcase of high-quality cinema from the film industries in the participating countries of Belgium, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and the UK.
Magdalene Reddy, the co-director of the festival, has indicated that all the films address topical issues found in most democracies.
“The films all speak to the topic of freedom in one or the another, from the personal to the political, and often both. Whether it is a developmental journey, a process of unfolding, an illumination or a result of political changes in the world around us, freedom comes at times of its own choosing, and one doesn’t always know what it looks like until you get there.
“The films this year offer a multifaceted and evocative glimpse of what freedom means to a wide-ranging cast of characters and in an equally diverse range of situations – complicated freedoms,” says Reddy.
Sandra Kramer, the EU ambassador to South Africa, said that this year’s edition sought to remind film lovers of the transformative power of film and storytelling.
“This year, we celebrate the transformative power of cinema in exploring the topic of freedom through the lens of talented film-makers from across the world. Let’s gather to appreciate these stories that remind us of the responsibility to protect and promote the freedoms that unite us all,” Kramer adds.
The European Film Festival 2024 is a partnership project of the Delegation of the EU to South Africa and 14 European embassies and cultural agencies in South Africa.
The Star