Canadian Film Institute • Institut canadien du film

March 25–30, 2006
Soon after the fall of communism, the countries of Central Europe decided to start a new form of regional co-operation. In 1991, they established the Visegrad Group that now consists of four countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Besides the strengthening of political, economic, and cultural relations, one of its main goals is closer co-operation within the European Union. The four countries, with similar histories and cultural roots, also reveal a fascinating diversity.

The seventh annual Central European Film Festival is presented by the CFI in collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, and the Embassy of Slovakia. All films are Ottawa premieres and are presented in their original languages with English sub-titles.

POLAND
Sat./sam. March 25 mars, 19:00
LOUDER THAN BOMBS

Poland 2002, 97 min. • Director: Przemyslaw Wojcieszek
Marcin and Kaska are young lovers in a rather drab little town in Poland. Marcin has just lost his father and is sadly preparing to take over the small auto mechanic business and the house. But Kaska has an opportunity to go study in the U.S. and is planning to leave. Marcin is devastated, but his somewhat unstable relatives arrive for the funeral and things go from strange to stranger. The post-funeral banquet makes for a decidedly wacky and surprisingly emotional climax to the story. LOUDER received the Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography at the (2002) Slamdance Film Festival. English sub-titles.

Slovakia
Sun./dim. March 26 mars, 19:00
THE CITY OF THE SUN

2005, 99 min. • Director: Martin Sulik
Veteran Slovak director Sulik’s latest social comedy is set in a declining industrial centre where unemployment is high. After some serious labour-
management unrest, unemployment hits four friends: Karel, Tomas, Vinco, and Milan. Refusing to take it lying down, the four establish a series of less-than-successful businesses, including a mobile repair shop in a van, the liberation of icons from an abandoned rural church, and, most awkward of all, repossession. Meanwhile, their unpredictable and increasingly interwoven personal lives test the limits of friendship. Say Variety’s Eddie Cockrell, CITY is “...warm and winning....Possessed of the same quirky humor and palpable humanism as Sulik’s 1995 fest fave THE GARDEN...” English sub-titles

Czech Republic
Wed./mer. March 29 mars, 19:00
EENY MEENY

2000 104 min. • Director: Alice Nellis
This amiable, intimate Czech comedy from first-time director Alice Nellis recalls the Czech New Wave of the 1960s with its affectionate take on the eccentricities and whimsies of ordinary folks. Gently satirical and slyly humorous, EENY MEENY centres on municipal election day in a sleepy town. When precious few citizens bother to show up and vote, the bored elections workers are forced to contend with the flaws and foibles of each other. Helena can’t believe that her compatriots spent 40 years whining for freedom only to become apathetic capitalists overnight. Husband Jenda, disabled by a stroke, is driven by jealousy to try to sabotage the proceedings. Daughter Jana, a student in Prague, is serving as an election volunteer, but can’t keep off the phone; she’s entangled in a messy affair with one of her professors. English sub-titles.

Hungary
Thurs./jeudi March 30 mars, 19:00
LE PETIT VOYAGE

2000, 100 min. • Directors: Mihály Buzás, Gyorgy Palos
Set at the end of the 1970s, the main characters are typical teenagers and typical high school teachers who take a trip to the German Democratic Republic. It will change their lives forever. Now in their thirties, they remember their little voyage. The trip to East Germany came at an important moment in their lives: a lot of them lost their virginity there, a lot smoked the first cigarette, many shaved, got drunk for the first time and for some it was the first trip to a foreign country. All this and the fact that these events take place in the grotesque and senseless environment of the “socialist creative camp” makes VOYAGE a humorous, deftly satirical film. English sub-titles.