'movies' - tagged features

Turning to Sweden now and another legend never to be forgotten. Swedes said goodbye to film director Ingmar Bergman whose classic films like "Fanny and Alexander" have become a firm fixture in the hall of Swedish cultural fame. Internationally, Ingmar Bergman is most known for his films, but he was also a very active author and playwright. The legendary director died in his home on the Swedish island of Fårö in 2007. Radio Sweden's Azariah Kiros talked to Astrid Söderbergh-Widding, chairperson of the Ingmar Bergman Foundation. 

Remember that? The images themselves weren’t as graphic as it sounds. The whole thing was supposed to help promote European films. Sex sells. Well, Romania is seeing tangible results—An open-air theatre screening European movies is turning around a Bucharest neighbourhood. Radio Romania International's Iulian Muresan has more. 

Many people have an image of Ingmar Bergman as a very austere director who made dark and depressing films about death, doom and dramas. Internationally, Ingmar Bergman is most known for his films, but he was also a very active author - writing scripts, novels and theater plays. The legendary director died this week in his home on the Swedish island of Fårö. Radio Sweden talked to Astrid Söderbergh-Widding, chairperson of the Ingmar Bergman Foundation. 

There’s new evidence to suggest that it’s the summer of love in Brussels. European government suffers from an image problem and is often seen as aloof, unrepresentative and meddling. But now if you surf the EU’s website you’ll find that Brussels is involved in the sexy and seductive world of the movies. Hundreds of thousands of visitors to the site have been enjoying a steamy short film montage of famous sex scenes from celebrated European movies. The two minute film is now a hit on YouTube, but it’s upset a good number of people too. 

World War II is taboo in Europe, particularly in Germany. But a movie released this month breaks the long-standing German taboo against laughing at Adolf Hitler. Making fun of the Nazi Dictator is nothing new in the English-speaking world. Charlie Chaplin did it in "The Great Dictator", as did Mel Brooks in the Producers. Deutsche Welle's Sabina Casagrande has this report about "My Führer--The Truly Truest Truth About Adolf Hitler", the new comedy that has sparked a national debate in Germany. 

Glod – that’s the name of a tiny village in the Carpathian mountains, practically unknown to anyone outside of Romania. Unknown, that is, except as the hometown of legendary film character Borat. 

And we now visit the Czech Republic, where an organisation that helps the blind staged an event at the Karlovy Vary film festival that has just come to a close. The aim was to bring visitors closer to the life of the visually impaired. 

Dogma  - a school of film making in Denmark, had worldwide success, with filmmakers such as Lars von Trier, and Thomas Vinterberg reaping international fame. Now a group of filmakers scriptwriters and producers in Gothenburg is trying to duplicate that success by creating Sweden's first cinema manifesto. They call themselves Doris Film - and their goal is to increase the amount of films directed by women in Sweden.  Radio Sweden's Moira Sullivan caught up with Annika Hellström and Anna Ericsson at a special Women in Film and Television event at the Swedish Film Institute. And asked them how it all started. 

There is so much picturesque mythology surrounding the Roma - or gypsy - people, that cinema seems to find it hard to treat the theme without being seduced into showing singing and dancing round the camp fire.... even when the director is "one of them" - like Tony Gatlif, who was born to Algerian and Spanish-gypsy parents. "Transylvania", which is Gatliff's second film centered on the Romanian Roma, was the closing piece at this year's Cannes film festival. Radio Romania International reports from the city of Cluj on the "Transylvania International Film Festival" where, naturally, Gatliffs new film featured prominently. 

This week's political debates in Europe have somehow taken second place to the real headline. Namely, the eagerly awaited world premiere of the Da Vinci Code at the Cannes film festival on Wednesday. Despite thumbs downs from critics no one doubts that it'll be a huge success. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown has sold more than 39 million copies. Some of the book's most dramatic scenes take place in London and there's so much interest in the various locations that the tour company, London Walks, is offering special Da Vinci Code Tours. Deutsche Welle reports from London.