Sixteen Films Screen as Part of Moving Image's PANORAMA EUROPE FESTIVAL, Beginning Today

Panorama Europe 2015, the seventh edition of this vital festival of new European cinema (formerly known as Disappearing Act), presented by Museum of the Moving Image and the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), returns to the Museum and the Bohemian National Hall with a slate of sixteen new features from today, May 29 through June 14.

The opening weekend includes special screenings of Gods (Poland, 2014), with director Lukasz Palkowski in person on Friday, May 29, and Bota (The World) (Albania, 2014), with co-director Iris Elezi in person, on Sunday, May 31. Both screenings will be followed by conversations with the filmmakers, and receptions. Other festival titles include films from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Spain.

The festival informally kicks off on Thursday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. with a screening of short European films at Tribeca Cinemas, followed by a party, as part of the NY Portuguese Short Film Festival (NYPSFF).

The Closing Night film is Bas Devos's award-winning Violet (Belgium, 2014), which screened as part of this year's New Directors/New Films series. The screening will be preceded by live musc by the Flemish band St. Grandson in the Museum's courtyard and will be followed by a reception.

"This year's Panorama Europe lineup is exceptional," said Chief Curator David Schwartz, who programmed the festival. "Many of the films are fascinated with questions of identity and history, on both personal and national levels. And this year, many films use humor, often dark, to explore their subjects."

The festival continues its mission of showcasing the best in European filmmaking by introducing a wide-ranging selection of contemporary cinema in varying genres that cover many current social and cultural themes. Panorama Europe offers New York audiences what may be their only chance to see these acclaimed films on the big screen. Some of the highlights of this year's edition include Petr Václav's 2015 Czech Lion best film The Way Out, Panos H. Koutras's multiple award-winning Xenia (Greece), Virág Zomborácz's Afterlife (Hungary), Ignas Jonynas's The Gambler (Lithuania), with star Oona Mekas attending, and Breathe (France), the sophomore feature directed by the actress Mélanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds, Beginners).

The festival board, headed by Kristýna Milde and chaired by the Czech Center, is comprised of the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Czech Center, the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Goethe-Institut New York, the Hungarian Cultural Center, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Onassis Foundation (USA) and Consulate General of Greece, and the Polish Cultural Institute New York.

Additionally, festival partners include the Albanian Institute, the Arte Institute, the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia and Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Consulate General of Estonia, the Consulate General of Spain, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia and Slovenian Film Centre, the General Representation of the Government of Flanders to the U.S., and Instituto Cervantes.

"We are thrilled to bring New York audiences the best of the current European cinema," said Milde. "Panorama Europe is the only festival in New York showcasing such a comprehensive selection of European films, as well the largest collaborative event of the EUNIC members in New York, which includes the European cultural institutes, consulates, and the European Union Delegation to the United Nations. This year the festival celebrates its seventh anniversary, and it's exciting to see it evolving and growing into such a significant and strong showcase. Bringing European films to New York in this format has proven itself over the years to be vital to the cultural fabric of the city and I am looking forward, together with the moviegoers, to discovering, celebrating and enjoying the art of European film."

The full lineup of Panorama Europe 2015:

Bota (The World), Albania, Dir. Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci / Opening Weekend Film & Reception
Gods, Poland, Dir. Lukasz Palkowski / Opening Weekend Film & Reception
Violet, Belgium, Dir. Bas Devos / Closing Night Film & Reception

Afterlife, Hungary, Dir. Virág Zomborácz
Age of Cannibals, Germany, Dir. Johannes Naber
Breathe, France, Dir. Mélanie Laurent
Cowboys, Croatia, Dir. Tomislav Mrsic
The Gambler, Lithuania, Dir. Ignas Jonynas
I Can Quit Whenever I Want, Italy, Dir. Sydney Sibilia
In the Basement, Austria, Dir. Ulrich Seidel, and the short film Exterior Extended
In the Crosswind, Estonia, Dir. Martti Helde
Magical Girl, Spain, Dir. Carlos Vermut
The Tree, Slovenia, Dir. Sonja Prosenc
The Unexpected Life, Spain, Dir. Jorge Torregrossa
The Way Out, Czech Republic, Dir. Petr Václav
Xenia, Greece, Dir. Panos H. Koutras

Please see below for full schedule and locations. To view the schedule online and to order tickets, visit www.movingimage.us/panorama-europe.

Venues and Tickets:

Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35 Avenue, Astoria, New York. Subway: M, R to Steinway Street or N, Q to 36 Avenue. Tickets for Panorama Europe films are $12 each ($9 seniors and students / free for Museum members at the Film Lover level and above). Advance tickets are available online at movingimage.us. Complimentary industry and press passes are available.

Bohemian National Hall
321 East 73 Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, New York. Subway: 6 to 68 Street Hunter College or 77 Street. Visit new-york.czechcentres.cz for more information.
Tickets for Panorama Europe at the Bohemian National Hall are free.
Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick Street, New York (at the corner of Laight and Varick Streets, one block south of Canal Street). Subway:?1, A, C, E to Canal Street. More information and tickets at arteinstitute.org/nypsff.

SCHEDULE AND DESCRIPTIONS FOR 'PANORAMA EUROPE,' MAY 29-JUNE 14, 2015*
Unless otherwise noted, screenings take place in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater or the Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Avenue in Astoria, OR at Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73 Street, Manhattan. *Program may be subject to change

OPENING WEEKEND FILM
Gods
With Lukasz Palkowski in person, followed by reception
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 7:00 P.M.
Poland. Dir. Lukasz Palkowski. 2014, 120 mins. With Tomasz Kot, Piotr Glowacki, Szymon Piotr Warszawski. This enormously entertaining biopic chronicles the groundbreaking work of Zbigniew Religa, the pioneering Polish surgeon who defied the Communist bureaucracy of the 1980s to perform the country's first heart transplant. Told with wit, verve, and a fastidious attention to period detail, Gods is an engrossing portrait of a larger-than-life personality.

Afterlife
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2:00 P.M.
Also showing: Thursday, June 4, 7:00 p.m. at Bohemian National Hall
Hungary. Dir. Virág Zomborácz. 2014, 93 mins. With Márton Kristóf, László Gálffi, Eszter Csákányi. A pastor and son with a strained relationship get a shot at reconciliation-after the older man's unexpected death. Part tender coming-of-age tale, part darkly comic ghost story, Afterlife is a surprising, poignant fable from one of the most distinctive new voices in Hungarian cinema.

The Tree
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 4:00 P.M.
Slovenia. Dir. Sonja Prosenc. 2014, 90 mins. With Katarina Stegnar, Jernej Kogovsek, Lukas Matija. A mother and her two sons live as prisoners in their own home. But what is it about the outside world they fear? Told from three points of view, a riveting family tragedy gradually reveals itself in this acclaimed Slovenian chamber drama, which masterfully maintains an air of steadily mounting tension.

I Can Quit Whenever I Want
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2:00 P.M.
Italy. Dir. Sydney Sibilia. 2014, 100 mins. With Edoardo Leo, Valeria Solarino, Valerio Aprea. A group of underemployed academics hope to earn quick cash by entering the drug racket. But when their new designer drug turns out to be all the rage, can they handle the success? One of the funniest Italian comedies in years, this ultra-entertaining box office smash plays like Breaking Bad meets Reservoir Dogs.

Xenia
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 4:00 P.M.
Greece. Dir. Panos H. Koutras. 2014, 128 mins. With Kostas Nikouli, Nikos Gelia, Aggelos Papadimitriou. A gay teen and his older brother journey across Greece in search of their estranged father in this alternately surreal and stirring road movie. Juxtaposing the realities of present-day Greece with imaginative slips into dream logic, this bold coming-of-age saga swept this year's Hellenic Film Academy Awards, winning Best Picture and six other awards.

OPENING WEEKEND FILM
Bota (The World)
With co-director Iris Elezi in person; followed by reception
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 7:00 P.M.
Albania. Dir. Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci. 2014, 104 mins. With Flonja Kodheli, Artur Gorishti, Fioralba Kryemadhi. The intersecting lives of three people working at an offbeat café in a small village form a captivating portrait of modern day Albania in this poetic drama, which confronts a particularly troubling chapter of the country's Communist past.

The Way Out
FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 7:00 P.M.
Also showing: Tuesday, June 2, 7:00 p.m. at Bohemian National Hall
Czech Republic/France. Dir. Petr Václav. 2014, 102 mins. With Klaudia Dudová, David Ištok, Sára Makulová. The Way Out follows a young Romany woman who perseveres in the face of anti-gypsy racism to find steady employment. This heartrending drama, shown in competition at Cannes, is rendered with admirable understatement and an almost documentary-like realism. The Way Out, winner of the Czech Film Critics Award,
was named Best Film at the Czech Lion awards. New York Premiere.

Cowboys
SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2:00 P.M.
Croatia. Dir. Tomislav Mrsic. 2013, 107 mins. With Sasa Anocic, Zivko Anocic, Matija Antolic. The Wild West and Eastern Europe collide in this infectious Croatian comedy, in which a prominent theater director mounts a hilariously bizarre cowboy musical in a bleak industrial town. Croatia's Academy Awards entry for Best Foreign Language Film "is a nifty blend of social drama and absurdist comedy" (Variety).

In the Crosswind
SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2:00 P.M.
Estonia. Dir. Martti Helde. 2014, 87 mins. With Ingrid Isotamm, Laura Peterson, Mirt Preegel, Einar Hillep, Tarmo Song. This startlingly original "landmark film" (The Hollywood Reporter) recounts one woman's harrowing, true-life tale of survival in the midst of Stalin's ethnic cleansing of the Baltic region. Told via stunning, monochrome tableaux vivants that freeze characters in time and space, In the Crosswind is both a visually and emotionally overwhelming experience.

The Gambler
With actress Oona Mekas in person
SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 4:00 P.M.
Lithuania. Dir. Ignas Jonynas. 2013, 109 mins. With Vytautas Kaniusonis, Oona Mekas, Rimas Blockis. This twisted, ultra-stylish thriller serves up a shocking premise: Vincentas, a paramedic with a gambling addiction, collects big time when he starts taking bets on whether his patients live or die. As the scheme spreads throughout the hospital, Vincentas begins raking in the money-but has he sold his soul? The Gambler is a noirish plunge into the darkest depths of amorality, and was Lithuania's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language film.

In the Basement
SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 7:00 P.M.
Austria. Dir. Ulrich Seidl. 2014, 85 mins. With Fritz Lang, Alfreda Klebinger, Manfred Ellinger. Best known for his "Paradise" narrative trilogy, Seidl returns to the documentary form by visiting the basements of middle-class Austrians to share the odd, disturbing, and touching findings in these intimate private spaces. Preceded by Exterior Extended (Austria. Dir. Siegfried A. Fruhauf. 2013, 8 mins. 35mm).

Breathe
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2:00 P.M.
France. Dir. Mélanie Laurent. 2014, 91 mins. With Joséphine Japy, Lou de Laâge, Isabelle Carré. Two teenage girls' seemingly perfect friendship turns toxic in this gripping sophomore feature from actress-turned-director Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds, Beginners). Boasting standout, César Award-nominated performances from its lead actresses, Respire captures the turbulence of the adolescent years with raw emotional honesty.

The Unexpected Life
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 4:00 P.M.
Spain. Dir. Jorge Torregrossa. 2014, 107 mins. With Javier Cámara, Raúl Arévalo, Tammy Blanchard. An actor and Spanish ex-pat living in Manhattan bonds with his more conventional cousin in this bittersweet comedy. A charming valentine to New York City, The Unexpected Life offers wise and witty insights into what it means to be a foreigner in a new country.

Magical Girl
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 12:00 P.M.
Spain. Dir. Carlos Vermut, 2014, 127 mins. With Marina Andruix, Julio Arrojo, Luis Bermejo. This mind-bending neo-noir begins as a tale of a father desperate to fulfill his dying daughter's last wish: to own an extravagantly expensive dress from her favorite Japanese anime. The lengths to which he goes to secure the garment lead him down a rabbit hole of depravity. The film won the Golden Shell award for Best Film and the Silver Shell for Best Director at the 62nd International Film Festival in San Sebastian, Spain.

Age of Cannibals
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 3:00 P.M.
Also showing: Tuesday, June 9, 7:00 p.m. at Bohemian National Hall
Germany. Dir. Johannes Naber. 2014, 93 mins. With Sebastian Blomberg, Devid Striesow, Katharina Schüttler. Passed over for a promotion, two slimy international business consultants head for a breakdown of epic proportions in this scorching satire of capitalism at its dirtiest. Propelled by tour-de-force performances, Age of Cannibals goes to extremes to expose the dehumanizing effects of the corporate rat race. The film won multiple German Film Critics Awards, including Best Feature Film, among others.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM
Violet
Preceded by live music by the Flemish band St. Grandson in the Museum Courtyard (5:45-6:45 p.m.); screening followed by reception
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 7:00 P.M.
Belgium. Dir. Bas Devos. 2014, 82 mins. With César De Sutter, Raf Walschaerts, Mira Helmer. This "intensely stylized, highly original and utterly mesmerizing" (Variety) film viscerally evokes the disorientation of grief as a troubled teen deals with the emotional fallout of witnessing his friend's murder. Stunningly shot partly in 65mm, Violet favorably recalls Gus Van Sant's portraits of teenage angst as it builds towards a heart-stopping climax. The reception is presented by the General Representation of the Government of Flanders to the U.S.

European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) (new-york.eunic-online.eu) in New York presents cutting-edge and thought provoking artistic and intellectual European achievements to New York and U.S. audiences. EUNIC partners with eminent American and other European institutions to provide programs in the arts, languages, education, and academia. EUNIC is part of a global coalition of national cultural institutes and cultural diplomatic services from the European Union that works in more than 80 cities on all continents. EUNIC New York was founded in 2007 and has 13 full members and 31 associate members and observers.

Museum of the Moving Image (movingimage.us) advances the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. In its stunning facilities-acclaimed for both its accessibility and bold design-the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings of significant works; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, craftspeople, and business leaders; and education programs which serve more than 50,000 students each year. The Museum also houses a significant collection of moving-image artifacts.

The Bohemian National Hall (www.bohemiannationalhall.com), a recently redesigned, award-winning landmark building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is a center for Czech culture in New York City. Since it was established in 1896, it has served as a focal point for its community as well as a place for exchange and dialogue with the American audience. Residing here is the Czech Center New York (CCNY) (www.czechcenter.com), a cultural institute of the Czech Republic, dedicated to promoting Czech art abroad and fostering interaction with the international community in New York City by hosting a wide range of free events showcasing contemporary Czech art together with international collaborations in music, fine art, and design, featuring annual film festivals and seasonal rooftop screenings. Established in 1995, the CCNY is part of an international network of Czech Centers supporting artists, professionals, and cultural exchange in 23 countries on 3 continents.

Since 2011 the NY Portuguese Short Film Festival (arteinstitute.org/nypsff) has presented an annual two-day showcase of short Portuguese films, produced and hosted by Arte Institute at Tribeca Cinemas. This is the first year the festival is partnering with Panorama Europe.

Pictured: Xenia, Courtesy of Strand Releasing