FOUR countries, with similar histories and cultural roots, also reveal a fascinating diversity. This festival offers insight into the newly reborn Central European cinema.
Presented by Canadian Film Institute in collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the Embassy of Hungary, the Embassy of Poland, and the Embassy of the Slovak Republic. All films presented in their original language version with Englishsub-titles.

UNE décennie après la chute du communisme, ce festival spécial de quatre films révèle la force et la diversité du cinéma contemporain issu de la République tchèque, de la Hongrie, de la Pologne et de la République slovaque. Présenté en collaboration avec les ambassades respectives de ces pays.

Wed./mer. March 22 mars, 19:30
THE BUTTONERS / Knoflikari
Czech Republic 1998, 100 minutes Director: Petr Zelenka
A huge hit at festivals in Berlin and Toronto, Zelenka's thoughtful comedy delightfully interweaves a host of eccentric characters and bizarre situations. Six episodes are solidly held together by themes of chance and consequence, destiny and coincidence. It is black comedy at its most deleriously wicked and spontaneous. Twists of fate and the twists of mind of the characters (mostly couples) combine in this engaging, penetrating, and inciive comedy set in Prague on August 6th, 1995, fifty years after the dawn of the atomic age.

Thurs./jeudi, March 23 mars, 19:30
GYPSY LORE / Romani Kris
Hungary 1997, 93 minutes Director: Bence Gyongyossy
When local authorities order the dismantling of an 'unhealthy' gypsy settlement in northern Hungary, Lover, a proud old man, decides to fight back. His rebellion leads to problems, and he is forced into a nomadic life. He takes with him local 'simpleton' and gypsy musician named Tamaska. They travel the country together by train, but soon resolve to return to the village to reconcile with family and re-integrate themselves into the community. A colorful, lyrical portrait of gypsy life and culture, GYPSY LORE was awarded the Prix de Montreal as the best first feature film at the 1997 World Film Festival in Montreal.

Sat./sam. March 25 mars, 19:30
THE GATEWAY OF EUROPE
Wrota Europy
Poland 1999, 74 minutes Director: Jerzy Wojcik
There is a dry plain between the Mazury lakeland region and the impenetrable swamps of Polesie where many have passed: Napoleon's troops on their way to Moscow, exiled Poles, the Czar's army heading west and, after the revolution, Boshevik soldiers. It is the gateway of Europe. This film, set in the winter of 1918, involves three young protagonists who arrive at this same fateful location. Having decided that their place is where the future is to be decided, at the frontline, they travel to the fabled gateway. When they reach a military hospital, however, they discover that this area of Poland is not only the gateway of Europe, but also the gateway of hell. Tautly constructed, Wojcik's is a gripping, historically resonant drama.

Sun./dim. March 26 mars, 19:30
THE GARDEN / Zahrada
Slovakia 1995, 99 minutes Director: Martin Sulik
Jakub, a teacher in his 30s, feels unhappy about his present life, so he runs away from the city and moves into the abandoned and timeworn house of his grandfather. The house is surrounded by a large garden and Jakub slowly gets enchanted by the magic and charm iof the place. He begins to be able to settle his problems with people around him, and begins to see where he may belong in a troubled existence. A quiet, meditative, remarkably poetic work of cinema, THE GARDEN has won many awards at international film festivals in Germany (Mannheim), France (Belford), Italy (Bologna and Torino), Czech Republic (Karlovy Vary), and many others.

THE PICTURES   a celebration of british cinema

GIVEN the resurgence of British film over the last decade, it's about time we showcased the rich and diverse achievements of the British cinema that came before. 'The Pictures' will recreate evenings at the cinema in Britain from the 1930s onward, with five extraordinary double-bills. Not only will this series offer a chance to see old favourites on the big screen in 35mm, it will also introduce classic British cinema to younger audiences who will be able to see these great films for the first time. Presented in collaboration with the British High Commission, and sponsored by Ottawa X-Press, 'The Pictures' is the cinematic event of the Spring. Don't miss it!

CÉLÉBRATION DU CINÉMA BRITANNIQUE
PRÉSENTÉE en collaboration avec le Haut-Commissariat britannique à Ottawa, cette série très particulière célèbre les remarquables réussites du cinéma britannique au cours des cinquante dernières années.

Fri./ven. April 7 avril, 19:00
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING
United Kingdom 1960, 89 min. Dir. Karel Reisz
Albert Finney stars in his very first screen role as a rebellious factory worker in industrial Nottingham. Based on Angry Young Man author Alan Sillitoe's novel of the same name, the film is a bleak and revealing portrait of working class life in post-war England, not to mention a pioneering work which anticipates later films by Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, Bill Douglas, and Danny Boyle.

Fri./ven. April 7 avril, 21:00
A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
United Kingdom 1946, 104 min.
Dirs. Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Returning from a WWII bombing run, Peter Carter's plane is damaged and his parachute ripped to shreds. He has his crew bail out safely, but figures he's dead. He gets on the radio and talks to June, a young American woman working for the RAF, and they are quite moved by each other's voices. Then he jumps, preferring this to burning up with his plane. He wakes up in the surf. It was his time to die, but it seems there was a mix-up in heaven. By the time his Heaven catches up with him, Peter and June have met and fallen in love.

Sat./sam. April 8 avril, 19:00
THE 39 STEPS
United Kingdom 1935, 81 min. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
An early Hitchcock thriller, the film centres on the misadventures of Richard Hannay, a young Canadian man, who, through a chance meeting with an attractive spy, unwittingly becomes a key figure in a plot of international espionage. At once confused and intrigued, Hannay soon finds himself in the midst of a wild chase through England and the Scottish moors as he pieces together the conspiracy. A masterpiece from Hitchcock's British period.

Sat./sam. April 8 avril, 21:00
KES
United Kingdom 1970, 112 min. Dir. Ken Loach
The story of a boy named Billy in working class Yorkshire who seeks to escape the routine and misery of his life by catching and training a baby falcon. Filmed entirely on location using mostly non-professional actors, the film traces Billy's struggle to maintain hope in a harsh, destructive environment. Rarely seen, KES is one of Ken Loach's most accomplished early works and was an enormous hit with British audiences on its initial release. Essential viewing.

Sat./sam. April 15 avril, 19:00
THE KNACK
United Kingdom 1965, 84 min. Dir. Richard Lester
A romantic comedy about the power of seduction, the plot pits a man who is lucky in love against one who is not, in a competition to win the affections of a lady. Based on a successful stage play, THE KNACK was hailed in its time for its innovative use of cinematic effects and fast-pased timing. From the director of HELP! and HARD DAY'S NIGHT, THE KNACK is a thrilling example of 'Cool Britannia,' 1960s version.

Sat./sam. April 15, 21:00
THE WICKER MAN
United Kingdom 1973, 103 min. Dir. Robin Hardy
Police Sgt. Howie of the Scottish mainland receives an anonymous letter from the offshore community of Summerisle, asking him to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. He travels to the remote isle and discovers a secretive, tightly knit neo-pagan society. Being a devout Christian, he is shocked by the islanders' open sexuality and ritualistic devotion to the "old gods." As the mystery of the missing girl unravels, he begins to suspect that she is a victim of human sacrifice. Gripping stuff.

Wed./mec. April 26 avril, 19:00
THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT
United Kingdom 1951, 84 min. Dir. Alexander MacKendrick
When a meek laboratory dishwasher, Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness) invents a fabric that neither deteriorates nor gets dirty, he unwittingly sets the vested interests of the garment industry against him. Management and labour, usually bitter enemies, unite to suppress this threat to their livelihood. A wry parable about planned obsolescence from Britain's fabled Ealing Studios.

Wed./mec. April 26 avril, 21:00
GET CARTER
United Kingdom 1971, 112 min. Dir. Hughes
This lean, tough action picture stars Michael Caine as a gangster investigating his brother's death. One of the classics of the British gangster genre, GET CARTER features a brilliant performance by Caine and a superb, unforgettable portrait of the British urban jungle. Says Ottawa Citizen film critic Jay Stone, 'GET CARTER is an overlooked gem, a great gritty British gangster film with Michael Caine in one of his best performances ­ and best haircuts ­ as a small-time British hood.' See the real thing before the Hollywood re-make arrives later this year.

Sun./dim. April 30 avril, 19:00
DEAD OF NIGHT
United Kingdom 1945, 104 min.
Directors: Basil Dearden, Charles Crichton, Robert Hamer, Alberto Cavalcanti
Actually five films in one, DEAD OF NIGHT is a brilliant rendering of a psychologically scarred Britain at the end of a long, exhausting war. This supernatural thriller effectively weaves together five episodes from four different directors to create a supernatural rollercoaster of a film. The episodes include 'The Hearse Driver,' 'The Christmas Party,' 'The Haunted Mirror,' 'The Ventriloquist's Dummy,' and 'The Golfing Story.' Don't leave before the credits are over, because the ride isn't over until the astonishing final frames. Incredible.

Sun./dim. April 30 avril, 21:00
GREGORY'S GIRL
United Kingdom 1981, 91 min. Director: Bill Forsyth
In his Scottish New Town home, gangling Gregory and his schoolfriends are starting to find out about girls. He fancies Dorothy, not least because she's on the football team and and is a much better player than him. He finally asks her out, but it is obviously the females in control of matters here, and that very much includes Gregory's younger sister. This delightful comedy propelled Forsyth to the top ranks of international cinema.

Internationally renowned Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke fashions absorbing, disquieting drama out of the apparently simple act of looking at the world. In a world of accelerated image delivery, Haneke's spare, muscular cinema is bracing, authoritative, and unnerving in its unflinching examinations of modern alienation. His is a cinematic gaze as perspicacious as Bunuel, as formally rigorous as Bresson or Kubrick, as morally ambiguous as Hitchcock. From his striking 1989 debut feature, THE SEVENTH CONTINENT, which dissects the nature of failed communication and alienation in a 'normal' Austrian household, to his haunting interpretation of Kafka's unfinished novel, THE CASTLE, Michael Haneke has rendered some of the most troubling portraits of western society in the past two decades.

Born in Munich in 1942, Haneke studied philosophy, psychology and drama in Vienna. After writing scripts for German television from 1967 to 1970, he began his career as a director, starting with television but soon branching out into feature films as well as numerous stage productions. His critiques of a materialistic, spiritually imperiled, technologically distorted society also play with conventions of film narrative, audience identification, and moral manipulation. In clever and often arresting ways, his work also reveals how commercial modes of cinema and television deaden while they titillate, and how we are somehow complicit in the whole enterprise. While these ideas have been explored elsewhere, what distinguishes Haneke's tautly constructed work is his development of a compelling cinematic grammar of uncertainty, doubt, and, paradoxically, clarity.

Taken in total, Michael Haneke's work is also a searching meditation on our mediated predicament, our sudden and promiscuous embrace of technology. From the video recording of an appalling and mundane murder in BENNY'S VIDEO (which, thematically at least, eerily presages the Bernardo-Homolka tapes) to the banal domestic terrors of FUNNY GAMES and to the debilitating dread of THE CASTLE, Haneke's films are startling confrontations with western society's amoral technological utopianism. Like the character K at the edge of that enormous and forbidding castle, utterly unable to get in or even discern who's in charge, perhaps we are also in danger of internalizing the remorseless and inhuman logic of the technological universe we are building at such high velocity. This programme presents Haneke's five key works for the cinema. It is a body of work which attempts, like all relevant cinema, to render what it sees while reshaping our perceptions of it. Unsettling, infuriating, intelligent, savage, subtle, and demanding, the films of Michael Haneke demonstrate that when the cinema looks closely enough, it can see very far and very deeply. Tom McSorley

Presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Austria. All films are in German with English sub-titles.

Le cinéaste de renommée internationale Michael Haneke aime les drames englobants et inquiétants qui découlent du geste apparemment banal de regarder le monde. Monde d'images en accéléré, son cinéma sobre mais musclé est vivifiant et déconcertant, et son étude stoïque de l'aliénation moderne fait autorité. Le regard cinématographique de Haneke a la perspicacité d'un Buñuel, la rigueur formelle d'un Bresson ou d'un Kubrick, et la moralité ambiguë d'un Hitchcock. Depuis son début foudroyant en 1989 avec « LE SEPTIÈME CONTINENT », où il dissèque l'échec de la communication et la nature de l?aliénation dans un ménage autrichien « normal », jusqu'à son interprétation lancinante du roman inachevé de Kafka, « LE CHÂTEAU », Michael Haneke a brossé pendant la dernière décennie parmi les plus troublants portraits de la société occidentale.

Sun./dim. April 2 avril, 19:00
THE CASTLE
Austria 1997, 125 min. Dir. Michael Haneke
The Castle is Haneke's interpretation of Franz Kafka's unfinished prose piece of the same name. The film follows the efforts of a surveyor named 'K', as he wrangles with the impenetrable bureaucracy of a governmental department which has summoned him for a work project, but once arrived, refuses to acknowledge his existence. Set somewhere between Kafka's time and contemporary Austria, it has the feel of a timeless parable. The style of the film is not absurdist in the manner of what one would expect from a work by Kafka; instead Haneke chooses to highlight the realistic elements of the tale, making its rendering grotesquely frustrating.

Sun./dim. Arpil 9 avril, 19:00
THE SEVENTH CONTINENT
Austria 1989, 111 min. Dir. Michael Haneke
Haneke's first feature is a stylistic take on the anguish of boredom. The film follows three years in the lives of a professional middle class couple searching vainly for an escape from their stifling complacency, and their emotionally troubled daughter who fakes blindness to get attention at school. Haneke uses recurring images of a far away Australian beach as a symbol of the impossibility of their persistent fantasies of escape. A visually compelling study of the deadending repetition of modern life and the horrible effect it can have on ordinary people.

Sun./dim. April 9 avril, 21:00
BENNY'S VIDEO
Austria 1992, 105 min. Dir. Michael Haneke
Benny's Video is the second in director Michael Haneke's trilogy exploring the role of violence and the media in modern Austrian society. Benny is a young teenager who mediates his experience of the world through a collection of video monitors in his bedroom which are constantly displaying images of graphic violence, some of which Benny has recorded himself with his ever-present video camera. When Benny accidentally kills a girl during a deadly game of "chicken", the cold effects of life viewed through a monitor come to a head. Having recorded the act on camera, Benny sits and watches the death over and over again as he decides what to do with the body. Benny's parents, though initially horrified soon busy themselves in an attempt to cover-up his crime.

Sun./dim. April 16 avril, 19:00
71 FRAGMENTS OF A
CHRONOLOGY OF CHANCE
Austria 1994, 96 min. Dir. Michael Haneke
The third of the trilogy examining the banality of violence in an impersonal modern society, 71 Fragments... looks at the haphazard series of events linking a killer and his victims. The film starts with a scene that is not shown, in which a man enters a bank on Christmas Eve and shoots a number of people at random before taking his own life. It then jumps back to track the lives of a series of strangers presumably in the period of time leading up to the shooting. Haneke's observational mode has never been more effective.

Sun./dim. April 16 avril, 21:00
FUNNY GAMES
Austria 1997, 103 min. Dir. Michael Haneke
Funny Games can best be described as a self-reflexive thriller. It begins happily with an upper-class Austrian nuclear family on their way to their summer house in the country. Soon after their arrival a neighbor comes by and introduces them to two young men who are staying with them. Later, one of the young men comes by to borrow some eggs, and from there the film descends into a non-stop onslaught of cruelty, torture and unmotivated violence as the family is held hostage for the sadistic amusement of their captors. Haneke turns what could have been a Hollywood blood-fest into a thoughtful, decidedly troubling consideration of our society's ongoing production and consumption of media violence.

Friday/vendredi March 24 mars, 19:30

THE FILMS OF SU RYNARD
CFI @ Club SAW, 67 rue Nicholas Street
EXPERIMENTAL, dramatic, parodic, engaging, the films of Toronto filmmaker Su Rynard represent a remarkable range of film styles and thematic subjects. From her fascinating experimental works (SIGNALS, EIGHT GUYS NAMED EUGENE) to her dramatic shorts (BIG DEAL SO WHAT, STRANDS), produced while Rynard was an intern at Norman Jewison's Canadian Film Centre, Rynard's work demonstrates the best aspects of Canadian independent filmmaking: a personal vision, a supple and diverse approach to film style, and an intelligent, open perspective on the world being filmed. Su Rynard will introduce and discuss her films, and will appear on Saturday, March 25 at the Filmmakers Forum at the Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa. The Forum begins at 1:00pm at IFCO offices in ArtsCourt.

Cost is $5. Friday ticket includes admission to Filmmakers Forum

special presentations spécial

Sat./sam. April 1 avril, 19:00
HERE IS THERE, THERE IS ANYWHERE:
NEW CANADIAN ANIMATION
WHETHER it's commercials, kids shows, computer, experimental or computer works, Canadians remain the finest producers of animation in the world. This special retrospective looks at a wide array of animation produced beyond the National Film Board and includes new films by Marv Newland, Rene Jodoin, Richard Reeves, Helen Hill, the stunning commercial work of Cuppa Coffee Animation and Head Gear, award-winning student films from Sheridan College, Vancouver Film School and Emily Carr School of Art and Design, along with new Canadian shows, Ed, Edd, and Eddy and Angela Anaconda. Preceded by a special animated short film made by local children at the Nickelodeon Children's Day event held as part of the 1999 Ottawa International Student Animation Festival.

Sat./sam. April 1 avril, 21:00
ENTER THE FAT DRAGON
Hong Kong 1978, 90 min. Dir. Sammo Hung
Sammo "Three Hairs" Hung Kam-bo (famous in North America as the star of CBS's Martial Law) is, according to Ottawa filmmaker Lee Demarbre, "without a doubt the greatest action director of all time." Mr. Hung can best be described as "Jackie Chan, plus 300 hamburgers." Join the CFI as we celebrate the best of the international cinematic phenom known as Hong Kong action movies. We begin our tribute with a rare 35mm print of Sammo Hung's lost classic, ENTER THE FAT DRAGON (not available on video, laser disc, or DVD!!). Sammo stars as a pig farmer who idealizes his favourite movie star, Bruce Lee. See Sammo fight off evil art forgers; see Sammo fight second-rate Bruce Lee imitators; see some of the funniest action scenes ever shot! Our very special evening includes prizes and a live kung-fu demonstration.