My Europe 2008 Catalogue - Citizens of Europe

ContentsIntroductionSectionp.4p.5p.6p.7I – European Politics and PoliciesThe VeterinarianHotel Jugoslavia 1.0CapsularHej ho, comradesTembûrYou´ve killedSans PapierProgramme ScheduleSectionp.10p.11p.12p.13p.14II – Living in EuropeDinner in LisbonHow long winter lasts in RomaniaIt´s my turnBusCold JointEmra BeganajThe LetterRosaSommerThe AmateurImprint2

IntroductionCitizens of Europe established the My EuropeFilm Festival to approach the term Europe inan unusual way using the medium of film.Europe is not just a geographical or politicalcategory, it is the place where millions ofpeople live. Their stories, problems and lifestylesare for us Europe. Filmmakers are likeseismographs of society’s coming tensionsand eruptions. By recent film productionswe focus on issues that filmmakers move.If films are not dealing with Europe on firstsight, the European dimension comes outof the comparison of stories, conflicts andtopics. In the end there should be a colourfulpicture of “Our Europe”.Across the continent around 20 institutionsare our screening-partners. They are locatedin metropolises like Paris, Minsk, Athens orBudapest but also in more remote places likeCascais (Portugal) or Bad Endorf (Germany).Our local partners are of different kind:Among them are cinemas, universities, youthorganisations and national cultural agencies.The aim is to bring European films, dealingwith European issues to a truly Europeanaudience.We all wish you to enjoy the films and pleasespread the word about all this if you likedthem. Surely some of the films are classics ofthe future, you just need to have seen them!Please find out more about our twoprogrammes “European Politics and Policies”and “Living in Europe” on the followingpages.The festival team3

Hotel Jugoslavia 1.0(Hotel Jugoslavija 1.0)Switzerland 2007Running Time: 12:40 minDirector: Nicolas WagnieresScreenplay: Nicolas Wagnieres, Benoit PeverelliDirector of Photography: Benoit PeverelliEditor: Nicolas Wagnieres, Benoit PeverelliMusic: Sergei RachmaninovProducer: Nicolas WagnieresContact: contact@nicolaswagnieres.comSynopsis:This documentary film tells parts of thehistory of Belgrade´s Hotel Yugoslavia, whichis witness of Yugoslavian history and thechanges the country went through in thepast decades. Through the testimonies ofone of the ex-hotel´s director and a few exworkersthe now closed hotel and its historyis brought back to life through narrationuntil the present. With long and slow cameramovements through the buildings hallways,rooms and lobby the filmmaker records amorbid atmosphere and the architecture ofthe space.Capsular(Capsular)Belgium 2006Running Time: 24:00 minDirector + Screenplay: Herman AsselberghsDirector of Photography: Fabio WuytackEditor: Bram Van PaesschenSound: Boris DebackereContact: marie@augusteorts.beSynopsis:Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain locatedon the Mediterranean, on the North Africanside of the Strait of Gibraltar, which separatesit from the Spanish mainland. It´s geographicalposition literally between Africaand Europe makes it an attractive locationfor Africans looking to get to Europe. With"Capsular", Herman Asselberghs gives asurprising portrait of this little enclave,which has become a symbol of the separationbetween two continents.Nicolas Wagneries wasborn 1971. After workingas an architecturaldraughtsman, he workedas a DJ, music producerand at a record shop. Hestudied Visual Art in Geneva,Switzerland from2001 till 2005 and has realizedseveral short films since 2002.Herman Asselberghs isa cultural philosopherand media curator andorganizer, theorist andessayist, a teacher atthe film department and“Transmedia” graduateprogrammes at the HogeschoolSint-Lukas inBrussels, a filmmaker and an artist. Above all,he is a (re)searcher.5

Hej ho, comrades(Hej, tovarisi)Slovenia 2007Running Time: 19:00 minDirector: Gregor BožičScreenplay: Gregor Božič, Marina GumziDirector of Photography: Simon PintarEditor: Vladimir GojunSound: Hanna PreussCast: Peter Harl, Luka Skof, Jurij Drevensek,Uros KaurinContact: gregor.bozic@gmail.comSynopsis:Student Darko Zuljan finds passionate warsongs which used to be sung by Slovenepartisans during World War II interesting.Once he even gets the idea to ask some ofhis friends to form an improvised choir andstart singing these old songs, as these wouldcertainly be well accepted at boring partisancommemorations...Tembûr(Tembûr)Germany 2007Running Time: 7:01 minDirector: Hannes TreiberScreenplay: Serkal KusDirector of Photography: Florian KirchlerEditor: Mark HeizmannSound: Einar Marell, Tomas Svensson,Felix MüllerMusic: Serkal KusCast: Dietmar Rüttiger, Kimberly Laubinger,Thomas Garatwa, Ramin YazdaniProducer: Stephanie M. BlumContact: festival@hamburgmediaschool.comSynopsis:A Kurdish immigrant reacts to physicalcloseness with violence. His eleven year olddaughter forces him unknowingly to face upto his traumatic past.Gregor Božič was bornin 1984 in Nova Gorica, aSlovenian town near theItalian border. From 2002on he studied film and TVdirection at the Academyof Theatre, Radio, Filmand Television (AGRFT) inLjubljana. In the year 2005he made an internship of film directing at the“Centro sperimentale di cinematografia” in Rome.Since then he has directed several short films andaltogether 3 TV dramas.6Hannes Treiber was bornin 1980 in Riedlingen/Germany. From 2001-2006 he studiedaudiovisual media at theUniversity of AppliedScience in Stuttgart.After several internshipsat different TV stationsand film production companies, he startedhis postgraduate film studies at the HamburgMedia School in 2006.

You’ve killed(Katal-tu)Hungary 2008Running Time: 5:27 minDirector: Marcell Gerő, Sára LászlóDirector of Photography: Marcell GerőEditor: Marcell Gerő, Sára LászlóSound: Szabolcs GáspárContact: sara@campfilm.euSynopsis:Filah Mohammed Salah has been capturedand tortured together with his 12 friends formonths in his home country, Iraq, withoutknowing the reason for it. Out of the 13 mencaptured, he was the only one who managedto escape, the other 12 were killed. In “You´vekilled” Filah addresses the man torturing himin Iraq, trying to find the answers for his acts.For informations on Marcell Gerő please checkon page 13, film “The Letter”.Sára László was bornin 1980 in Budapest,Hungary. She started thefilm directing trainingof the University of Film,Drama and Television ofBudapest in 2002. Duringthe first four years of herstudies, besides makingseveral school projects (short films, musicalvideos, theatre plays etc.) she’s been workingas an intern in numerous long feature filmsand documentaries, mostly in film production(production manager, location manager, assistantproducer etc.). She belongs to the founders of“Campfilm” and is currently developing the scriptof her final diploma film, which will be a short.Sans Papier(Sans Papiers)Germany 2007Running Time: 12:36 minDirector + Screenplay: Silvia BerchtoldDirector of Photography: Jakob SeemannEditor: Marlene AssmannSound: Veit NorekMusic: Tilman DehnhardCast: Ivan Gjosevski, Amadou Sow, ArneFuhrmann, Eddie Irle, Marian WolfContact: s.berchtold@gmx.deSynopsis:Hassan, a Bosnian, who works as a salesmanin trains, lost his son in the war. In thisparticular night at work, Hassan experiencesan encounter of a very special kind with theAfrican Demba, who tries to enter illegallythe country, as well as the federal policemanSchmidt, who himself is on his last service.Silvia Berchtold was bornin 1969 and grew up inSwitzerland. She receivededucation as an actressin Switzerland and hadseveral engagementsat theatres in France,Germany and Switzerland.Since 2004 she is studying script and dramaturgyat the HFF (Film and Television University) KonradWolf in Potsdam.7

Programme ScMy Europe Film Festival – European Films for anWatch the programmes of My Europe at the following places!CityAlicante (Spain)Athens (Greece)Athens (Greece)Athens (Greece)Bad Endorf (Germany)Berlin (Germany)Budapest (Hungary)Cascais (Portugal)Kiev (Ukraine)Pisa (Italy)Münster (Germany)Stara Zagora (Bulgaria)Tartu (Estonia)Thessaloniki (Greece)LocationCentro de Estudios, Ciudad de la LuzAsh in Art GalleryFair Trade HellasBooze Cooperativapresented by Culture Parks NetworkMarias KinoTilsiter LichtspieleCorvinus Universitypresented by AEGEE BudapestRota JovemMedia-cinema club Na SinovaliScola Superiore di studi Universitari e Perferzionamento, Sant’ Annapresented by Euforia ItaliaBürgermedienzentrum im Bennohauspresented by Centre for African CultureVereya HallEurocollegepresented by AEGEE TartuFair Trade HellasScreenings are presented byOfficial media partner of My Europe.8

heduleEuropean AudienceDate11 & 13 Nov 0814-16 Nov 0830 Nov 08To be announced28 Nov 0829 Jan & 5 Feb 0925 Nov 08To be announcedFeb 09To be announced30 Nov 0817-19 Dec 0826 & 27 Nov 0830 Nov 08ProgrammesEuropean Politics and Policies / Living in EuropeEuropean Politics and Policies / Living in EuropeEuropean Politics and Policies / Living in EuropeEuropean Politics and Policies / Living in EuropeLiving in EuropeEuropean Politics and Policies / Living in EuropeEuropean Politics and PoliciesEuropean Politics and Policies / Living in EuropeEuropean Politics and PoliciesEuropean Politics and PoliciesEuropean Politics and PoliciesEuropean Politics and Policies / Living in EuropeEuropean Politics and Policies / Living in EuropeEuropean Politics and Policies / Living in Europe9

II Living in Europe“Living in Europe” discovers life styles,living conditions and the environmentof European citizens. This year´s sectionpresents a mixture between fiction, documentaryand animation films. The lovelyanimated “Dinner in Lisbon” shows anexeptional day in front of the beautifulscenery of Lisbon. People and landscapesare in the the centre of the documentarypoem “How long winter lasts in Romania”.The sparely use of dialogue is significantfor many of the films. They are trying tofind a universal language understandablewithout translation and subtitles, only bypictures and atmosphere. The best exampleis “It´s my turn”, a declaration of love tothe magic of cinema. “Action, not talking”is the motto of a group of unemployed in“Bus”, who simply starts working withoutpermission. Watching Europe throughthe eyes of children can have differentapproaches: In “Cold Joint” we follow a girllost in an industrial wasteland and midst ofsocial dysfunctional relationships, whereas“RosaSummer” is a light journey full ofmusic and dreaming. The two Hungarianproductions “Emra Beganaij” and “TheLetter” offer us insights into a refugee campand the people gathered there. Finaly we´reintroduced to “The Amateur” Damian. Hisjob isn´t very diversified and demanding.So he´s looking for something more thrillingfor his free time...10Dinner in Lisbon(Jantar em Lisboa)Portugal 2006Running Time: 10:00 minDirector + Animation: André CarrilhoScreenplay: JP SimoesEditor: Nuno AmorimSound: Nuno Amorim, Paulo CuradoMusic: JP Simoes, Sérgio CostaProducer: Nuno Amorim, André CarrilhoContact: animais.avpl@gmail.comSynopsis:Jaime works on a weekly TV magazine. Atthe end of another dull working day hereceives a fax from Theresa, his girlfriend,breaking up their one year lastingrelationship. Jaime leaves the office readingthe fax and only a few minutes later, herealizes that Lisbon is not having a normalrush hour….André Carrilho was bornin Lisbon in 1974. Since1992 he has worked asprofessional designer,illustrator, cartoonist andanimator, winning severalnational and internationalprizes. “Dinner in Lisbon”is his first film.

How long winter lasts in Romania(Kaip Ilgai Tesiasi Ziema Rumunijoje)Lithuania/Greece 2007Running Time: 28:00 minDirector + Screenplay: Iris PonkinaDirector of Photography: George Spanos, I. PonkinaEditor: Iris PonkinaSound: Iris PonkinaMusic: Gleb VashenkoCast: Amalia KaklamanosProducer: George SpanosContact: iris@2folies.comSynopsis:A filmmaker travels in the wintertime throughRomania. Passing through contemporary citiesand the countryside, Iris Ponkina records poeticimpressions of the people and landscapesand intermingles them with fragments ofthe Romanian national ballade “Mioritza”.An account of a country caught somewherebetween a Soviet past and an European future.Iris Ponkina was born in1976 in Tatarstan fromLithuanian parents. Sheattended Russian schoolsin Cuba, Colombia andLithuania. She majored inSocial Geography at theUniversities of Moscow(MGU) and Kaunas. Furthermore,she worked as a scuba diving instructor inCyprus and in French Guadeloupe. Apart from that,she also lived and worked in Utrecht (Holland)where she taught Yiddish and attended EuropeanStudies. Right at the moment she settled down inGreece and turned to filmmaking and scriptwritingas an assistant editor and assistant producer.It´s my turn(Bende Sira – Ich bin dran)Germany/Turkey 2007Running Time: 11:00 minDirector + Screenplay: Ismet ErgünDirector of Photography: Ilker BesheEditor: Isabel MeierSound: Christoph OertzlMusic: E. RosthoffCast: Kids from the streetProducer: Käte CasparContact: info@distantdreams.deSynopsis:Somewhere on a little square in Istanbul,children have invented a new game. Withthe help of a counting-out rhyme they decidewho goes to the cinema, because theyonly have enough money for one of them.Afterwards, the lucky one who went to thecinema tells the others the story of the film.One day, an old man invites all the childrento go to the cinema together and somethingstrange happens…Ismet Ergün has workedas an actor, set designerand art director forseveral films. “It´s myturn” is her debut film as ascreenwriter and director.11

Bus(Bus)Germany 2007Running Time: 9:14 minDirector: Jens SchillmöllerScreenplay: Lale Nalpantoglu, Jens SchillmöllerDirector of Photography: Steph KetelhutEditor: Benjamin IkesSound + Music: Gerrit LukasCast: Michael Schreiner, Elke Bludau,Ulrike PragerProducer: Jens SchillmöllerContact: info@leforel.deSynopsis:If the work won´t come to us, we´ll just haveto go out and find work. A collective drives upand down the motorway in their run-downminibus checking motorists’ oil, repairingbreak lights, brightening up portaloos orproducing silver candelabras to make thatlay-by picnic more romantic. And what doyou know, people are actually happy to paythem for their services. But their harmoniousteam work comes to an abrupt end when theirleader falls for a hitchhiker ...Cold Joint(Studený spoj)Slovakia 2007Running Time: 14:00 minDirector + Screenplay: Miroslav RemoDirector of Photography: Mario OndrisEditor: Jakub Fiser, Richard ChomoSound: Tobias PootocnyActors: Lucia Remova, Bozena Bielikova,Vladomir LalinskyContact: festivals@vsmu.skSynopsis:Somewhere in the industrial part of aSlovakian city: an 11-year-old girl walksaround a production plant and getsconfronted with a dysfunctional family ina bad social situation and her own innerfeelings about her future.Jens Schillmöller was bornin 1975 in Esslingen/Germany. Before hisstudies of directing at theAcademy of Media Arts inCologne from 1998-2004,he worked as an assistantin an animation studioand studied one year ofhumanities in Konstanz. Since 2004 he works as afreelance editor, producer and director.12Miroslav Remo was bornin 1983 in Ilava/Slovakia.After studying at theUniversity of Trenčin,he is now master classstudent at the departmentof documentary at the“Academy of Music andPerforming Arts”, Filmand Television Faculty in Bratislava.

Emra Beganaj(Emra Beganaj)Hungary 2008Running Time: 4:21 minDirector: Viktor NagyDirector of Photography: Victor NagyEditor: Marcell Gerő, Sára LászlóContact: rotkivygan@gmail.comSynopsis:Emra Beganaj is an 11-year-old boy who hasleft his home country Kosovo together withhis family. After moving from one place toanother in Europe, they ended up at theirstarting point in the Hungarian refugee campin the city of Debrecen. In his monologue,Emra gives sign of his frustration comingfrom his uncertainness and dissatisfaction.With his grown-up gestures he is aninteresting example of what could be inchildren´s minds in his situation.Viktor Nagy was born in1980 in the small Hungariantown Gyöngyös.During his studies at thearts faculty of ELTE inBudapest (Film Historyand Theory) he made twoshorts, before enteringto the director’s facultyof the Academy of Film, Drama and Televisionof Budapest. When he finished his studies in2007, he started with the pre-production of hisfirst feature film “Jandera” which he will startshooting at the end of 2008. At the same time heis already preparing his second feature, which iscurrently in the stage of script development.The Letter(Pismo)Hungary 2008Running Time: 2:53 minDirector: Marcell Gerő, Sára LászlóDirector of Photography: Marcell GerőEditor: Marcell Gerő, Sára LászlóSound: Szabolcs GáspárContact: sara@campfilm.euSynopsis:As part of the Hungarian minority in NoviSad, Serbia, László Rátgéber emigrated toHungary 15 years ago, during the war inYugoslavia. Although during his stay in Pecs,as trainer of the woman´s basketball team,he had huge success, in this letter addressedto a childhood friend still living in Novi Sad,there is a sign of bitter nostalgia.For informations on Sára László please check onpage 7, film “You’ve killed”.Marcell Gerő was born inHungary in 1978 and sincehis childhood he has beena film enthusiast. Firsthe learned French, laterfilm theory and history atthe arts faculty of ELTE,Eötvös Loránd Universityof Sciences, Budapest.In 2002 he was accepted as a director studentat the Academy of Film and Drama Budapest. In2008, with his diploma-film Kócos (22’, 16mm),he won the short-film category award at the39th Hungarian Film week and founded a smallproduction company, “Campfilm”.13

RosaSummer(RosaSommer)Germany 2008Running Time: 5:25 minDirector: Lale NalpantogluScreenplay: Jens Schillmöller, LaleNalpantogluDirector of Photography: Jonas DickmeisEditor: Leo LierzerSound: Gerrit LukasMusic: The Considerate Builders Scheme(Justin De Nobrega)Cast: Beni-Tia ZouaProducer: Lale NalpantogluContact: info@leforel.deSynopsis:On her way to the city, Rosa is listening toher favourite song. While speeding downalleys and streets she meets pedestrianswho seem to be moving exactly to the beatof her music. A summer-dance-afternoonbegins…The Amateur(Amatorul)Romania 2007Running Time: 20:00 minDirector + Screenplay: Marian CrisanDirector of Photography: Tudor MirceaEditor: Tudor PojoniSound: Calin PotcoavaCast: Erwin Simsensohn, Vasile Calofir,Richard Bovnoczki, Alexandru DragoiContact: marian.crisan@gmail.comSynopsis:Damian has a day job at the localsupermarket which does not challengehim very much. In the evenings however,he has a completely different life: with hisadvertising in the newspaper he has founda lot of customers for this rather “unusal”evening job….Lale Nalpantoglu wasborn 1976 in Leverkusenand studied from 1996-2001 at the Academy ofMedia Arts in Cologne.Since 2001 she works asfreelance producer anddirector, apart from thatshe has been a casting assistant and director forseveral short and feature film projects.14Marian Crisan was born in1976 in Salonta, Romania.He has studied Film and TVdirecting at the Academyof Theatre and Film inBucharest and has directedseveral short films. Thefilm he realized after “TheAmateur”, “Megatron”received the PALM D’OR for SHORTFILM at theCannes Film Festival.

IMPRINTThis catalogue is the official publication ofMy Europe – Europe-wide Filmfestival 08.Publisher: Citizens of Europe e.V.Layout: Daniela MorgensternCover: Sash IvanovaText: Jürgen Tobisch, Tobias KunowProgramm: Jürgen Tobisch, Tobias Kunow,Rui MontezProgramm Assistant: Chyrssa ThanellaSpecial Thanks to: Frank Burgdörfer, FilipeTavares, Lucia Gonzales, MatthiasBecker, Sonja Bader, Andreas Heindl, GertRöhrborn, Kristoffer J. Lassen, BlaiseBourgeois, Serena Botti and the numerouspartners who helped to make My Europe 08become reality.Contact (V.i.s.d.P): Citizens of Europe e.V.;Kiefholzstraße 20; 12435 Berlinwww.citizens-of-europe.eu15

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