European Romance

The festival had missed Pune twice during its last two editions. However this year,in collaboration with the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII),the National Film Archives of India (NFAI),Alliance Française Pune (AFP),British and the Max Mueller Bhavan (MMB),the festival will be held at the premises of the FTII and the NFAI. “We ourselves were very confused when the EU decided to give Pune a miss during the last two editions,” says Prashant Pathrabe,director,NFAI. Pune is home to a high student population,and “along with that there are film enthusiasts,film students and technicians who had been an active part of the festival when it was held in 2009,” he adds.

There is an interesting mix of films up for the EUFF,which range from the Spanish film Camino, directed by Javier Fesser,to the Czech film,Libas jako buh (You Kiss like God). Giving further background on how the festival eventually came back to Pune,Luc Didon,director,AFP,says,“We had to lobby hard with the EU embassy in New Delhi. The thing about these festivals is that the EU has to pay the screening fees to the directors of the films. And there were various issues that ranged from logistics,to finances that saw Pune being overlooked. However,this year,we all decided to come forth and pitch a joint proposal to them that explained why Pune would be an important destination for the festival.”

Funds were an issue,what with the financial crisis that had crippled Europe. And while they could not overlook major cities in India for the festival,smaller cities like Pune were not considered for the event. Pathrabe adds that last year they had all met for a different issue when this topic came up. “It was a unanimous decision on the part of all the institutes to bring the festival back,” he adds.

The festival has already traveled to New Delhi and Bengaluru. After Pune it will go to Chennai,Kolkata,Goa and Hyderabad. The themes at the festival every year have been diverse and all showcase the emergence of post-war Europe. Some of the themes over the years have been those of migration,war and religion. The opening film of the event will be the French comedy,Romantics Anonymous, directed by Jean Pierre Ameris. “Another interesting aspect of the film festival is the showcasing of the cultural diversity of Europe. Love,for instance,could manifest in a post-war Luxembourg,as in the film Bride Flight,or the comedy Weddings and Other Disasters,from Italy directed by Nina Di Majo. The festival is aimed at capturing these very images,” says Michael Flucht,Director MMB.

The six-day festival will have three screening sessions where the 25 films will be screened. Indranil Bhattacharya,professor of Film Appreciation at the FTII,says,“There are a lot of films that have never been screened here in Pune so it is a good opportunity for film lovers to catch them. Some of the movies that are highly recommended include Terrance Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea,set in post-war Britain,Touch of Spice from Greece,and Once from Ireland. Twelve of the 25 films that will be shown are award-winning films,all bound by a common thread — telling stories about Europe.”