CEU Rooftop Cinema: watch documentary films on the rooftop
A Roma family history investigation; a glimpse into the life of a mysterious, almost forgotten Jewish community in India; the friendship of a Buddhist and a Muslim midwife in Myanmar; coming-of-age stories of teenagers and their struggles with education, love, community and identity in Budapest, San Francisco and Transnistria: you can watch six unique documentary films on the rooftop of the CEU this summer, between 22 June and 24 August.
With the launch of the CEU Rooftop Cinema, CEU's aim is to hold regular public screenings for the film-loving audience around specific themes. At these occasions, the Nádor Street rooftop terrace will be open to anyone who is interested in the movies or is attracted by the fabulous location. The first of these screenings series, co-organized with Verzió Film Festival, starts in June 2023.
The opening film of the event series on 22 June will be the award-winning cinematographer and director Klára Trencsényi's documentary film The Missing Tale, which will take the viewers to the city of Cochin in southern India. This will be followed by How I Became a Partisan on 28 June, Midwives on 13 July, Transnistra on 27 July, Divas on 10 August and Try Harder! on 24 August.
Venue: CEU, 1051 Budapest, Nádor u. 15. 7. floor (rooftop)
Maximum seating capacity: 50 persons
Alternative screening venue in case of rain: CEU, 1051 Budapest, Nádor utca 15. Auditorium B
Admission is free of charge, but registration required.
We reserve the right to make changes to the program.
Detailed program
22 June (Thursday) 8.30 p.m.
The Missing Tale
(d. Klára Trencsényi, Hungary, 2022, 84 minutes, in English, Hungarian, Hebrew, Malayalam with Hungarian and English subtitles)
The Indian town of Cochin has had an active Jewish community for 2,000 years. At the outset of making this film, only seven Jews remained, including 95-year-old Sarah Cohen, the director's adopted grandmother who inspires her to discover her own Eastern European identity. As Klára Trencsényi films the diminishing community that once happily coexisted with Muslims, Hindus, and Christians, she realizes that Sarah is keeping some secrets. The film documents an intimate journey between Europe and India, the experiences of discrimination, the search for identity, and the magical stories of the Jews of Cochin.
28 June (Wednesday) 9.00 p.m.
How I Became a Partisan
(r. Vera Lacková, Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2021, 90 minutes, in Slovak and German, with English and Hungarian subtitles)
Numerous stories from WWII remain hidden, and some might remain forever unknown. The fates of Roma partisans in the former Czechoslovakia is one such mosaic of hidden memories. While uncovering her family’s partisan past, director Vera Lacková finds other forgotten Roma fighters. During her search she comes up against deep-rooted prejudice, indifference, and hatred towards the Roma community. She aims to undermine the misperception that Roma were merely victims of the war, and show Roma whose deeds deservedly form a part of European history.
13 July (Thursday) 9.00 p.m.
Midwives
(r. Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing, Myanmar, Germany, Canada, 2022, 91 minutes, in Burmese with English and Hungarian subtitles)
Hla and Nyo Nyo live in a conflict-torn country. Hla, a Buddhist, owns a makeshift medical clinic in western Myanmar, where the Rohingya (a Muslim minority community) are persecuted and denied basic rights. Nyo Nyo, a Muslim, is an apprentice midwife, and an assistant and translator at the clinic. Her family has lived in the area for generations, yet they're still considered intruders. Encouraged by Hla, who risks her own safety daily by helping Muslim patients, Nyo Nyo is determined to become a healthcare provider for her community.
27 July (Thursday) 9.00 p.m.
Transnistra
(r. Anna Eborn, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, 2019, 93 minutes, in Russian, Romanian and Ukrainian with English and Hungarian subtitles)
In the self-appointed nation of Transnistria, a group of 16-year-olds search for safety, freedom and meaning. The film’s focus largely falls on Tanya, a headstrong and caring young woman who spends her time among a ragtag group of young males, each of whom seem to be in love with her; they treat her as one of their own while alternately vying for her affections and wisdom. Having not completed their school studies and unable to find work, the small crew spend their time exploring abandoned construction sites. Transnistria is not, however, an idyllic environment for young people. The former communist state’s past hangs heavy in the air, and the future seems to offer frighteningly limited possibilities.
10 August (Thursday) 8.15 p.m.
Divas
(d. Máté Kőrösi, Hungary, 2021, 79 minutes, in Hungarian with English subtitles)
Szani, Tina and Emese, three twenty-year-old girls who spend hours talking about makeup, clothes and profile pictures, call themselves “the divas”. They are looking to leave behind their troubled pasts, graduate from high school and start their adult lives. This is when Máté, a young director, comes into the picture. He follows them with his camera until their graduation, hoping to find out what lies behind their makeup, only to realize it is time he himself grew up as well.
24 August (Thursday) 8.15 p.m.
Try Harder!
(d. Debbie Lum, USA, 2021, 84 minutes, in English with Hungarian subtitles)
The atmosphere is tense in San Francisco’s best public high school as seniors are preparing for their entrance exams. They have worked hard for years, knowing that only a few will be accepted to their dream universities. The film leads us through the challenges and pitfalls of the application procedure, and the divergent opportunities for students with diverse social backgrounds.