Four European films screening at V4 Film Festival Cairo

CAIRO - 5 April 2018: Four films from the three Visegrad Group countries in Europe; Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic will be screening across four weeks as part of a new event called the V4 Film Festival Cairo, starting on April 4 and running until April 24.

The first of the films is "The Feather Fairy (Perinbada)" from Slovakia, screening at the Office of the Hungarian Cultural Counselor on April 4. Released in 1985 and directed by Juraj Jakubisko, this heartwarming fantasy movie is an adaptation of a Brother's Grimm fairytale, and tells the story of the benevolent Feather Fairy. Living in the sky, she gives snow to the world, and raises a young boy named Jacob who she saved from an Avalanche.

Now immortal, Jacob watches human life from above, and one day falls for a young peasant girl, watching as she grows into a beautiful woman. As he desires to be with her, Jacob must choose between immortality and love. "The Feather Fairy" was nominated for the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1985.



Next is "Breaking the Limits (Najlepszy)", a 2017 Polish biographical drama film by Lukasz Palkowski that will screen at the Czech Embassy on April 11. It tells the life of Jerzy Górski, the true story of a former drug addict who decides to make it big as an ironman. The movie follows as he overcomes his struggle with drug addiction and undergoes grueling training to rise to the top and become a champion, beating all the odds.



Then comes next up is the 1966 Czech film "Closely Watched Trains (Ostre sledované vlaky)" which will screen at the Czech Embassy on April 18. From director Jirí Menzel, comes a classic of Czech New Wave Cinema that follows a train operator who embarks on an adventure of sexual liberation, eventually getting caught up in World War II. It won the "Best Foreign Language" Oscar at the Academy Awards in 1968.



Capping off the festival on April 24 at the Hungarian Cultural Counselor's office, the 2017 historical film "Maria Theresia" by director Robert Dornhelm is split into two parts. Originally released as a TV miniseries, "Maria Theresia" is a co-production between the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, telling the life story of the only female ruler of the Habsburg Dominions.