Representing a wide range of different countries, genres and styles, the “Variety Critics’ Choice: Europe Now!” programme will be screened at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 6 and 7 July. In close cooperation with the festival and Variety, European Film Promotion (EFP) introduces a film selection of new, eclectic European films and their directors to the public, press and film industry. The line-up presents an exciting mixture of recent films, reviewed by Variety critics.
As a melting pot and forum for filmmakers, producers, distributors, sales agents, festival programmers and press, the Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which runs from 4 to 12 July this year, is considered a key international event which bridges countries and cultures of Western, Central and Eastern Europe. Financial backing for EFP’s spotlight at Karlovy Vary, in its 17th year, is provided by the MEDIA Programme (2007 – 2013) of the European Union and the ten participating EFP member organisations.
The Critics’ Choice sidebar proves to be one of the most popular showcases of up-and-coming directing talent for Karlovy Vary’s young festival audience. All genres, unusual, thrilling and provocative films are screening in the festival.
Films presented by their directors in “Variety Critics’ Choice: Europe Now!”:
Director: Eskil Vogt
Norway, The Netherlands
Norway’s Eskil Vogt makes a sparkling directorial debut with Blind, a tragic but playful tale of a woman whose loss of sight serves to sharpen her creative imagination.
Director: Eugenio Mira
Spain
Eugenio Mira with Grand Piano presents his third feature, an appealingly absurd Spanish thriller of a pianist who is threatened by an unseen gunman during a concert.
Director: Sudabeh Mortezai
Austria
Macondo is the empathetically observed fiction debut of documentary director Sudabeh Mortezai. Set in Vienna, the story centres on the 11-year-old refugee Ramasan, who finds himself torn between Chechen custom and his new Austrian environment.
Director: Rok Bicek
Slovenia
In the compelling Slovenian Class Enemy by Rok Bicek, a group of teens blame their demanding new German teacher and his demeaning methods after one of their classmates commits suicide.
Director: Noaz Deshe
Italy, Germany, Tansania
Noaz Deshe presents a staggering debut with the drama White Shadow, about African albinos, a film that evokes a world physically and spiritually out of balance.
Director: John Michael McDonagh
Ireland, United Kingdom
Writer-director John Michael McDonagh and actor Brendan Gleeson inCalvary portrait a tough-minded Irish priest with black humour who has to battle dark forces.
Director: Levan Koguashvili
Georgia, Ukraine
Awarded in Karlovy Vary last year, the humorous Georgian tragicomedy,Blind Dates, by Levan Koguashvili enrolls the story of Sandro, a lonely, 40-year-old Tbilisi teacher, who has little luck with online dating before he meets hairdresser Manana.
Director: Marianne Tardieu
France
Screened at Cannes this year, Marianne Tardieu`s directing debut,Insecure, takes a fresh and empathetic look at the personal insecurities of a small-town security guard.
Director: Andrei Gruzsniczki
Romania
Andrei Gruzsniczki's striking black-and-white drama, Quod erat demonstrandum, takes a look at two academics targeted by the secret service in 1980s Romania, raising an atmosphere of cautionary hope, fear and betrayal.
Director: Daniel Wolfe
United Kingdom
Catch Me Daddy is the beautifully shot, impressive feature debut of music video director Daniel Wolfe. The thriller about a British-Asian teen follows the story of an 'honour killing' set on the West Yorkshire Moors.
Participating EFP member organisations:
Austrian Film Commission, British Council, Instituto de la Cinematografa y de las Artes Audiovisuales / ICAA (Spain), Irish Film Board, Istituto Luce Cinecittà (Italy), Norwegian Film Institute, Romanian Film Promotion, Slovenian Film Centre, UniFrance films, Georgian National Film Center
Interviews with the directors of the ten selected Critics’ Choice films will be published by EFP's media partners:cineuropa and nisimasa during KVIFF.