Film Festival of Visegrad Four Countries in India
What if I tell you that cinema can impact and improve the lives of people, provided people are ready for such an advancement? As sometimes it is difficult to explain people ways to enhance one’s level of solidarity for fellow human beings, animals and environment only to create a conducive ecosystem on this earth. In this chase of making the world a better place to live, film festivals may play a significant role.
The splendour of such efforts works well for the native audiences if film celebrating platforms or festivals feel responsible and incumbent to exchange decorum, cultural ideas on humanity, art and culture through a selection of world-class cinema with a touch of comedy. Besides, the cinema industry of the world is so broad, which makes it impossible to keep track of good films produced country-wise.
To an ordinary cinema viewer living in the south-east part of the globe, European cinema often equates to British James Bond or Mr Beans. This because of a lack of cultural exchange which manifests in insufficient knowledge or little taste for the societal discovery of other countries.
However, the success of any film or cultural festival solely depends on peoples participation that enables such initiatives to thrive. Discussing the theme of the festival, Europe has always been more diversely composite, in art and cinema, than one could even imagine in the usual sense. It reflects in the films of a few of the Avant-Garde cinema producing countries of Europe.
In this endeavour to bridge cultural exchange between India, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, a four-day film festival held at the Embassy of The Slovak Republic–New Delhi was one such an event.
A magnificent film festival of VISEGRAD four countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and the Slovak Republic) started from the 1st to 4th April in Delhi. This endeavour encapsulated universal ideas of love, endurance, challenges, health-care and freedom of human aspiration through a majority of comedy films.
The modesty of film festival held huge appreciation; every film opened with a note of reception thanking the audience by the High Commissioner of each of these four countries on each day. It’s noteworthy that the organising team at the embassy hosted a warm reception and generous hospitality for the public. The audience comprised of professors and PhD scholars researching and teaching at various universities in Delhi; filmmakers and media professionals, new entrepreneurs & businessmen; office staffs of different compounds, movie buffs & renowned artists. The general mood of the audience after every film was full of enthusiasm.
The film festival had an excellent selection of comedy films that resonated with the audiences and left them to contemplate on the cinematic depth, and knowledge filmmakers of these countries endure. Here, I wish only to explore the philosophical aspects of these four films, hoping readers of this piece may get excited to explore cinema making in these countries, alongside regular stuff available for an online streaming platform.
I will avoid detailing the plot of each of these films to avoid spoiler for the viewers who haven’t yet seen these four films. In this effort, will only sketch an outline focusing on the cinematic aesthetic of these films. I would urge and recommend online streaming platform like #Netflix and #Amazon to have these films on their list of streaming.
Tender Waves (Comedy–Czech Republic): A teenage love story at the backdrop of peoples’ movement explores timelessness and humanness of the ageless utopian generation. The reason a film like this stand fit to be in the category of World cinema is because the characters of the film capture universal nuances of ordinary people, perhaps living and experiencing the same conflict of expressing love. The actors, music, script, editing and cinematography were at par with any film industry standard of the world.
This film stands out unique because the narrative endeavours a musical comedy supported with the main soundtrack, suave editing and production design. The film’s cinematography in some scenes was simple with a background and foreground, but the same simplicity provided enriching viewing experience. Dramatic but yet simple characters well interwoven into the narrative. The complexities of each character untangle into the daily or common issues of an ordinary family living in any part of the world. And there are many more reasons that make it be an opening film for any film festival.
Life Feels Good (Drama–Poland): This is the most complex drama with the finesse that merits world-class cinematography of architecture. A story of a differently able person who faces challenges in making things better. It bases the film on a true story. However, the actors’ subtlety keeps the audience engage in the movie until the end. Using architecture, i.e. the house of the protagonist in the most experimental and naïve sense that only helps in building the drama.
It is rear to see mainstream cinema dealing with differently-abled characters so prudently and profoundly. The film story, screenplay and script attempt to explore all the similarities between any abled and differently able person through the desire of the protagonist. Thus, the film informs the audience about a lot of medical and psychological knowledge, busting the social stigma and myths surrounding the discussed subject of differently-abled people.
Here, storytelling takes the freedom of docu-drama format in some scenes, but such freedom doesn’t distract the audience from the intensity of the drama itself. This film is must watch for any filmmaker who wishes to make a film on a similar subject.
Kill On Wheels (Comedy/Drama–Hungary): A metaphorical film — one film in the festival that challenges the audience to think of the many metaphors used in the movie at regular intervals and especially in the end. Speaking from thought level: the narrative of the film engages three perfectives simultaneously. First, actors & story perspective is followed by the audience viewpoint and thirdly the comic-book outlook.
The comic-book plays a pivotal role in the screenplay’s designing. The story of the film leaves the audience flabbergasted, examining the strong will of a team of three differently-abled people on a wheelchair. The film had some influence on popular cinema produced in more prominent film industries in terms of the production, but had no impact, whatsoever, while discussing the characters and the aromaticity of action-comedy film.
This film was unique at many levels because here, the differently-abled were not shown seeking sympathy from the able world, but rather demonstrated in a different light by reducing differences with the ready world. Story of the film unconventionally describes the aspirations of differently-abled people. The acting department and scene edit complemented much better alongside love story brewing as the middle plot of the film.
All or Nothing (Comedy–Slovak Republic, Czech Republic and Poland): The film discusses a dilemma of relationships in an ever progressing societies of the world. More so when technology is at the helm of human decision making about partners. The film is a simple love story that offers you to think about a shared social pressure that any individual, perhaps in every society fasces at some point in their lives.
This film also converses the contemporary issue of gender equity, and as the name of the film suggests it explores the middle ground between all or nothing. Music of the film is melodious, and the drama is cute for an audience above the age group of an average grown-up teenager. The film holds a conventional plot of a triangle love story that revolves around kids. The older characters in the movie are charming and are placed well, that makes them memorable actors.
The climax covers fine-tuned arithmetic of musical editing, which at times looks anti-climax but on the contrary, prolongs for a resolved ending. A closing film for the festival couldn’t have been better with incessant laughter throughout the film. The film comes across the light in the totality of its drama value compare to all the other films in the festival but seems it was an apt film to close the festival on a cheerful note.
With this, I thank viewers and readers for taking time out for appreciating the much deserving initiative by the four countries through a beautiful film festival.
Keep following The Consular for more of such stories. Till then, take care!
