This year’s edition of the much-awaited Cine Europa film festival was celebrated in an innovative and creative way—an on-ground launch at the SM Cinema Drive-In at the Mall of Asia, toasts and greetings on screen, and its first-ever offering of virtual screenings. This provided film enthusiasts with a fun, new and safe way to enjoy this year’s lineup of critically acclaimed films amid the pandemic.
A joint project of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, the EU Member States and cultural institutions, and the Embassy of Switzerland, together with SM Cinema, Cine Europa can be viewed virtually until November 29.
EU Delegation First Counsellor Rafael de Bustamante and German Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel led the members of the diplomatic corps and media gathered at the SM Cinema Drive-In to mark the opening of the festival. At the same time, the Ambassadors of the EU Member States sent their virtual greetings and toasts.
Guests were also treated to a special screening of the German film, Sweethearts, directed by renowned German actress Karoline Herfurth. The film is a comic-thriller about professional criminal Mel and her easily-panicked hostage Fanny. Forced together by fate and an ill-executed diamond robbery, the couple is trapped in a race against time. Soon pursued by a relentless detective and the greedy Berlin underworld, they are left with no other choice than to work together.
Cine Europa’s lineup of films from 20 countries showcase the range of Europe’s filmmaking excellence, and its diverse and vibrant culture and creative industries. The lineup includes romance, comedy, and thrillers: Commes de Garcons (Let the Girls Play) from France, Ženy v běhu (Women on the Run) from the Czech Republic, the Swedish film And Then We Danced, and Buñuel en el Laberinto de Las Totugas from Spain, King of the Belgians from Belgium, and Bad Poems from Hungary.
Now on its 23rd year, Cine Europa is the longest-running flagship film festival in the country. It brings 19 films from 20 European countries and can be accessed for free via www.cineeuropaph.com. Interested viewers can simply register online, select the films to watch, and receive links on the day of the film’s scheduled screening. Cine Europa also features films from Festival Scope, the EU’s comprehensive library of quality films, offering viewers an opportunity to watch films from European countries not represented in the Philippines.
Cine Europa is presented by the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, the EU Member States and cultural institutions Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes Manila, Philippine-Italian Association, Embassy of Switzerland, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, and SM Cinema.