Following the well-received 2009 program "European Cinema from New Wave to New Wave," this second edition of Disappearing Act (II) will continue to showcase recent European feature and non-fiction films that have distinguished themselves on the festival circuit and among critics, but that have quickly disappeared from U.S. screens, remaining largely unknown to the American public.

The weeklong program, consisting of 16 films from Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and The Netherlands, Q&As with filmmakers and guests, as well as panel discussions for industry attendees, will also present some titles yet unknown to the general public, especially works by younger or less established directors.

This year's Disappearing Act II selection features the Romanian films HOOKED (Pescuit sportiv), directed by Adrian Sitaru, which garnered the New Voices/New Visions award at the 2009 Palm Springs Film Festival, and Radu Muntean’s BOOGIE (aka SUMMER HOLIDAY), in the Official Selection of the Directors Fortnight, Cannes 2008, and winner of the Award For Best Screenwriter at the 2008 Hamptons International Film Festival.

The panel on April 12, titled "The New World Distribution for Subtitled Films", will explore the uneasy path of foreign language films to US distribution or other presentation means, including the topics of hybrid distribution models, role of promotional bodies, and direct participation of filmmakers. The panel will be chaired by Eugene Hernandez, editor in chief and cofounder of indieWire.com, who will be joined by Ryan Werner, vice president of marketing at IFC Films, Meghan Wurtz, vice president at Film Movement, and Carlos A. Gutierrez, co-founding director of Cinema Tropical.


The full calendar is as follows:

Thursday, April 8
6:30 pm Men in a Rut (Men in a Rut, dir. Robert Sedlacek, 2009, Czech Republic), followed by Q&A with the director
9 pm Opening Party
Reservations required for all opening night events separately via e-mail to info@czechcenter.com  

Friday, April 9
7 pm Father's Acre (Apafold, dir. Viktor Oszkar Nagy, 2009, Hungary)
8:45 pm Rene (dir. Helena Trestikova, 2008, Czech Republic) 

Saturday, April 10
3 pm The Secret of the Grain (La Graine et le Mulet, dir. Abdellatif Kechiche, 2007, France)
6 pm The Invisible Frame followed by Cycling the Frame (2009 and 1988, both dir. Cynthia Beatt, Germany)
8 pm Men in a Rut (Muzi v riji, dir. Robert Sedlacek, 2009, Czech Republic)
followed by Q&A with the director

Sunday, April 11
1:45 pm Hooked (Pescuit sportiv, dir. Adrian Sitaru, 2007, Romania)

Monday, April 12
6:30pm Panel Discussion: "The New World Distribution for Subtitled Films," chaired by Eugene Hernandez, with Ryan Werner, Meghan Wurtz, and Carlos A. Gutierrez
Reservations for panel discussion via e-mail to info@czechcenter.com
8:45 pm Summer Holiday (Boogie, dir. Radu Muntean, 2008, Romania)

Tuesday, April 13
6:15 pm God's Offices (Les Bureaux de Dieu, dir. Claire Simon, 2008, France)
8:30 pm Camino (dir. Javier Fesser, 2008, Spain) 

Wednesday, April 14
6:30 pm Lesson 21 (Lezione 21, dir. Alessandro Baricco, 2008, Italy)
8:15 pm Revanche (dir. Götz Spielmann, 2008, Austria) 

Thursday, April 15
6:30 pm Moon Inside You (Mesiac v nas, dir. Diana Fabianova, 2009, Slovakia)
8:15 pm Jerichow (dir. Christian Petzold, 2008, Germany)

Friday, April 16
6:30pm A Call Girl (Slovenka, dir. Damjan Kozole, 2009, Slovenia)
8:15 pm Cooking History (dir. Peter Kerekes, 2008, Slovakia) 

Saturday, April 17
6 pm Carmen of the North (Carmen van het noorden, dir. Jelle Nesna, 2009, The Netherlands)


The series is curated by Irena Kovarova and organized by the Czech Center New York in partnership with the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, the Consulate General of Slovenia, the Consulate General of the Slovak Republic with the support of the +421 Foundation, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the Goethe-Institut New York, the Hungarian Cultural Center, Instituto Cervantes New York, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Romanian Cultural Institute, and with the support of Holland Films.


[Image from Boogie]