Six European titles to get into the festive spirit

14/12/2006

While Hungarian films have chosen to keep a low profile until the 38th Hungarian Film Week (January 30-February 6, 2007) – an event that will showcase the best domestic titles of 2006 – productions from other European countries will step into the spotlight for the three-week holiday period.

Six European films by Christian Carion, Luc Besson, Kim Rossi Stuart, Corneliu Porumboiu, Christian Volckman and Fernando León de Aranoa will represent France, Italy, Romania and Spain respectively to battle it out against eight US titles on Hungarian screens.

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French films will take pride of place with three new releases. First up is Carion’s Merry Christmas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Carion
interview: Christophe Rossignon
film profile] (see Focus), which opens today through SPI – Hungary’s third most popular distributor in 2005 after Intercom and UIP DunaFilm.

Two French animated titles open on Thursday, December 28: Volckman’s highly original Renaissance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aton Soumache
interview: Christian Volckman
film profile] (see Focus) and Besson’s blockbuster Arthur and the Invisibles [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see news), opening through Fórum Hungary.

This week, Szimplafilm are releasing Porumboiu’s 12:08 East of Bucharest [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Corneliu Porumboiu
interview: Daniel Burlac
film profile], winner of the Caméra d’Or and the Europa Cinemas Label at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, where it screened in the Directors’ Fortnight (see news).

On Thursday, December 2, a film by another young rising star of European cinema, the debut feature by Italian actor Kim Rossi Stuart, Along the Ridge [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kim Rossi Stuart
film profile] (see Focus) – which also screened at 2006 Directors’ Fortnight – opens in Hungary through Best Hollywood.

Opening through Cirko Film – Másképp Alapítvány on December 28 is de Aranoa’s Spanish feature Princesas [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a big hit in Spain and winner of two Goyas for its actresses Candela Peña (Best Actress) and Micaela Nevárez (Best Female Newcomer). Singer Manu Chao also picked up a Goya for his song Me llamen calle.