Promotion of European cinema

“EU XXL film, forum and festival of european film” is the name of an initiative launched by actress and former EU parliamentarian Mercedes Echerer in 2003 to promote European cinema.

Films as reflection of European integration

The main aims of the initiative are to promote European integration and cultural exchange and to improve cross-border contacts in the film industry. This is achieved through a three-pronged approach based on the EU XXL Forum, EU XXL Film Show and EU XXL Dialogue. Forums take place regularly in Austria and other countries (most recently in mid-December in Bratislava and Krakow) and permit an exchange of ideas between representatives and experts of networks and interest groups within the European film industry.

The result of this exchange of ideas – the EU XXL Resolution – will be submitted to the next Council Presidency, the European Commission and the European Parliament as a means of representing and strengthening the interests of the European film industry in a converging Europe.

Film Show 2007

The next EU XXL Film Show, the main component of the annual festival, will be opened at the end of February in Krems. At the same time, topics connected with the films being shown will be discussed in the EU XXL Dialogue. Conversely, the choice of films is also influenced by the topics discussed in the Dialogue and Forum, thereby offering a cinematic context for film enthusiasts.

EU XXL film on tour

EU XXL film has visited 11 venues in Lower Austria and Vienna since October with a series of selected films, mostly on DVD. The “cinemas” are restaurants or cultural centres. In Vienna, for example, filmgoers were offered a unique opportunity to view the films in the Red Bar of the Volkstheater. The main library on the Gürtel, the Kunsthalle and the Amerlingbeisel were also converted for the occasion into cinemas. The aim of the programme is to draw attention to films, even after they have been shown at festivals elsewhere.

Visions of Europe

The films were selected with great care. They included “The Alzheimer Case” by Erik Van Looly, the story of a contract killer with Alzheimer’s disease, who decides to kill his boss, the short film portrait of Zrinko Ogresta from Croatia, and the curious Czech comedy by Vladimir Moravek “Sex in Brno”. The film “Vision of Europe” gives a fragmentary insight into the united Europe with 25 portraits by 25 directors – from Barbara Albert and Peter Greenaway to Aki Kaurismäki – from 25 countries. The film can be seen again at Arcotel Wimberger on 3 March.

Link-Tip

www.eu-xxl.at