The inaugural European Union film festival in Zimbabwe started off on a high note with the venue- Theatre in the Park fully packed on the opening night and reasonably good audience on the second day.
Some of the films showcased so far include Cinzento E Negro and La Grande Bellezza, from Portugal and Italy, respectively. The former, follows the life of Maria who is betrayed by David, her lover, who steals all her money and flees to Pico Island in the Azores. In humiliation, she only longs for revenge then she decides to contact Lucas, a police inspector, to find clues as to the whereabouts of David. However, on a visit to the island of Faial, Lucas falls in love with Marina, employed at the Peter Café Sport, located in the historic center of the city of Horta. This love changes the course of events into a dramatic swirl of love, betrayal and revenge. The engaging and captivating storyline kept the audience quietly glued to the screen throughout the entire duration of the film.
The Italian film, La Grande Bellezza also known as The Great Beauty is about the journalist Jep Gambardella who ‘has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty’. Relating to the film prior to its screening, the Italian ambassador to Zimbabwe Enrico de Agostini highlighted that the film has won several awards, such as the Golden Globe and the BAFTA awards in 2014. He notes that the film enlightens people specifically Zimbabweans know more about Europe. It is a way of promoting national pride as reflected by some of the visuals shown in the film such as artifacts and sites. It also depicts the lifestyle dynamics of Italy.
These films provide insight into the way of life and cultural diversity of the different European countries represented. The film festival will continue until the 20th of May, with screenings from European countries.
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