International film festival brings spring to the city

  • 2011-03-16
  • By Laurence Boyce

NO CLICHES: Poster of the Cinema Spring Festival stating “Spring festival is full of cliches anyway - take a rest from them.”

VILNIUS - The 16th Vilnius International Film Festival “Cinema Spring” claims to be ‘…without cliches.’ Whilst the notion of a film festival has in itself become somewhat cliched (thanks to the enormous number that are occurring across the planet at any one moment), the films themselves are anything but. With a vast amount of diversity and talent from across the world engaged in filmmaking, festivals such as Vilnius are able to proudly prove that cinema can still inspire passion and innovation in both its creators and its audience.

The competition goes under the name ‘New Europe – New Names’ which pretty much does what it says on the tin as it highlights new work from up and coming filmmakers from countries often underrepresented in European Cinema. Highlights include the wonderful “Erratum,” a tender story of a man returning to small town life and coming to terms with his past. Beautifully observed by director Marek Lechki, it’s a powerful yet understated story of growing older and forgiveness. Also powerful is the stunning “My Joy” (winner of the Grand Prix at the 2010 Black Nights Film Festival), a dark yet compelling story of a truck driver whose journey does not go as planned. This is a story that goes off on tangents with one strange thing happening after another. Building up a vaguely surreal atmosphere, it manages to be both disturbing yet humorous as director Sergei Loznitsa paints a portrayal of a part of Europe rich with myth and strange inhabitants. Also look out for Romanian films, such as “Hello! How Are You?” and “On the Path,” as Romanian cinema is having something of a golden era at the moment whilst the Serbian film “Woman With a Broken Nose” is worth watching for its well-acted story of chance encounters.

Big names screening out of competition include Jean-Luc Godard, whose polemic film “Socialisme” has managed to enrapture and infuriate audiences in equal measure, Abbas Kiarostami, the Iranian director whose “Certified Copy” marks his European debut and Jan Sverak, whose puppet film “Kooky” is nothing short of a wonderful delight. Other films worth discovering are “Cell 211,” a tough examination of a warder being caught in a brutal prison riot, “NEDS,” a strong and visceral tale of Scottish gang life in the 1970s directed by the actor Peter Mullan and “Sound of Noise” which, after a number of dark films, should provide some relief as it’s an exciting romp centering on a policeman who is determined to stop a gang of criminals from attempting to make music wherever they please.

Some of the best cinema in the world is currently in the genre of documentary, and the festival section dedicated to the form certainly bears this out. “The Arbor,” the tragic story of British playwright Andrea Dunbarm is by far one of the best British films of the past few years whilst Werner Herzog’s latest film “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” gets an airing in 3D. Also screening is “Inside Job,” the winner of this year’s Oscar for Best Feature Documentary that takes a fearless look at the global economic collapse, and “La Quattro Volte,” a stunningly shot meditation on life in a small Italian village which has one of the best performances by a dog you’ll ever see.

Unsurprisingly, there’ll be a focus on Lithuanian cinema as there’ll be 13 premieres of new films from the country, whilst Sarunas Bartas, director of the critically acclaimed “Eastern Drift” will receive a retrospective. Other honored guests include Jonas Mekas, the director originally from Lithuania who is considered one of the most important figures in the Avant Garde scene.

Indeed, when your local multiplex keeps churning out ‘Hollywood Action Movie Part 4’ or ‘Romantic Comedy Part 3’ it’s easy to believe that cinema is nothing but cliches. But festivals such as Vilnius are once again proving that there’s a lot more to the movies than one can sometimes think. If you want to try something new then the Vilnius International Film Festival should be the perfect start.

Vilnius International Film Festival runs from March 17 till March 31.

For more information visit www.kinopavasaris.lt