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LET'S CEE Film Festival
The LET’S CEE Film Festival will take place for the 5th time in 2017, from 21 till 27 March. Again this year, we are going to present a selection of excellent films from Central and Eastern Europe including Turkey at cinemas in the Inner City of Vienna. Besides the official programme, the School Cinema is an integral and significant part of the festival.
The goal of our School Cinema, is not only to show children and teenagers pedagogically valuable films and documentaries, but also to give them the chance to get to know the director of those productions and occasionally their protagonists in person. By screening the chosen films, followed by a discussion with the filmmakers, we try to provide the children with an understanding of Central and Eastern Europe. We encourage them to reflect about the presented subject and thus contribute to European integration. In order to present the authentic diversity of Europe, the films are screened in original language with German subtitles.
The previous editions of the School Cinema rewarded our efforts enormously. So far, we had the honour to welcome about 3,000 students, as well as internationally known guests of the film industry. As we look back, both Academy Award winners Branko Lustig and Allan Starski and the famous Israeli author (I was Hitlerjunge Salomon) and Holocaust survivor Sally Perel paid a visit.
For 2017, we arranged an exciting and varied programme for the School Cinema.
The detailed School Cinema programme 2017, including important information (e.g. screening dates) will be announced in time.
Documentary
Czech Republic | Slovakia 2015
Director: Matej Mináč
Language: Slovak and English with German subtitles
Runtime: 84 min
Recommended age: from 14 years on up
Link for trailer:
http://bit.ly/2iVwbzH
Keywords: Holocaust witness, national socialism, Holocaust, communism, photography, portraits of celebrities (a. o. Robert de Niro, John Travolta, Antonio Banderas)
Guests: Zuzana Mináčová (star-photographer and Holocaust witness, protagonist of the film and the director’s mother), Matej Mináč (director, screenwriter, producer and Emmy Award winner)
Content:
The Slovak photographer Zuzana Minácová (85) has remained active in her work even through her old age. She gained public fame through her characteristic photographs of national and international film stars, such as Michael Douglas, Robert de Niro, Keira Knightley, Danny de Vito and Scarlett Johansson – she has had them all in front of her lens. International film festivals in particular, such as the one in Karlovy Vary, have been artistic breeding grounds for Minácová’s pictures. She achieved her excellent reputation in early years, as an influential representative of her profession, with a variety of startling and sensational artistic experiments.
With this amazing documentary, partly supported by feature film scenes, the Slovakian Emmy Award winner Matej Mináč, succeeded an illuminating, as well as agitating portrait of his mother. His film deals with his mother’s dramatic life and her prosecution by the national socialists and communists, of capitalism in her homeland, of the development of cinema, of her passion for photography and of her work with celebrities.
Despite all the mediated lust for life, despite her optimism and characteristic humour, it seems that she is not able to let her past go yet. What is her secret?
Feature Film
Great Britain | Azerbaijan 2016
Director: Asif Kapadia
Literary source: Novel of the same name (1937) by Kurban Said (pseudonym)
Language: English, Azerbaijani and Russian with German subtitles
Runtime: 100 min
Recommended age: from 12 years on up
Link for trailer:
http://bit.ly/2iWISwj
Keywords: multiculturalism, World War I, tolerance, religion, Azerbaijan, screen adaptation of a novel, orient
Content:
The Drama Ali and Nino is based on the successful novel of the same name. Written in 1937 by the Russian author Lev Nussimbaum under his pseudonym, the novel has been translated into 33 languages. In the cosmopolitan melting pot Baku, a muslim, Ali Khan marries the Georgian Catholic Nino Kipiani, although their parents decided against this union. Both have known and liked each other since their childhood. When the First World War breaks out, the oil-rich country of Azerbaijan moves to the centre of Russian interests. Soon, the young lovers find themselves in the middle of the fight for independence of the Caucasus. Their happy relationship seems to be threatened by the tightening conflict between two religions and cultures.
Documentary
Spain | Denmark 2016
Director: Hernán Zin
Language: Arabian, Kurdish, English, French, German, Spain with German subtitles Deutsch
Runtime: 80 min
Recommended age: from 12 years on up
Link for trailer:
http://bit.ly/2ibBX1h
Keywords: war in Syria, daily life of children refugees, migration, integration, hope
Content:
Since 2011, Syria is affected by the civil war. Meanwhile, more than 9 million people had to leave their homes, more than the half of which are children. “At first I thought the only problem was crossing the sea. Now that we are here, I realise we have bigger problems.” Marwa, 13 years old, one of seven children, was followed by the director for one year of the child’s escape in “Born in Syria”. The film locations of this dangerous and exhausting journey are Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Not only never-ending marches, the perseverance in the crowded refugee camps or the waiting at closed borders, during hunger and cold, are stops in this terrible Odyssey, but also the acquisition of a new language, the adults’ search for a roof over their heads and for a job, or the waiting for the long-desired reunion with their family members are not steps, which could have been skipped. With a backpack full of agonising and awful memories of bombed houses and killed relatives, the children do learn rapidly that they have not yet reached their destination after surviving the dangerous boat trip to Europe.
As usual, participating teaching staff are provided with free, extensive and carefully elaborated didactic materials for preparation and postprocessing in class.
These are going to be sent after the registration.
Furthermore, we screen the films for a low entrance fee:
- The price for one ticket will be € 5.0;
- Accompanying adults are admitted for free;
- Each child will receive a poster of the film festival after the film, for remembrance, free of charge;
For bookings, demands and requests, as well as for suggestions and criticism, we are at your disposal at any time, via education@letsceefilmfestival.com.
To this effect: LET’S CEE you soon!
Your LET’S CEE School Cinema Team
Monique Ehmann, Gabi Pachler and Tobias Spöri
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LET'S CEE Film Festival
E-Mail: education@letsceefilmfestival.com
Homepage: www.letsceefilmfestival.com
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