Cine Europa 17 opens at VSU

BAYBAY CITY, Leyte — The Cine Europa 17 is still going on at the Center for Continuing Education, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Leyte. A festival of award-winning films in Europe, Cine Europa at VSU began on Thursday, 16 October and will wind up Sunday, 19 October.

CE 17 had been to Mandaluyong, Baguio, Iloilo, and Cebu since September and will visit Tacloban on Oct. 21-26 before they hit Davao, Zamboanga, and Cagayan de Oro in November. Zamboanga and Leyte are just recent additions to the venues of CE as it expands its reach in its 17th year.

"[We are bringing ] European film culture to new audiences in Leyte. We are also very keen to plan additional screenings to reach residents of the worst affected areas of typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban," said Guy Ledoux, ambassador and head of the European Union delegation, in his speech in the CE 17 opening in Manila.

VSU faculty, staff, and students can watch all 21 films, which focus on family ties, from 15 European countries including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

"We aim to showcase the family's continued importance and significance in our lives in spite of its many permutations and the ever-changing nature of parent-child relationships," said Ledoux.

Cine Europa is an annual film festival organized by the European Union as part of their cultural exchange projects. EU has been initiating the Erasmus Mundus scholarship which several VSU faculty and staff have become grantees. —vsu.edu.ph