Nauval Yazid, Contributor The Jakarta Post , Jakarta
Most international film festivals are multicultural in nature simply because they attract entrants from across the globe. But in establishing "multiculturalism" as the general theme of a film festival it becomes important to ask why we so value cultural diversity. Is it because we are afraid of what will happen if we do not, or because we truly welcome the value of difference?
Europe on Screen 2007 -- previously the European Film Festival -- aims to foster an open attitude toward cultural difference.
Most of the 35 European films and 18 Indonesian short films in the festival carry the theme of cultural migration -- either literally or figuratively. The festival will be held from Oct. 26-Nov. 2 at four cultural centers in Jakarta: Goethe Haus, Erasmus Huis, the French Cultural Center (Salemba) and the Italian Cultural Institute. It will later travel to seven other cities in the country.
The festival will open with 25 Degres in Hiver (25 Degrees in Winter. Directed by St‚phane Vuillet, the 2003 film tells the story of Miguel, who reluctantly helps an immigrant from Ukraine search for her husband. But it is Miguel's mother, played by Pedro Almodovar regular Carmen Maura, who is drawn to the immigrant's story and turns out to be the driving force of the search.
Touching a similar storyline but taking a more dramatic turn is Zozo, Sweden's official Academy Awards entry in 2006. Zozo is a 10-year-old boy who leads a normal life in Beirut, Lebanon, until a civil war breaks out in the city, leaving him orphaned after his parents are killed. He is forced to move to Sweden, the "paradise" his grandparents emigrated to. Yet the country is far from being a paradise for Zozo.
Almost Adult, the story of two teenage girls from Africa who enter the U.K. as illegal immigrants, considers the various roles of multicultural law.
Likewise Indonesian filmmakers Zeke Harris and Farishad Latjuba were clearly driven by individual concerns in the race toward multiculturalism in making their short films. Zeke's Indonesian Workers in the U.K. is about three masseurs living and working in the U.K., while Farishad's Klayaban: A Tale of an Outcast tells the story of a former Communist party member who lives an exiled life in Eastern Europe.
Both films have featured in local and international film festivals since their release in 2005.
However, multiculturalism is also celebrated in light-hearted ways. Dutch film Polleke offers a sweet, innocent glimpse of puppy love between a teenage girl and her classmate, a Moroccan boy; while Germany's En Garde shows that it takes a Kurdish refugee to fully understand the heart of a young German girl.
The festival will close with France's La vie en Rose, a biopic about legendary French songstress Edith Piaf. Directed with MTV-style cuts by Olivier Dahan, the film has already generated Oscar buzz for Marion Cotillard's nail-biting performance as Piaf.
Europe on Screen. Oct.26 - Nov. 2
All screenings are free
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