Museum of the Moving Image's First PANORAMA EUROPE Festival Set for 4/4-13

Museum of the Moving Image and The European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) will present Panorama Europe, from Friday, April 4 through Sunday, April 13, a showcase of 17 contemporary European feature films and one program of short films. Known as Disappearing Act for its first five years, the newly re-named festival continues the mission of showcasing vital European filmmaking as distribution remains challenging for foreign language films in the United States. Panorama Europe gives New York audiences access to what may be their only chance to see these acclaimed films from the festival circuit on the big screen or at all. This year's festival will take place at Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria and at the Bohemian National Hall in Manhattan. It was programmed by David Schwartz, Chief Curator at Museum of the Moving Image.

The opening night film Unit 7, a riveting Spanish thriller, will be shown on Friday, April 4 at Museum of the Moving Image. Director Alberto Rodríguez will appear in person at the screening of his gripping cop thriller set on the mean streets of late-1980s Seville. The film earned 16 Goya nominations.

"European cinema was once viewed by American audiences as the center of film culture," said Schwartz. "But today, it has become harder for foreign-language films to open theatrically in New York. Panorama Europe shows that European cinema is vibrant and varied. If there is a central theme underlying many of the films, it is a fascination with secrets and revelations, on many levels-personal, social, and political."

The full line-up for Panorama Europe is:

• Opening Night: Unit 7 (Grupo 7), Spain, 2012, directed by Alberto Rodríguez

• Balancing Act (Gli Equilibristi), Italy, 2012, directed by Fabio Troisi - U.S. Premiere

• Blood Type, Estonia, 2013, directed by Leeni Linna

• The Bucaresti Experiment, Romania, 2013, screening with Before the Fall, Romania, 2011, directed by Tom Wilson

• Cinematic Inclusions, Lithuania, (seven shorts directed by Robertas Verba, Almantas Grikevi?ius, Henrika Sablevi?ius, Ar?nas Matelis, Audrius Stonye, Algimantas Maceina)

• Domestic Life (La Vie Domestique), France, 2013, directed by Isabella Czajka - U.S. Premiere

• Dream Team 1935, Latvia, 2012, directed by Aigars Grauba

• Fish n' Chips, Cyprus, 2011, directed by Elias Demetriou - New York Premiere

• Honeymoon (Libanky), Czech Republic/Slovakia, 2013, directed by Jan Hrebejk - New York Premiere

• I Feel Like Disco (Ich fuhl mich Disco), Germany, 2012, directed by Axel Ranisch - New York Premiere

• Just the Wind (Csak A Szél), Hungary, 2012, directed by Benedek Fliegauf - New York Premiere

• Life Feels Good (Chce Sie Zyc), Poland, 2013, directed by Maciej Pieprzyca

• Miss Violence, Greece, 2013, directed by Alexandros Avranas - U.S. Premiere

• My Dog Killer (Môj Pes Killer), Slovak Republic, 2013, directed by Mira Fornay - New York Premiere

• Paradise: Lost (Paradies: Liebe), Austria, 2012, directed by Ulrich Seidl

• Rosie, Switzerland, 2013, directed by Marcel Gísler - New York Premiere

• Seduce Me (Zapelji Me), Slovenia, 2013, directed by Marko Santic - U.S. Premiere

• Sonja and the Bull (Sonja I Bik), Republic of Croatia, 2012, directed by Vlatka Vorkapic - New York Premiere

The complete Panorama Europe schedule with descriptions is included below.

The Panorama Europe Festival Board includes: Austrian Cultural Forum, Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Czech Center, Goethe-Institut, Greek Consulate and the Onassis Foundation (USA), Hungarian Cultural Center, and Polish Cultural Institute New York. The festival is put on in partnership with: Consulate General of Cyprus, Consulate General of Estonia, Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia and Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Consulate General of the Slovak Republic and Slovak Film Institute, Consulate General of Spain, Consulate General of Switzerland, Consulate of Latvia in New York, Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania, Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia and Slovenian Film Centre, Italian Cultural Institute, Romanian Film Initiative.