International film festivals are a great place to view the newest productions from Eastern Europe, along with your favorite classics. Over the next few months there will be film festivals all across the US and Canada - keep an eye on their websites for updates on their programs.
In this week's Coming Up section we have:
- International Film Festivals
- World Music Festival: Chicago 2000
- Croatian Events
- Czech and Slovak events
- Hungarian Events
- Lithuanian Events
- Polish Events
- Romanian Events
- Slovenian Events
- Ukrainian Events
Click on the appropriate heading or just scroll down to browse.
International Film Festivals
Toronto International Film Festival
25th Anniversary7-16 September
Among the many films at this huge festival are quite a few Russian and East European presentations including Djordje Milosavljevic's The Mechanism, and Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky, and The Red One: Triumph, by Oleg Pogodin and Vladimir Alenikov.
Visit the festival's website for complete details.
Chicago International Film Festival
5-19 October32 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 425-9400
E-mail: info@chicagofilmfestival.com
The final program for the Chicago International Film Festival is still in the works, but the website includes a sneak preview with summaries of included films. So far, there are three East European films listed:
Werckmeister Harmonies (Werckmeister Harmoniak) by avant-garde filmmaker Bela Tarr (Satantango), is described as a "biting fable of moral decay" where the arrival of a mysterious circus wreaks havoc in an isolated village. The Debt (Drug) is a Polish film about two friends and would-be entrepreneurs who get in over their heads when they unwittingly borrow money from the mob. A film by first-time Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó, This I Wish and Nothing More (Nincsen Nekem Vagyam Semmi), tell the story of Bruno, who maintains a precarious double life. On weekends, he and his wife Mari fantasize about escaping the country for exciting, far off places. Weekdays in the city, he faces a seamier reality: turning gay tricks and pulling off petty thefts behind Mari's back with her brother Ringo.
American Film Institute Fest 2000
19-26 October2021 N. Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Phone: (323) 856-7707
E-Mail: afifest@AFIonline.org
Watch the website for updates on the festival program. The European Showcase Gala will take place on 20 October.
19th Vancouver International Film Festival
22 September to 5 October410-1008 Homer Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada, V6B 2X1
Phone: (604)685-0260
E-mail: viff@viff.org
A film guide for the Vancouver festival will be posted on the website soon.
15th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
16 October - 12 November1314 East Las Olas Blvd. #007
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone: (954) 760-9898
E-mail: brofilm@aol.com
The longest film festival in the world - watch the website for details.
New York Festival of Russian Films
22-29 OctoberThe New York Festival of Russian Films (NFRF) is a presentation of Russian Films to the general American audience, both new films and films from previous years. It will be held at the Ziegfield Theater at 14 West 54th Street in New York City and at Clearview Cinema at 239 East 59th Street. The website provides full detail on film showings and ticket purchase.
World Music Festival: Chicago 2000
Chicago World Music Festival
21 September - 1 October
Chicago, Illinois
various venues
Chicago's World Music Festival is an annual celebration of music from around the world. Chicago '99 featured more than 40 ensembles from 25 countries plus numerous U.S. and Chicago-based artists. In ten days, more than 50,000 people attended over 100 concerts, live radio broadcasts, workshops and educational programs. World Music Festival: Chicago 2000 is a joint production of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayor's Office of Special Events. Venues include the Old Town School of Folk Music, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Chicago Cultural Center, "Under the Picasso" at Daley Civic Center, the Chicago Park District, and the University of Chicago in Hyde Park.
A full list of participants will be available on the festival's website, but preliminary listings include:
Slavic Soul Party (New York)
Nass Marrakech (Morocco/Spain)
Music From China (New York)
Alim Qasimov (Azerbaijan)
Bill Miller (Tennessee/Mohican)
Oliver Mtukudzi (Zimbabwe)
Zlatne Uste (New York)
Boubacar Traore (Mali)
Deprung Gomang Monks (Tibet)
Hedningarna (Sweden)
Wimme (Finland)
Shirim/Naftule's Dream (Boston)
Sivan Perwar (Iran/Germany)
Mary Jane Lamond (Canada)
Tony Vacca's Senegal to America Project with Massamba Diop & Gokh-bi System (New York/Senegal)
Los de Abajo (Mexico)
Trevor Watts Moire Music Group (England)
Comifo (France)
A detailed brochure including a complete schedule is available. For more information, call the World Music Festival hotline at (312) 742-1938 or the Mayor's Office of Special Events hotline at 312-744-3370.
Croatian Events
Croatian Cultural Events in the US
The Croatian Embassy's calendar of events lists cultural events at the Embassy and across the US.
Czech and Slovak Events
Film
Jan Svankmajer Retropective
20-22 October
American Film Institute
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 785-4600
Jan Svankmajer is a legend of world cinematography who has inspired several generations of filmmakers. After decades under the communist regime, during which time he was permitted to produce an occasional short film, Svankmajer began to direct feature films in the late Eighties. Each of his films can be considered a masterpiece of its form, while never abandoning the ideals of the surrealist movement. The complete retrospective of Jan Svankmajer´s feature films includes Alice, Lesson Faust, Conspirators of Pleasure and his latest film, Otesánek. The series opens on with the premiere of Otesáne, attended by the director in person.
Folk Festival
Westfest - a Czech/Polka festival
21 September - 1 October
West, Texas
The 25th annual Westfest, a Czech/Polka festival takes place in West, Texas. Further information can be obtained via e-mail or on the festival's website.
Art and Film
Czech Center New York
Exhibits and Events
The Czech Center New York presents the following exhibits and events over the next few months. Some are at the Czech Center itself, while others are at various venues. Please visit the website of the Czech Center for more information on these and other Czech cultural events in New York.
Czech Settlers in America: Early Immigrant Life, 1848-1920
at Ellis Island Immigration Museum
9 September - 30 October
Video Thursdays for September
The Jester and the Queen (Sasek a kralovna)
21 September, 7 p.m.
1987, dir. Vera Chytilova; subtitled
The screenplay for this film, marking the first collaboration between director Vera Chytilova and Moravian theater genius Bolek Polivka, is based on one of Polivka’s play by the same name. Polivka and his French wife, Chantal Poullain, are successful, too, in bringing to the screen all the beauty and drama of their onstage performance. The story centers around a castle warden deluged (and deluded by) with dreams of becoming the jester to a beautiful but despotic queen. Eventually, his dreams encroach on real life to the point that he mistakes the queen for an attractive foreign visitor to the castle.
Karel Gott at Carnegie Hall
concert with orchestra and special guest Helena Vondrackova
29 September at 8 pm
Czech Culture in the US
If you would like more information about Czech cultural events at the Czech Embassy and across the US, many are listed on the Embassy's website.
Hungarian Culture in the US
For news and a listing of Hungarian cultural events in the US, check out the website of the Hungarian Embassy.
Lithuanian Culture in the US
A listing of Lithuanian cultural events is available on the Embassy's website.
Polish Events
Solidarity Anniversary
Solidarity's Twentieth Birthday
15 September
Union Station
Washington, DC
Join the twentieth anniversary celebration "America Salutes Solidarity" at Union Station with the legendary Lech Walesa, former president of Poland. For information and reservations contact Mme Kaja Mirecka-Ploss at (202) 785-2320 or send an e-mail to acpc@cais.com.
Romanian Culture in the US
For information on Romanian events in the US, look up the calendar of events at the Romanian Embassy's website.
Slovenian Culture in the US
The Slovenian Embassy has a listing of cultural events on their website. Events are listed under News and Press Releases
Ukrainian Events
Folk Art
Exhibits at the Ukrainian Museum
The Ukrainian Museum
203 Second Avenue (between 12th and 13th Sts.)
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 228-0110
If you're in the New York area, be sure to visit the Permanent Exhibition at the Ukrainian Museum. The newest addition is the Children's Exhibition. On display are traditional children's folk costumes - shirts, sheepskin jackets, footwear and headdresses - in various regional styles. The exhibition also features toys, among them clay whistles in the shape of rams from the Poltava Region and dolls in folk costumes from various regions of Ukraine.
An addition to the Permanent Folk Art exhibition is a collection of rushnyky (woven or embroidered ritual cloths) and wedding trees, which are made from actual tree branches, covered in dough and decorated with dough birds, ribbons and periwinkle.
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm.
For more information on exhibits and events at the Ukrainian Museum, contact them via e-mail or visit their website.
Ukrainian Culture in the US
For a great and comprehensive website featuring news, events and links to other resources about Ukraine and Ukrainian-Americans, check out http://www.brama.com.
If you would like to list your upcoming Central or East European cultural event here, please e-mail us at usa@ce-review.org
Compiled by Karen M Laun
