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Eh! U European Film Festival 2008

by James McNally on October 20, 2008 · 2 comments

in Film Festivals

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Eh! U European Film Festival 2008

Despite being saddled with a rather goofy name, the Eh! U European Film Festival is worthy of being included in your film calendar for a number of reasons:

  • Participation from 24 European countries might make this the most comprehensive local survey of European film apart from TIFF
  • Stretches over two full weeks in late November, when my film festival schedule is otherwise clear.
  • Though it’s been around since 2004, it seems to be finally coming into its own, screening a combination of festival hits, prize winners and undiscovered gems.
  • Best of all, all screenings are completely FREE, thanks to the sponsorship of the various consulates, embassies and cultural institutes.

I’m particularly excited about the lineup this year, which has a number of high-profile films I’d missed at previous festivals. To wit:

  • France: Entre les murs (The Class) - This Palme d’Or winner never actually made it to TIFF this year, so I’m delighted it’s coming to Toronto in a free screening.
  • Ireland: A Film With Me In It - The presence of Dylan Moran (Black Books) is reason enough to see this black comedy.
  • Poland: Katyn - From Polish master Andrzej Wajda (Ashes and Diamonds), the story of the massacre of Polish intellectuals and army officers by the Red Army in 1940. Wajda, now 82, has said he’s waited many years to make this film, and only now has the political climate and relationship between Poland and Russia made it possible. This is sure to be be an emotional screening if members of Toronto’s large Polish community attend.
  • Portugal: Colossal Youth (Juventude em Marcha) - Pedro Costa’s 2006 film was written about in all the film magazines but has so far been an elusive screening around here.
  • Germany: And Along Come Tourists (Am Ende kommen Touristen) - I remember this playing TIFF in 2007. Intriguing subject matter: A young German is assigned to Auschwitz to perform his civil service and must care for an elderly Polish Holocaust survivor who never left the camp.
  • Denmark: The Art of Crying (Kunsten at græde i kor) - Another 2007 TIFF selection, this film is the story of a very dysfunctional family, seen through the eyes of 11-year-old Allan.

And those are only the films I’m already familiar with. Boasting such a strong lineup this year, and at an unbeatable price, Eh! U looks like a can’t miss event.

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How It’s Done

by James McNally on April 21, 2007 · 1 comment

in Documentaries, Film Festivals, Hot Docs

(Jak To Sie Robi) How It's Done

How It’s Done (Director: Marcel Lozinski, Poland, 2006): Piotr Tymochowicz is a Polish political consultant and this film, shot over four years, follows him as he molds a group of young hopefuls into political contenders. The task is interesting because not only do none of them have political experience, but most don’t have any strong political opinions at all, which suits Tymochowicz perfectly. You see, the whole thing comes across as a sort of Machiavellian reality television show, and his complete and utter cynicism and misanthropy are apparent every second he’s on screen. Which made me feel like I needed a shower when it was over. Over time, most of the hopefuls drop out, either due to inadequacy or discomfort with how they’re being manipulated, but by the end, young Dariusz is in position to be elected to Parliament, even though he’s betrayed his ideals so many times he doesn’t know where he stands. “We haven’t finalized my image,” he says evasively. What started with some public speaking lessons and political exercises that seemed like performance art pieces has brought him to the brink of success. Only he’s a hollow man.

Journalist Jacek Hugo-Bader is along as an observer and acts as the audience’s horrified proxy during the film. In an interview with Dariusz at the end of the film, he marvels, “You could become my president?” And it seems eerily possible.

Though the film makes some good points, it makes them often and the unpolished style combined with the length made the film flabby when it should have been sharper. I also didn’t like that it wasn’t until the end titles that we discovered that the film was shot over four years. The filmmaker’s decision not to share this information at the outset could lead the audience to think that this was a “crash course” in political indoctrination when in reality, many young people’s political opinions form and change often over the course of four years.

But if this film proves anything, it’s that the arrival of “political consultants” like Piotr Tymochowicz shows that democracy in all its messy glory has now firmly taken hold in Poland. And the film certainly was still fresh in my mind while watching my next film.

6/10(6/10)

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