THIS past Wednesday marked the conclusion of the 22nd edition of the European Film Festival (EUFF), held by the Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia. Because of Covid-19 related restrictions, the event was mostly held virtually with the exception of the closing reception at the TGV in the Sunway Velocity shopping centre.
20 movies from across Europe, and in many different genres, were showcased over the course of the month-long event. These award-winning movies were chosen because they “challenge the limitation of our imagination with artistic storytelling, dramatic scenery and congenial actors”.
“I’m really, really grateful to all the colleagues who made it possible in a small setting with a reduced audience for a few of us can celebrate the diversity of Europe and the diversity of Malaysia at the same time, the diversity of cinema and can enjoy a night at the movies,” said Timo Goosmann, Head of Political, Press & Information of the EU Delegation to Malaysia.
The film selected to close the ceremony was Small Country: An African Childhood (or Petit Pays in French), a Belgian-French co-production on the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Goosmann brought up the concept of cultural diplomacy as a way to build bridges between peoples and cultures. This is especially interesting in the context of the film because in addition to the different nationalities behind the production, the story itself is set in Burundi and explores the fractured sectarian lines of that part of Africa.
Adapted from a book by Gaël Faye, and written and directed by Eric Barbier, the film explores this fraught period through the eyes of children, namely a young boy named Gabrielle, who’s father is a Frenchman and whose mother is originally from Rwanda.
Any mention of Rwanda instantly brings to mind the Rwandan genocide, one of the worst human rights atrocities of the post-war era. The tangled ethnic conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis simmers for most of the movie, before erupting halfway through.
Told through a child’s perspective, a lot of the conflict is told through implication, via distant gunfire and explosions, news broadcasts and whispered conversation. There is a sad sense of inevitability as normal people are caught up in the grinding gears of history.
Unfortunately, there was some clunky ad-hoc censorship that detracted from the drama of the story.
The loss of innocence is a dramatic device that is common because it is often effective, as it is here. Other themes discussed include racism, class, and post-colonial rule in Africa. It’s a fitting story to be told at a film festival and should be seen by more people as it does have lessons that some Malaysians should heed. – The Vibes, December 16, 2021
