Photo: A still from Price of Sugar
Source: Trinidad Guardian
Published on Saturday, April 15, 2017
The European Film Festival (EFF)—T&T’s longest running film festival—will return this year with an exciting line-up of films from 14 different countries across Europe. The festival will be held at MovieTowne Port-of-Spain May 3-16, MovieTowne Tobago May 10-16, and also at select UTT campuses across the country.
From exuberant musical comedies to gripping thrillers, there is something for everyone in this year’s festival. Children, students, lovers of independent film, and foreign-language enthusiasts will be able to enjoy some of the best contemporary cinema from Europe.
The EFF is organized by the EU Member States with diplomatic missions in T&T—France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom—and the Delegation of the European Union. Commencing in 1996, the Festival has grown into a much-anticipated event on the national cultural calendar, attracting over 7,000 people every year.
Recognising how powerful cinema has become as a vehicle for culture and cultural exchange, the European Film Festival aims to offer an insight into contemporary Europe in all its diversity. For the unity of Europe truly lies in the diversity of its cultures, minorities, societies, arts, and religions; something that T&T also shares. The EFF aims to open a window into that beautiful melee.
Cinema and culture in general stimulate our senses and offer new ways of looking at reality. They bring people together by arousing passions and promoting dialogue, in a way that unites rather than divides. As the Swiss writer Denis de Rougemont said: “Culture is all the dreams and labour tending towards forging humanity. Culture requests a paradoxical pact: diversity must be the principle of unity, taking stock of differences is necessary not to divide, but to enrich culture even more.” In the 2017 edition, we celebrate this unity in diversity through a strong programme of dramas, thrillers, comedies, documentaries and animation.
The festival also provides an opportunity for foreign-language students to sharpen their skills and learn about European culture. Indeed, films selected for the 11.00 a.m. weekday slots often support the CXC and CAPE language curriculum, and provide tertiary-level students with a great opportunity to test their proficiency.
For the very first time, the European Film Festival will be partnering with the University of T&T (UTT) to provide public screenings on select days at campuses across the country. Patrons will be able to watch films at the Valsayn, Point Lisas, O’Meara and Tobago campuses as well as at the NAPA, SAPA. Further information on these screenings will be provided on the university’s website, https://u.tt/.
Tickets for the EFF are $30 for adults and $20 for children 12 years and under, students in uniform or with tertiary-level ID. Brochures with the full line-up and schedule of films will be available, free of charge, at MovieTowne and other locations. Check the European Film Festival Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/tnteff/, and the UTT’s website for additional, up-to-the-minute information.
For further details on selection of EFF 2017 films, visit the original article here.