To promote European culture and celebrate the link between Europe and the Philippines that started almost 500 years ago, Cine Europa 22 will visit 8 cities in the country up to November 2019 with 12 films for free screening.
The Cebu leg of the film festival started last Thursday, October 3, and will run up to Sunday, October 6 at Cinema 1 in SM City Cebu.
Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas said the event becomes more important in light of the upcoming celebration of the first circumnavigation of the world where Cebu, in particular the island of Mactan, played a crucial role.
“It was a multinational expedition with sailors from almost all European countries—Spanish, German, Polish, French, Greek, and of course, Portuguese—that left Seville in Spain 500 years ago,” he added.
10,000 Kilometros
EU Delegation First Counsellor Rafael de Bustamante said Cebu is the first city visited by Cine Europa 22 outside of Manila. The group’s next stop is Iloilo City with the Dutch ambassador as key person.
He revealed that they have a system where an EU ambassador travels to a city where the film festival would be held and the opening movie would be from his country.
CINE EUROPA 22. EU Delegation First Counsellor Rafael de Bustamante, Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas, SM Prime Holdings Inc. Vice President Marissa Fernan, a member of the delegation, Information Officer Robert Leon during the opening of Cine Europa 22 in SM City Cebu.
Ambassador Moragas said Spain picked Cebu, where they showed the multi-awarded Spanish movie 10,000 Kilometros and translated for English-language viewing as “Long Distance.”
While the movie doesn’t have a direct connection to the circumnavigation, it makes sense in the context of Spain and the Philippines because it touches on human relations and bridging the distance between peoples. The distance 10,000 kilometers is also more or less the distance between Spain and the Philippines, he added.
Cine Europa 22 films
For today, Saturday, Cinema One in SM City Cebu will show three European films, starting with Belgium’s Achter De Wolken (Behind the Clouds) at 2 p.m., Hungary’s Béúk (Happy New Year) at 4:30 pm, and De Marathon (The Marathon) by The Netherlands at 7 pm.
Behind the Clouds, with a PG rating, is a story about two lovers whose lives took different paths but met and fell in love again after 40 years.
Happy New Year, on the other hand, is R-13 and tells of a group of friends that has been celebrating New Year’s Eve together for years. They agreed to play a game that started out playfully enough but quickly turned serious when secrets, lies, and betrayals that were kept secret came to light.
The Marathon (R-13) is about four out-of-shape men who trained for a marathon hoping to win money to pay off a tax debt.
Sunday’s screenings include: Teorie Tygra (The Tiger Theory, PG rating) of the Czech Republic at 2 pm, Tour de France (R-13) of France at 4:30 pm, and Mary Shelley (R-13) of the United Kingdom at 7:00 pm.
