22ND EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL REFLECTS EUROPE AT A TIME OF CHANGE
LINE-UP OF 23 FILMS ONE OF ITS LARGEST TO DATE
The European Union Film Festival (EUFF) – one of Singapore’s longest-running film festivals – returns for the 22nd year, from 11 to 20 May 2012. It will feature one of the Festival’s largest line-ups todate, with 23 outstanding European films including the Singapore premieres of the United Kingdom’s Trishna and the French romantic comedy Second Chance (La Chance de Ma Vie). Tickets will be available from 26 Apr 2012 at Golden Village box offices nationwide and on www.gv.com.sg.
I am very glad to be invited for the Singapore’s premiere screening of Trishna at LASALLE College of the Arts. Starring Freida Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and Riz Ahmed (“Centurion”) and based on Thomas Hardy’s novel “Tess of the d’Urbervilles,” the film is set in contemporary India and tells the tragic love story between the son of a wealthy property developer and the daughter of a rickshaw driver. Watch the Trailer at http://youtu.be/CEFARKnli3w
The 23 films of the 22nd EUFF represent some of the most acclaimed and awarded films to have come out of Europe recently. They range from comedy to documentary and have been carefully handpicked to showcase the rich cultural diversity of Europe, but also to mirror Europe at a time of change.
HIGHLIGHTS
The strong line-up this year offers many highlights. For example:
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In A Better World (Denmark) (2010) – Winner of the Oscar and Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, In A Better World is a powerful story about bullying and revenge, told through the lives of two Danish families faced with the dilemma of vengeance and forgiveness.
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The Singapore premiere of Trishna (UK) (2011) – Based on Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel Tess of the D’Ubervilles, and beautifully shot in Jaipur and Mumbai, India, Trishna stars Freida Pinto, who plays a poor village girl who catches the eye of a rich hotelier’s son. A romance begins, but social divides and cultural pressures threaten to destroy their relationship
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The Singapore premiere of Second Chance (France) (2011) – A romantic comedy about a brilliant marriage counsellor, whose own relationships are train wrecks. He jinxes every woman who has fallen for him, landing them in hospital, ruining their careers, or destroying their relationships with family and friends.
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The Strange Case of Angelica (Portugal) (2010) – Directed by the oldest film director alive, 104-year-old Manoel de Oliveira, The Strange Case of Angelica is a surreal, magical tale about a photographer who falls madly in love with the spectre of woman in his dreams
EUFF’S OBJECTIVE AND PARTNERSHIP WITH LASALLE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS
EUFF was first held in Singapore in 1990 to promote an appreciation for European culture and cinema. 22 years later, the Festival has not lost sight of its objective.
“After more than two decades, the EUFF remains a unique event in Singapore’s film calendar. While there are country-specific festivals, EUFF offers a panoramic view of the entire European cinematic and cultural landscape,” said Søren Særmark-Thomsen, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Embassy of Denmark.
To further this goal and help promote the creative work of local film talents, the 22nd EUFF has partnered the LASALLE College of the Arts’ Puttnam School of Film. The School has curated 14 short films by its alumni, to be screened before selected European films. For more info, please visit www.euff.sg or EUFFsg on Facebook