Beverly Cohn, Editor-at-Large
Consulates from all over Europe joined with International Documentary Association, Santa Monica-based European Languages and Movies in America, and American Cinematheque in presenting “Eurodocs,” a collection of 11 European documentaries seen for the first time in the U.S. Countries represented included Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Opening night kicked off at the historic Aero Theatre with three submissions. The first documentary, Sweden’s Source of Inspiration, is a 14-minute piece about the life of a Saami artist living a life of solitude in Lapland and gives us an intimate glance into how he spends his time each day sans human contact. The film is beautifully shot by director Linda Blomqvist.
France’s entry, Voyage In G Major, a 54-minute film tenderly directed by Georgi Lazarevski, depicts the poignant adventures of a most charming 90-year-old man as he wanders through Morocco on his dream vacation.
Belgium’s 51-minute film, Sous Le Chapiteau des Pauwels, directed by Agnes Bensimon, is a unique look at a family of nomadic Jewish circus performers whose ancestors have been in the same business for 200 years. We glimpse their normal daily lives, including a most touching traditional Shabbat dinner outside one of their trailers.
The festival continued through October 22 with screenings from the other participating nations.
