Here’s what’s showing at the European Film Festival in Islamabad on Nov 7 and 8
The festival will also be held in Karachi on Nov 15 and 16, and in Lahore on Nov 22 and 23.
The European Film Festival kicks off its fourth edition in Islamabad on Friday, with a schedule packed with features and shorts for all audiences. After bringing the magic of European cinema to the capital, the festival is set to make its way to Karachi and Lahore for its second and third legs on November 15 and 16, and November 22 and 23.
The events will be held at the Karachi Film School and the Alhamra Arts Council in Lahore. The programmes for both the cities cities have been released, which include a social dance and a dramatic reading at each of the stops alongside film screenings. Similar to Islamabad, the Karachi leg also has a mixer for filmmakers and industry professionals.
Free and open to the public, the festival welcomes families, students, local artists, diplomats, and film enthusiasts to experience cinema as a tool of connection and conversation.
And The King Said, What a Fantastic Machine - (Denmark, Sweden)
Nov 15 - 5pm to 7pm
A documentary on the invention of the camera and how it has grown in popularity in the years since, And The King Said, What a Fantastic Machine explores what it means to live in a world with billions of lenses and how the desire to capture every moment shapes the human experience.
The New Year That Never Came - (Romania)
Nov 15 - 7pm to 9pm
Set in 1989 Romania, The New Year That Never Came explores the lives of six people and how their paths intersected during a period of civil unrest, leading to the ouster of dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu.
A Christmas at Croce’s House - (Italy)
Nov 16 - 2pm to 4pm
A Christmas at Croce’s House offers a look into the mind of Italian philosopher Benedetto Croce, who was a prominent voice in defining both the Italian national identity and the political theories of liberalism.
Snu - (Portugal)
Nov 16 - 4pm to 6pm
Part biography and part political thriller, Snu follows Danish publisher Ebba Abecassis — known commonly by her childhood nickname Snu — as she moves to Portugal for work and falls in love with politician — and later Prime Minister — Francisco Sá Carneiro.
Ghost Tropic - (Belgium)
Nov 16 - 6pm to 8pm
Ghost Tropic is the story of Khadija, a hard-working woman who falls asleep on the subway and misses her stop on the last train of the day. Now stranded, she must find her way home, meeting many different people on her late-night walk.
The Trap - (Germany/Bulgaria)
Nov 16 - 6pm to 8pm
Yovo lives a solitary life on the banks of the Danube River, at least until someone decides to trap a wild boar on an island near his house in preparation for a hunt. The boar, not one to be tamed, kills the hunting party’s dogs, just as a businessman is coming to the local village, leading the hunters to ask Yovo for his well-trained dog’s services.
Short films will be shown in two time slots on the second day (Nov 16) of the European Film Festival in Karachi.
Films shown from 1pm to 2pm:
Don’t Worry - (Germany/Croatia)
Thermostat 6 - (France)
Geo Engineering - (Germany)
So Many Forests - (France)
A Sunny Day - (France)
Omelette - (Bulgaria)
Films shown from 5pm to 6pm:
HABĀ - (Austria)
White Ribbons - (Austria)
Diamond and Narcissus - (Austria)
Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light - (Czech Republic)
Nov 16 - 11am to 1pm
A story of self-discovery and friendship, Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light follows Tony, a boy who glows. His protective parents force him to wear a mask, hiding his ability from the world. Then Shelly comes along, showing him it’s okay to show his spark to the world and accepting Tony for who he is.
Fathers and Mothers - (Denmark)
Nov 22 - 4pm to 6pm
A married couple accompany their daughter on a school camping trip and, in doing so, find themselves tangled in a web of social hierarchy, rivalries and hidden agendas strung by the other parents.
Je’vida - (Finland)
Nov 22 - 6pm to 8pm
The story of an elderly woman from Finland’s indigenous Skolt Sami culture, Je’vida is the story of Iida, an old lady who visits her ancestral town when she inherits an old family property. The visit brings back painful memories of her youth when her people were forced to assimilate into the wider Finnish culture, abandoning centuries of tradition and their identities. The film is the first ever to be made in the Skolt Sami language.
Historjá - Stitches for Sápmi - (Sweden)
Nov 23 - 2pm to 4pm
Indigenous textile artist Britta Marakatt-Labba has depicted the culture of Sweden’s Samí peoples for decades through her narrative embroidery. She’s fought numerous battles for her people, but her culture’s very survival is dependent on her latest struggle against climate change.
From Above You Can See Better. Wanda Rutkiewicz - (Poland)
Nov 23 - 4pm to 6pm
The biographical documentary follows the life of Polish mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz, who became the first Pole to summit Mount Everest in 1978 and the first woman to summit K2 in 1986. The film follows the climber’s audio diary, retracing her storied career all the way to her ill-fated 1992 attempt to climb the world’s third-highest peak, Mount Kanchenjunga.
Butterfly’s Tongue - (Spain)
Nov 23 - 6pm to 8pm
Butterfly’s Tongue is the story of little Moncho, a young boy in Spain’s Galicia who has just started going to school. Despite his initial hesitation, Moncho develops a love for learning under the tutelage of Don Gregorio, a friend of his father. The Spanish Civil War disrupts the coming-of-age story and Moncho has to make tough choices to save his republican father when the nationalists take over his hometown.
Trained to See: Three Women & the War - (Germany/Italy)
Nov 23 - 6pm to 8pm
Another biographical documentary, Trained to See explores the lives and work of Margaret Bourke-White, Martha Gellhorn and Lee Miller, three pioneering journalists who became the first female war correspondents of the Second World War.
Short films will be shown in two time slots on the second day (Nov 23) of the European Film Festival in Lahore.
Films shown from 1pm to 2pm:
Don’t Worry - (Germany/Croatia)
Thermostat 6 - (France)
Geo Engineering - (Germany)
So Many Forests - (France)
A Sunny Day - (France)
Omelette - (Bulgaria)
Films shown from 5pm to 6pm:
HABĀ - (Austria)
White Ribbons - (Austria)
Diamond and Narcissus - (Austria)
Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light - (Czech Republic)
Nov 23 - 11am to 1pm
A story of self-discovery and friendship, Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light follows Tony, a boy who glows. His protective parents force him to wear a mask, hiding his ability from the world. Then Shelly comes along, showing him it’s okay to show his spark to the world and accepting Tony for who he is.
The schedule for the Islamabad leg also has some changes, with an updated lineup of short films. The Austrian shorts HABĀ, White Ribbons and Diamond and Narcissus will now be aired instead of the initially announced selection on Saturday from 1pm to 2pm. Additionally, the Portuguese short A Sea of Trash will now play continually in the foyer of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts alongside immersive displays and a reading nook.