New Mediterranean Cinema

by Fabien Lemercier

24/10/2003 - More than 200 films will be taking part in the 25th edition of the International Festival of Mediterranean Cinema that starts today in Montpellier. The event goes on until November 1, and it is offering the best cinematographic productions – feature length films, shorts, documentaries and experimental productions – and particularly works made in Spain, Italy, Greece and the Balkans.

The Festival opens with Remember Me [trailer] by Gabriele Muccino, while Facing Window [trailer] by Ferzan Ozpetek will close the event. Here is a competition with 12 feature length films competing, mostly coming from Europe: Gori Vatra by Pjer Zalica (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Mortadelo & Filemón. The Big Adventure by Javier Fesser (Spain), Volverás by Antonio Chavarrías Ocaña (Spain), Le Soleil assassiné by Abdelkrim Bahloul (France), O kosmos xana ("The World starts every day") by Nikos Cornilios (Greece/France), El Alamein by Enzo Monteleone (Italy), Bell'Amico by Luca D'Ascanio (Italy), Furia by Radu Muntean (Romania), Kordon by Goran Markovic (Serbia and Montenegro) and Rezervni Deli by Damjan Kozole (Slovenia).
The special screenings include A Heart Elsewhere by Pupi Avati, Les Marins Perdus by Claire Devers, and the French-Spanish co-production No Rest for the Brave [trailer] by Alain Guiraudie and the Spanish French Where is Madame Catherine by Marc Recha. The "Panorama" section features 18 feature length films, including the Italian-Spanish The End of a Mystery by Miguel Hermoso, the Italian The Island, the Portuguese Daqui p'ra alegria by Jeanne Waltz and the British, Serbian and Montenegrin co-production Loving Glances.

The many other events on the programme include a retrospective called Totò the Neapolitan with a selection of the actor’s best films; a tribute to Mario Monicelli, a close up on Spanish fantasy cinema, an evening of music and cinema with the president of Nights of Cabiria by Federico Fellini, a tribute to the Spanish screenwriter Francisco Regueiro and a focus on Robert Guédiguian, who will be at Montpellier presenting some of his films. There will be two "study grants" (of €7,000 and €3,500) awarded to two feature film projects. And there will be a series of special educational events for 600 secondary schoolchildren on themes like "The mysteries of the Image", "Getting into Production" (with Agat Films), "directors of photography" and "live filming".

(Translated from French)