About the festival
Just a few days before the European Parliament elections, Turin will host the first edition of Wake Up Europe! Festival, an international event entirely dedicated to the great challenges of our time, to reflect with the help of great documentary films on the questions those challenges raise and how the European Union and Europeans as a whole could and should respond to them.
The programme presents a "selection for reflection" at the Cinema Massimo, being 10 excellent documentaries, 5 presented for the first time in Italy, all chosen for their ability to inspire a debate on the fundamental issues of our common European space. They address challenges such as climate change, the dangers of ubiquitous technology, capitalism without rules, the crisis of democracy, gender equality, war at the gates of Europe, religious fundamentalisms, migratory phenomena and integration policies. The biggest priority in our selection has been to present ten films with a very high quality. So in the Wake Up Europe programme you will see films with amazing stories, meet charismatic characters and see great visual journeys.
Titles touching upon these themes include “Guardians of the Earth”, bringing a unique “behind the scenes” approach to the negotiations of the Paris agreement and forces behind the climate change and the obstacles to improve our climate. “Inside Lehman Brothers” brings a chilling inside view of our financial systems and the prospect of a new financial crisis. “Pre-Crime” takes a deep dive into the impact of modern technology in a science-fiction-like setting, which happens to be real life.
Finally, the ten films screening at Wake Up Europe! also cover the unbelievable results of Europeans uniting through citizen empowerment. Films like “The Silence of Others”, “The Reformist” and “The Law and the Valley” follow European citizens taking matters into their own hands in order to create positive change and shape a better future.
The unique feature of the Wake Up Europe! festival is, however, to propose a film festival of great depth accompanied by top-quality debates involving film-makers, journalists, academics, writers and civil society activists, all with the aim of strengthening understanding of the great changes taking place in the world and the construction of a solid European conscience.
In the spirit of civic participation typical of the Wake Up Europe! festival, the public will be invited to choose the best "Wake Up" film among the selected documentaries. The criterion of choice will be that of the ability of a film to "awaken" our civic awareness making us feel more responsible for and involved in what is happening around us.
Another unique feature of the Wake Up Europe! Festival is to connect Turin, the great European cultural hub, to the rest of the continent through "mirror" events that will offer the same selection of films and debates simultaneously across the rest of Europe. Wake Up Europe! Festival events already confirmed will take place in Bratislava, Brussels, Cologne, Cluj, Edinburgh, Manchester, Stockholm.
We are delighted that so many young people across Europe are joining us. But Turin and all those great cities should be only the beginning. We really hope that The Wake Up Europe Festival main activity, message and meaning should, with your help, be part of a wider journey for all European citizens to become more aware of our responsibility in shaping together the future of our continent.
Let’s wake up and smell the coffee!
The Wake Up Europe Team festival@thewakeupfoundation.eu
Location
Cinema Massimo
Polo del 900
Da Emilia
Off Topic
Program
Wednesday 15th May
18:00 (Polo Del '900)
Anteprima di WAKE UP EUROPE! FESTIVAL
19:00 (Polo Del '900)
The Silence of Others
(2018, 95', Spagna, regia di Almudena Carracedo & Robert Bahar)
con Alessandro Bollo (direttore Fondazione Polo del 900), Annalisa Piras (direttrice del festival Wake Up Europe), Francesca Sforza (giornalista La Stampa), Giacomo Demarchi (docente Università Statale di Milano)
Thursday 16th May
15:00 - 16:30 (DAMS, Auditorium Quazza)
Raccontare l’Europa con i documentari
con: Annalisa Piras (regista di The Great European Disaster Movie/Europe at Sea/Girlfriend in a Coma e direttrice del festival Wake Up Europe)
21:30 (Off Topic)
Europa Animata
Selezione di cortometraggi a cura di Aiace Torino con la collaborazione del Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia con la partecipazione di Eric Jozsef (corrispondente di ‘Libération’, presidente di Europa Now)
Friday 17th May
16:00 (Cinema Massimo)
Guardians of the Earth
((2017, 85’, Austria/Germania, regia Filip Antoni Malinovski)
con: Axel Arno (commissioning editor SVT), Claudia Bucher (commissioning editor Arte)
18:00 (Cinema Massimo)
The Law and the Valley (premiere)
(2019, 72', Italia/Francia, regia di Nuno Escudeiro)
con: Eric Jozsef, (corrispondente Liberation) e John Hooper (corrispondente The Guardian e The Economist)
21:00 (Cinema Massimo)
The Reformist (premiere)
(2019, 75', Danimarca, regia Marie Skovgaard)
Saturday 18th May
16:00 (Cinema Massimo)
#Female Pleasure (premiere)
(2018, 97', Svizzera/Germania, regia di Barbara Miller)
con: Claudia Bucher (commissioning editor Arte), John Hooper (corrispondente The Guardian/The Economist)
18:00 (Cinema Massimo)
Freedom for the Wolf (premiere)
(2017, 89', Germania, regia di Rupert Russel)
con: Bill Emmott (scrittore), Marco Zatterin (vice direttore La Stampa)
21:00 (Cinema Massimo)
Pre-crime
(2017, 87', Germania, regia Monika Hielscher & Matthias Heeder)
22:30
Wake Up Europe! Official Party in collaborazione
in collaborazione con Swing Circus e Off Topic
Sunday 19th May
11:30 - 13:00 (Off Topic)
Presentazione del libro La tua patria è il mondo intero
Intervengono Lorenzo Marsili (autore), Bill Emmott (scrittore), Alberto Alemanno (fondatore di The Good Lobby), Simona Paravani (scrittrice)
16:00 (Cinema Massimo)
Up to the Last Drop (premiere)
(2018, 58', Francia/Grecia, regia di Yorgos Avgeropoulos)
con: Yorgos Avgeropoulos (regista), Alberto Alemanno (Fondatore The Good Lobby), Ugo Mattei (giurista), Lorenzo Marsili (scrittore)
18:30 (Cinema Massimo)
The Distant Barking of Dogs (2017, 90', Danimarca, regia di Simon Lereng Wilmont)
con: Francesca Sforza (giornalista La Stampa), Jeremy Cliffe (corrispondente The Economist da Bruxelles)
21:00 (Cinema Massimo)
Inside Lehman Brothers
(2018, 85', France/Canada, regia di Jennifer Deschamps)
22:30 (Cinema Massimo)
Cerimonia di Chiusura
Annuncio del film vincitore del Wake Up Film Award
| Legenda: | Proiezioni | Dibattito | Evento | ||||
| merc 15 | giov 16 | ven 17 | sab 18 | dom 19 | |||
| POLO DEL '900 | DAMS, Auditorium Quazza | OFF TOPIC | CINEMA MASSIMO | CINEMA MASSIMO | OFF TOPIC | OFF TOPIC | CINEMA MASSIMO |
| 11:30 - 13:00 Presentazione del libro La tua patria è il mondo intero Intervengono Lorenzo Marsili (autore), Bill Emmott (scrittore), Alberto Alemanno (fondatore di The Good Lobby), Simona Paravani (scrittrice) |
|||||||
| 15:00 - 16:30 Raccontare l’Europa con i documentari con: Annalisa Piras (regista di The Great European Disaster Movie/Europe at Sea/Girlfriend in a Coma e direttrice del festival Wake Up Europe) |
|||||||
| 16:00 Guardians of the Earth (2017, 85’, Austria/Germania, regia Filip Antoni Malinovski) |
16:00 #Female Pleasure (premiere) (2018, 97', Svizzera/Germania, regia di Barbara Miller) |
16:30 Up to the Last Drop (premiere) (2018, 58', Francia/Grecia, regia di Yorgos Avgeropoulos) |
|||||
| con: Axel Arno (commissioning editor SVT), Claudia Bucher (commissioning editor Arte) | con: Claudia Bucher (commissioning editor Arte), John Hooper (corrispondente The Guardian/The Economist) | con: Yorgos Avgeropoulos (regista), Alberto Alemanno (Fondatore The Good Lobby), Ugo Mattei (giurista), Lorenzo Marsili (scrittore) | |||||
| 18:00 Anteprima di WAKE UP EUROPE! FESTIVAL |
18:00 The Law and the Valley (premiere) (2019, 72', Italia/Francia, regia di Nuno Escudeiro) | 18:00 Freedom for the Wolf (premiere) (2017, 89', Germania, regia di Rupert Russel) | 18:30 The Distant Barking of Dogs (2017, 90', Danimarca, regia di Simon Lereng Wilmont) | ||||
| 19:00 The Silence of Others (2018, 95', Spagna, regia di Almudena Carracedo & Robert Bahar) | con: Eric Jozsef, (corrispondente Liberation) e John Hooper (corrispondente The Guardian e The Economist) | con: Bill Emmott (scrittore), Marco Zatterin (vice direttore La Stampa) | con: Francesca Sforza (giornalista La Stampa), Jeremy Cliffe (corrispondente The Economist da Bruxelles) | ||||
| con Alessandro Bollo (direttore Fondazione Polo del 900), Annalisa Piras (direttrice del festival Wake Up Europe), Francesca Sforza (giornalista La Stampa), Giacomo Demarchi (docente Università Statale di Milano) | 21:30 Europa Animata Selezione di cortometraggi a cura di Aiace Torino con la collaborazione del Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia con la partecipazione di Eric Jozsef (corrispondente di ‘Libération’, presidente di Europa Now) |
21:00 The Reformist (premiere) (2019, 75', Danimarca, regia Marie Skovgaard) |
21:00 Pre-crime (2017, 87', Germania, regia Monika Hielscher & Matthias Heeder) |
21:00 Inside Lenhman Brothers (2018, 85', France/Canada, regia Jennifer Deschamps) |
22:30 Wake Up Europe! Official Party in collaborazione con Swing Circus e Off Topic |
22:30 Cerimonia di Chiusura Annuncio del film vincitore del Wake Up Film Award |
|
Press
These are troubling times, when the open society is under threat, when some of the basic tenets of democracy are being challenged, when my own country, Britain, is going through a nervous breakdown, and when a coscienza Europea is needed more than ever before. That is why, just ahead of these vital European elections, our […]
When women are treated equally, society as a whole benefits. When they are not, we all lose. According to a report by the European Institute for Gender Equality parity between men and women is a fundamental factor allowing economies and societies to thrive. Europe already leads the world on this key measure of social progress. […]
Ever since the first European Parliament elections in 1979, turnout has been on the decline. But in 2019, the contest is set to be particularly fierce. Indeed, the vote may come to determine the course of the European Union at an absolutely crucial moment in its history. Here at Wake Up Europe, we’ve decided to take a look at five big issues set to dominate the elections, and ask how more people can become engaged in what is arguably the largest democratic exercise in the world.
Latest Mirror Events
The Democratic Society will be hosting a free film screening of Freedom of the Wolf as part of the Wake Up Europe! film festival in Manchester on 21st May. Following the film screening, we will have a digital participatory session using Slideo where you can share your thoughts on the themes raised the film.
Ahead of the EU elections, The Democratic Society will be hosting a free film screening of Guardians of the Earth as part of the Wake Up Europe! film festival in Edinburgh on 21st May. Following the film screening, we will have a participatory session where you can share your thoughts on the themes raised the film.
from 17 May 2019 to 19 May 2019 at 12:00
For three days this May, starting from the 17th until the 19th, Frontline Club Bucharest will organise a series of documentary screenings followed by debates about the current crisis the European Union is facing, 30 years after the fall of Communism.
from 17 May 2019 to 17 May 2019 at 13:30
The aim of the event is to harness the power of ‘The Silence of Others’ an award-winning, cutting-edge documentary on the major global challenge: the “amnesia” to the horrors of the past and the disturbing trend we are seeing across the world leading to populism.
Festival films
Opening Film – The Law and the Valley
HotDocs Toronto 2019 Festival Winner
2019, 72′, Italia/Francia, di Nuno Escudeiro On the border between Italy and France, migrants fleeing war, poverty and persecution risk their lives as they are crossing dangerous mountain routes. Members of the local communities in the Roya and Durance Valleys starts to feel obliged as humans to help other humans.
The Silence of Others
2018, 95′, Spagna, di Almudena Carracedo & Robert Bahar
The Silence of Others reveals the epic struggle fought by the victims of dictatorship under General Franco. The film follows victims and survivors as they organize a groundbreaking lawsuit against their own Spanish state. Over six years they fight the state enforced amnesia of crimes against humanity, as they continue to seek justice.
Guardians of the Earth
2017, 85′, Austria/Germania, di Filip Antoni Malinovski
Taking us behind sealed doors of negotiations and political meetings taking place at the Paris Agreement, Guardians of the Earth reveals the clash of forces, which shape our future.
The Reformist – A Female Imam
2019, 75′, Danimarca, di Marie Skovgaard
Sherin Khankan is a Muslim, a mother, a feminist and an activist on a mission. She wants to reform Islam from the inside and create an equal representation between men and women. One of her initiatives is to open one of Europe’s first mosques run by female imams for female only muslims
Female Pleasure
2018, 97′, Svizzera/Germania, di Barbara Miller
Five courageous and self-determined women from around the globe break their silence imposed by their archaic-patriarch societies and religious communities. With incredible strength and positive energy they fight for sexual liberation and autonomy for women. But their victory comes at a high price.
Freedom for the Wolf
2017, 89′, Germania, di Rupert Russel
Democracy is in crisis. A new generation of elected leaders are dismantling freedom and democracy as we know it. Filmed over three years in five countries, FREEDOM FOR THE WOLF is an epic investigation into this new regime.
Pre-Crime
2017, 87′, Germania, di Monika Hielscher & Matthias Heeder
With Minority Report-like police techniques already available, police forces are increasingly using modern technology to make sure that the murder of tomorrow can be prevented today. What might have been science fiction before is now real life events, as software, algorithms and databases are solving crimes.
Up to the Last Drop
2018, 58′, Francia/ Grecia, di Yorgos Avgeropoulos
On 28 July 2010, water was officially recognised as a universal human right by the United Nations. However, the European Union has yet to do the same. Up To The Last Drop follows the money and the corporate interests as cities across Europe are fighting water privatisation. Is water in Europe is a commercial product or a human right?
The Distant Barking of Dogs
2017, 90′, Danimarca, di Simon Lereng Wilmont
A European childhood in the shadow of war. The life of a 10-year-old Ukrainian is turned upside down by the ongoing war in Eastern Ukraine. The WAKE UP EUROPE Festival will use this film to discuss war and peace in Europe.
Inside Lehman Brothers
2018, 85′, France/Canada, di Jennifer DeschampsToday we might think that the 2008 financial crises is over. But the first hand accounts from whistle blowers in Inside Lehman Brothers leaves us with the impression that it is not. They tried to warn about the systemic errors in the financial sector before the big crash. Now they are bringing another warning to the world: Nothing has really changed since 2008
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