10th Annual European Union
Film Festival


The Gene Siskel Film Center celebrates a milestone with the tenth edition of its annual European Union Film Festival, the largest showcase for the cinema of the European Union nations in North America. This is our largest festival yet, with 55 feature films--all Chicago premieres--from 24 countries. From the most prominent of upcoming European releases to new discoveries, the festival provides a veritable “European vacation” in our two theaters over the next four weeks, all for the price of movie admission.

The festival opening celebration each year is presided over by the nation currently holding the presidency of the European Union. On Friday, March 2, our honorary host Wolfgang Drautz, Consul General of the Republic of Germany, will introduce the opening night film FOUR MINUTES, a soaring, redemptive tale of a piano prodigy challenged by a violent past. Germany’s presidency is additionally celebrated by a sneak preview of INTO GREAT SILENCE, a powerful documentary on life in a Carthusian monastery; the haunting GHOSTS by festival fixture Christian Petzold; and LONGING, a love story that Film Comment rated “a masterpiece.”

The festival is packed with sneak previews of films acclaimed at world-class festivals including Cannes, Berlin, and Toronto, and many of these films will open for U.S. runs later this year. Be the first to see award-winners and critical sensations including EXTERMINATING ANGELS, FALLING, GLASTONBURY, GRBAVICA: THE LAND OF MY DREAMS, PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES, and RED ROAD.

Harder-to-see treats include THE TIGER AND THE SNOW, the latest film by Oscar-winning Italian director Roberto Benigni; KLIMT, starring Chicago’s own John Malkovich; and THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO CINEMA, a compendium of astounding musings on the movies by provocateur philosopher Slavoj Zizek. Our closing night film on March 29 is Danish director Susanne Bier’s Oscar-nominated drama AFTER THE WEDDING.

Check our website at www.siskelfilmcenter.org often for updates on guest appearances and added special events, as well as additional descriptive material about the films.

The Gene Siskel Film Center thanks the consulates, the consuls general, and the cultural institutes of the European Union in Chicago, and their embassies in Washington, D.C., for their enthusiastic participation. We especially salute the efforts of all those who served on the festival planning committee. For additional assistance, we thank Culture Ireland.

-- Barbara Scharres and Martin Rubin


sponsors

Premier Broadcast Radio Sponsor
Premier Print Media Sponsor
Premier Internet Sponsor
Premier Foreign Language Print Sponsor

festival partners

Chicago Scene

Eurocircle
 

special presentations

Opening night film!

Germany


FOUR MINUTES
(VIER MINUTEN)
2006, Chris Kraus, Germany, 112 min.
With Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung

On the verge of retirement, a piano teacher (Bleibtreu) at a women’s prison faces a final challenge in the form of a sociopathic young inmate (Herzsprung) with oodles of raw musical talent. She grooms the girl for the prestigious “Musical Youth” contest, but first she must get past hostile guards, bureaucratic roadblocks, the prodigy’s violent outbursts, and her own memories of a tragic wartime romance with another outcast girl. This rousing, powerhouse drama pulls out all the stops as it approaches the climactic contest, in which each contestant has just four minutes to show her stuff. The veteran Bleibtreu delivers a subtly moving performance as the repressed mentor, and Herzsprung (performing her own piano stunts) is simply sensational in her feature debut. In German with English subtitles. Preview courtesy of Wolfe Releasing. 35mm. (MR)

Note: No free passes or blue tickets will be valid for the opening night screening on Friday.

Friday, March 2, 7:00 pm
Thursday, March 8, 6:00 pm

Closing night film!


Denmark


AFTER THE WEDDING
(EFTER BRYLLUPPET)
2006, Susanne Bier, Denmark, 122 min.
With Mads Mikkelsen, Sidse Babbett Knudsen, Rolf Lassgard

A 2007 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, AFTER THE WEDDING confirms Bier (BROTHERS, OPEN HEARTS) as one of the world’s top filmmakers, unsurpassed at creating rich, multilayered relationship dramas that combine personal and social dimensions. This powerful and affecting film stars the brilliant Mikkelsen (CASINO ROYALE) as Jacob, a dedicated social worker in India who reluctantly returns to Denmark to humor a rich donor (Lassgard) whose daughter is getting married. . . and whose wife (Knudsen) summons up ghosts from Jacob’s past. In Danish, Swedish, Hindi, and English with English subtitles. Preview courtesy of IFC Films. 35mm. (MR)

Immediately following the screening, the audience is invited to a closing night reception hosted by
Whole Foods Market.


Note: No free passes or blue tickets will be valid for the closing night film.

Thursday, March 29, 6:30 pm

audience award


Vote for the Audience Award! Win a Free Membership!
Vote for the European Union Film Festival’s Audience Award, and your ballot may be selected for the grand prize of a year’s membership to the Film Center! Ballots are available in the lobby. Past winners of the award include I’M NOT SCARED (2004), COLOSSAL SENSATION! (2005), and CLEAN (2006).

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For their generous assistance in obtaining films for the European Union Film Festival, the Gene Siskel Film Center thanks:

Austria: Dr. Robert Zischg, Joanne McAllister, Consulate General of Austria, Chicago Belgium: Bernard Geenen, Muriel Libert, Wallonia Trade and Economic Office, Chicago Czech Republic: Marek Skolil, Borek Lizek, Consulate General of the Czech Republic, Chicago; Katerina Riley, Negativ Film Production; Tereza Horká, F.A.J.N. Agency; Jitka Prochazkova, Czech Television; Irena Kovarova Denmark: Bodil Torreck, The Danish Arts Agency; Trine Lykke Tornøe, Royal Danish Embassy, Washington, D.C. Estonia: Lili Pelt, Estonian Film Foundation; Leana Jaluske, RUUT Finland: Marjut Bitar, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland; Liisa Rutanen, Embassy of Finland, Washington, D.C. France: Laurent Maillaud, Diane Eberhardt, Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Chicago; Delphine Selles, François Leloup-Collet, Cultural Services of the French Embassy, New York Germany: Rüdiger van den Boom, Nicole Crane, Goethe-Institut, Chicago; Gisela Wiltschek, Bavaria Film International; Melanie Tebb, Hollywood Classics Great Britain: Martin Rosenbaum, Lone Star Productions; Keith Griffiths, Ajay Hothi, Illuminations Media Greece: Iliana Zakopoulou, Liza Linardou, Greek Film Centre; Harry Karahalios, Chicago Greek Film Festival Hungary: Bela Bunyik, Bunyik Entertainment; Katalin Vajda, Magyar Filmunió Ireland: Hilary O’Brien, Consulate General of Ireland, Chicago; Viviana Horalek, Media Luna Entertainment, GmbH; Cherida d’Arcy, Fantastic Films Italy: Tina Cervone, Patrizia Gambarotta, Mary Anne Melchior, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Chicago; Barbara Klein, St. Louis Italian Film Festival; John Matthew, Filmauro Latvia: Ieva Pitruka, National Film Centre of Latvia Lithuania: Tadas Kubilius, Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania; Lithuanian Film Center Luxembourg: Joy Hoffmann, Luxembourg Centre National de l’Audiovisuel Netherlands: Carla Bourgonje, Consulate General of the Netherlands, Chicago; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Poland: Jolanta Galicka, Polish Film Institute Portugal: Manuel Silva Pereira, Embassy of Portugal, Washington, D.C.; Instituto do Cinema, Audiovisuel e Multimedia, Lisbon Slovakia: Christiane Harris, Cine-International, GmbH Slovenia: Tadej Furlan, Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia; Slovenian Film Fund; Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spain: Juan Carlos Vidal, Teresa Hernando, Instituto Cervantes de Chicago; Oscar Alonso, Latido Films; Bill Foster, Northwest Film Center Sweden: Gunnar Almér, Swedish Film Institute; Martin Hulth, Swedish American Museum
and also: Ryan Krivoshey, The Cinema Guild; Paul Marchant, First Run Features; Lori Fried, First Run/Icarus Films; Peter Kindlon, Kim Kalyka, IFC Films; Emily Woodburne, Courtney Ott, IFC First Take Films; Jessica Rosner, Kino International; Michael Pollack, Lionsgate; Brad Westcott, Magnolia Pictures; Neil Friedman, Menemsha Films, Inc.; Paul Hudson, Outsider Pictures; Ed Arentz, Palm Pictures; Megan Hammitt, Picture This! Entertainment; Doug Zwick, Pop Twist Entertainment; Gail Blumenthal, Strand Releasing; Eddie Dotson, Tartan Films USA; Dan Berger, THINKFilm; Jeffrey Winter, Wolfe Releasing; Clemence Tailland, Zeitgeist Films