EUROPE CALLING Premieres, Previews & New Releases of European Cinema

UK Premiere – Russia TCHAIKOVSKY’S WIFE

Alyona Mikhailova is tremendous as Antonina Miliukova, whose naivety and narcissism fester in the rubble of her marriage to the homosexual composer. Writer-director Kirill Serebrennikov (a Russian dissident and no friend of Putin’s) brings his intense sympathies to the unhappy figure of Antonina, the role taken by Glenda Jackson in Ken Russell’s 1971 film ‘The Music Lovers’ (which we are also screening). The year is 1872, Antonina is desperate to meet the famous composer and at a party has the chance to briefly acquaint herself with him. There is no denying the ambition or craft of this visually virtuosic film, with elaborate long takes that play disorientating games with time and space. Who wins with the wonderful feverish, hysterical OTT filmmaking: Serebrennikov or Russell? (Subtitles)

RUSSIA 2022 KIRILL SEREBRENNIKOV 143M

Our thanks to Sovereign Film Distribution for this screening.

The Music Lovers

Ken Russell’s 1970 production stars Glenda Jackson as Tchaikovsky’s wife and makes for an interesting comparison with the new Serebrennikov Russian version, which has its UK premiere in our festival.

Ken Russell depicts the composer (Richard Chamberlain) as a closet homosexual who is haunted by the past and present. In order to obtain social acceptance, he marries Tina, a nymphomaniac (Glenda Jackson). Their marriage proves a disaster and Peter flees, isolating himself in the countryside to compose music for Madame Von Meck (Isabella Telezynska), a rich aristocrat and widow. When she is informed of his sexual past, she immediately distances herself from him. The script was partly written by Melvyn Bragg. Unless you are seeking the whole truth, ‘The Music Lovers’ is well worth watching, if only for its being so gloriously over the top! Our screening is a tribute to the late Glenda Jackson.

UK 1970 KEN RUSSELL 123M

Il Boemo

Thu 10 Aug 18:30 (Opening Gala Dinner & Film)

Fri 11 Aug 13:45 (Film Only)

See Galas on Pg8 for full details.

Sat 12 Aug 18:30 – Auditorium

Sun 13 Aug 11:00 – Auditorium

UK Premiere – Germany THE FORGER DER PASSFÄLSCHER

Cioma Schönhaus, a 21-year-old Jew, escapes the Gestapo and saves lives thanks to his ability to forge passports. He turns his talent to forging his own identity. Berlin, 1940. Cioma (Louis Hofmann, star of the hit Neflix series ‘Dark’) will not let anyone take away his zest for life, especially not the Nazis. Since the best hiding places are in plain sight, he audaciously adopts the identity of a marine officer to escape being deported, as his family were. Drawing on his art school background, he joins a network of underground rescuers and becomes infamous for his masterfully forged IDs –created with just a brush, some ink and a steady hand – that save the lives of hundreds of Jews by allowing them to escape the country. Meanwhile, he throws himself into the city’s nightlife and even finds a fragile hope for love during the darkest moments of the war. His talent and propensity for boldness put him in more and more danger, however, until his only chance of survival is one last forged document – with his own name on it. To achieve the period detail in the film, Maggie Peren and her crew immerse the viewer in 1940s Berlin, with its wartime nightlife and the dour restaurant that only takes ration cards for payment. The shifts from warm to cool tones in Christian Stangassinger’s cinematography keep the film visually arresting, just as Robert Sterna’s brisk editing heightens the suspense. (Subtitles)

GERMANY

2022 Maggie Peren 116m

Our thanks to Beta for this screening.

UK Premiere – Portugal HOMELAND PÁTRIA

What if, at the end of World War II, an economic crisis had spread to every nation, including those that had not directly taken part in hostilities?

Such is the basis of this accomplished political thriller from the multiple-awardwinning Portuguese director Bruno Gascon. It is set in the 1980s in an unnamed country where the protagonist, Rocky, is under constant surveillance by the secret police. His assertion of basic human rights leads him and a small group of clandestine freedom fighters into conflict with thugs from the extreme right. The consequences are grim. This tense film’s epigraph is from Victor Hugo: “When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right.”(Subtitles)

PORTUGAL 2022 BRUNO GASCON 81M

Fri 11 Aug 11:30

Thu 17 Aug 18:30 – Auditorium

Fri 18 Aug 16:00 – Auditorium

UK Premiere – Belgium LAST DANCE

A delightfully bittersweet Swiss Belgian comedy drama starring François Berléand as Germain, a po-faced widower coping with the loss of his wife Lisa and the unwanted intrusion of his well-meaning loved ones. The 75-year-old’s grief is sudden and heartfelt, but he hardly has time to recover, what with the constant intrusive phone calls to check on his well-being, not to mention the stream of unsolicited pies and casseroles (which he duly feeds to the cat). Family visits never seem to end and he wonders why his kids are unable to stick to their weekly visiting rota that he could really do without (Carole is Tuesday, Matthieu Friday – or was it the other way round?). Lise (Dominique Reymond), his much-loved wife of 50 years, was heavily into volunteering and experimental dance in a troupe led by the domineering choreographer La Ribot (playing herself) and in a bid to show willing, Germain feels obliged to take Lise’s place. However, he puts his foot down at the idea of taking on the mentorship of a young student until his daughter insists it will be good for his “mental health”. With a witty script, this is a deadpan tongue-incheek story about a man who resolutely refuses to mourn, in the conventional sense, after a lifetime of happiness with his lost love. (Subtitles)

BELGIUM/SWITZERLAND 2022 DELPHINE LEHERICEY 86M

Our thanks to Charades for this screening.

Sat 12 Aug 11:00

UK Premiere – Belarus EMPTY CHURCH

A young pastor returns from the capital to a small provincial town where he takes temporary custody of the church at which his late father-in-law presided. Ignoring an early warning of potential trouble, he perseveres amid indifference (during his ministry the building is as the title implies), injustice and corruption. Eventually he is confronted by a dilemma, on the resolution of which depends not only his own future but also that of the entire community. Thanks to sensitive direction and fine acting, Maks Maksimov has delivered an unexpected feelgood movie with a strong sense of Christian values. (Subtitles)

BELARUS 2023 MAKS MAKSIMOV 101M

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English Premiere – Austria

EGON SCHIELE: DEATH AND THE MAIDEN

EGON SCHIELE: TOD UND MÄDCHEN

Biopic of the controversial Viennese artist whose erotic expressionist paintings were inspired by his sister Gerti and, later, by the red-haired Wally – immortalised in ‘Death and the Maiden’.

The movie is based on Hilde Berger’s novel and depicts Schiele (Noah Saavedra) as a charming young man completely obsessed with painting and unconcerned with contemporary sexual taboos. One of the most important women in his life, and his first nude model, is his younger sister Gerti (Maresi Riegner). His relationship with her is warm, possessive, even slightly incestuous. Gerti enjoys sitting for her brother and jealously guards his relationships with the other models. She remains loyal to him throughout his life and even nurses him during the last days before his tragic death in 1918 at the age of 28.

The second key female figure in Schiele’s life is Wally (Valerie Pachner), introduced to him as a young girl by Gustav Klimt. They soon become lovers and form perhaps the closest relationship Schiele has with any woman other than his sister. It is Wally who is depicted in the 1915 painting that marked Schiele’s rise to his all-too-short-lived success in Vienna. Like Gerti, Wally is fiercely loyal to Schiele and even saves him from imprisonment by testifying in his favour when he is arrested for engaging children as nude models. But Schiele’s own loyalty is primarily towards himself and his painting. This is the first of two films on Austrian painters, both directed by Dieter Bemer. (Subtitles)

AUSTRIA/LUXEMBURG 2016 DIETER BEMER 105M Booking Ref

UK Premiere – Portugal THE NOTHINGNESS CLUB

NAO SOU NADA

A ‘Cinenigma’ is the apt description by Edgar Pêra of his remarkable voyage into the mind and writings of Fernando Pessoa. The poet has been called Portugal’s bestkept secret and “unquestionably the most complex artist of words of his time’. Visually and sonically arresting throughout, Pêra’s psychological thriller animates the multitude of heteronyms, or uber-pseudonyms, under which Pessoa also published. A fine cast, headed by Miguel Borges and with Victoria Guerra as a bewitching nurse named Ophelya, is superbly choreographed by a director whose approach seems at times to honour both Magritte and Charlie Kaufman. ‘The Nothingness Club’ was in competition at the Rotterdam international Film Festival this year. N.B. Contains flashing images. (Subtitles)

PORTUGAL 2022 EDGAR PÊRA 92M

Booking

Ref

Preview – Romania R.M.N.

From award-winning director Cristian Mungiu (‘4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days’) comes a gripping, non-judgmental portrait of ethnic and economic resentments tearing at the fabric of a small mountain town. After suffering racial abuse, Matthias (Marin Grigore) leaves his job in Germany to return to his small Romanian village, a place festering with outrage over the arrival of workers taking jobs most locals don’t want to do. Matthias is not perfect: a married father, he is having an affair with Csilla (Judith Slate), who runs the bakery where newlyhired Sri Lankan employees work. Mungiu has put his hand on the pulse of a nation – and the globe. He doesn’t deal in heroes and villains; he is more interested in revealing how easily anyone can be both. It is one of the best, most passionate films of the year and leaves you with much to think about. (Subtitles)

ROMANIA 2022 CRISTIAN MUNGIU 125M

Sun 20 Aug 12:45 – Auditorium

Tue 22 Aug 20:45 – Auditorium

Booking Ref

Our thanks to Picturehouse Entertainment for this screening.

New Release – Ukraine MAVKA: THE FOREST SONG

MAVKA. LISOVA PISNYA

A beautiful Ukrainian animation based on a well-known story from Slavic mythology that celebrates the power of love, and the harmony between humankind and the natural world. After a long-forgotten war between humans and the spirits of the forest that sees the mountains declared forbidden to humans, Lucas is tasked by the evil Kylina to find the tree of healing that caused the war. Young and naive forest nymph Mavka takes a shine to village artist Lucas, to the strong disapproval of the rest of the forest spirits and humans alike. There are strong ecological themes here, as well as some good old-fashioned fairytale morals about vanity and selfishness. There’s not a hint of postmodern irony in this production, which is a pleasant change from Hollywood’s trend, and also benefits from some lively Ukrainian folk music with striking close harmonies. Free for Ukrainian nationals. (Subtitles)

UKRAINE 2023 OLEH MALAMUZH & OLEKSANDRA RUBAN 99M

Tue 22 Aug 13:00 – Auditorium

Join us after the screening for Ukrainian snacks and music hosted by Yuliana Korochentseva (Mrs Universe Ukraine).

Sun 20 Aug 18:30 – Auditorium

UK Premiere – Austria ALMA & OSCAR

Passionate love affairs between exceptional artists might only be brief, but they are remembered for far longer. That was certainly the case with the stormy romance between pianist and composer Alma Mahler and painter Oskar Kokoschka, some 110 years ago in Vienna.

In his new film the Austrian-German director Dieter Berner continues to explore the public perception of the private lives of great artists, which he probed in his previous feature, ‘Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden’ (also screening in this Festival). We meet Alma Mahler (Emily Cox) on a tour of the United States with her husband, Gustav, who uses her as his assistant and represses her artistic ambitions. She admits that she has started an affair with the German architect Walter Gropius (Anton von Lucke). When the great composer dies shortly after the tour, the multi-talented and provocative artist Oskar Kokoschka (Valentin Postlmayr,) comes to their home to make a face-mask of Gustav for one of his many artistic projects. The relationship blossoms when Alma hires Kokoschka to paint a portrait of her, leading to a passionate and volatile affair. There is much attention to detail that can be both seen and heard, such as the pristine production and costume design, captured beautifully in the seamless melange of analogue and digital cinematography, while the score by Stefan Will suitably relies on Gustav Mahler’s opuses. An enthralling historical biopic.

AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND, GERMANY, CZECH REPUBLIC 2022 DIETER BERNER 88M

UK Premiere – Russia THE MOON PEOPLE

Renata, a high-flying producer on Russian television, is beset by a crisis of conscience. Her son, Nikita, a superstar rapper, has gone off the rails and is now a drug addict. Renata must decide whether or not to submit him to a radical procedure called psycho-correction, in which the personality is ‘re-formatted’. The price for Nikita? The complete rejection of his former life. The price for Renata? Every bit as high. Yuri Moroz’s dystopian portrait of a moneyed milieu, where the young no longer believe in a bright future, is extremely well rendered, with lavish photography and superior acting. (Subtitles)

RUSSIA 2023 YURI MOROZ 86M

Tue 22 Aug 15:30 – Auditorium

Wed 23 Aug 15:45 – Auditorium

UK Premiere – Ireland TARRAC PULL

‘Tarrac’ puts a new set of oars into an oldfashioned sporting underdog story: naomhóg racing is not widely known outside Ireland and even there, an all-women racing team, in this rowing boat made from wood, tar and canvas, is niche. Yet it’s the star of Declan Recks’ entertaining drama – alongside the four ladies determined to win the regional (Munster) finals for their small Irish-speaking Kerry village for the first time in 22 years. Aoife Ní Bhraoin returns home to help her father, Breandán ‘The Bear’ Ó Braoin, recover from a heart attack. Day to day they get along just fine. As we dig a little deeper we find that much has been left unsaid about the loss of Aoife’s mother. Using familiar building blocks, Recks confidently builds to an emotional finale amid a nuanced fatherdaughter relationship. The combination of female solidarity of these ‘sisters of the sea’ and a sharp focus on festering family wounds, helps this feelgood feature sail over the waves of predictability for a sweet landing on solid home ground. The lingering Irish theme of children who leave and parents who mourn them gets a thorough airing here, this time in the Irish language. (Subtitles)

Ireland 2022 Declan Recks 94m

Our thanks to Parkland Pictures for this screening.

UK Premiere – Germany UNDER SPANISH SKIES

Leah, a newly bereaved and reclusive artist, invites lifelong friends to her remote farm in Andalucia. A weekend of revelation and fateful decision-making ensues. This full-length narrative debut by a specialist in arts documentary is an extremely polished chamber piece, redolent of fierce heat from the Spanish sun and an atmosphere ripe with secrets and lies. The film is graced by an immaculate central performance from Tara Lynn Orr. Director Statement: “Films that have left a big impression on me: ‘La Règle du Jeu,’ ‘Persona,’ ‘Knife in the Water,’ ‘The Big Chill,’ and ‘Festen’ are all movies that rely on great performances, the excavation of memory and a claustrophobic world that heightens sexual and dramatic tension.” Nathan Buck GERMANY 2023 NATHAN BUCK 90M

Wed 23 Aug 11:15 – Studio

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Thu 24 Aug 15:45 – Auditorium

Preview – Germany AFIRE

Emotions run high among a group of friends in a holiday home by the Baltic as the parched forest around them catches fire. (Christian Petzold’s film won the Silver Bear at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival.)

A car breaks down in the middle of nowhere; two young men have to carry their luggage the rest of the way; one of them suggests a shortcut. Leon seems more sceptical, while Felix leads the way to his family’s summer house. Inside, suspicions rise as the pair encounter signs of someone already living there: last night’s plates and glasses on the table, food leftovers, the buzz of the washing machine, a red pair of high heels and purple underwear on the floor. While, on one level, it seems to belong to international cinema’s increasingly prevalent strain of climate catastrophe dramas, on another it’s a brittle character piece, a comedy of social embarrassment with a dark and ultimately tragic undertow. Until, that is, a coda ties it off in another register entirely. As in the best Petzold films (‘Barbara’, ‘Undine’), complications build quietly. Small revelations provide insights into human nature that each viewer may interpret differently. But build they do, until we are fairly devastated by the film’s conclusion. Engrossing, provocative, captivating and refreshingly un-Hollywood with shades of Eric Rohmer’s romantic films. (Subtitles)

GERMANY 2022 CHRISTIAN PETZOLD 103M

Our thanks to Curzon Film for this screening.

31 bedrooms | 2 AA Rosette Sea School

Restaurant | Marwick’s Brasserie

Outdoor dining terrace | Afternoon teas

Non-residents welcome

The Millstream Hotel, Bosham Lane

Bosham, Chichester PO18 8HL

01243 573234 | millstreamhotel.com