This week we’re focusing on movies where love meets hate and family ties make things even more complicated. We conclude with Ars Electronica on Tour, which showcases the award-winning films from the Ars Electronica Animation Festival 2022.

The Little Mermaid (dir. Rob Marshall)

Disney continues its mission of remaking classic animations into live-action versions. Next on the list is Ariel, whose story we all already know: fascinated by the human world and in love with Prince Eric, Ariel makes a deal with sea witch Ursula and sacrifices her own voice for the chance to experience human life.

The film stars Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina. The score is signed by Alan Menken, who previously scored the original film, The Little Mermaid (1989), and the songs are co-written with producer Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Will this new version manage to live up to expectations and defy all those dissatisfied with the recent remakes? You can find out at the cinema starting from May 26. Tickets are already on sale.

Masquerade / Mascarade (dir. Nicolas Bedos)

Adrien is an attractive dancer whose career was destroyed by a motorcycle accident. Margot lives off scams and amorous manipulations. When the two meet, their lives change.

The story is full of surprises, tensions, conspiracies, comedy, and love, and the characters are complex and realistic. Adrien and Margot manage to be seductive and dangerous at the same time, making it difficult to decide who to trust as their illegal scheme takes off.

Masquerade hits theatres on May 26.

About My Father (dir. Laura Terruso)

Sebastian Maniscalco, one of America’s most acclaimed comedians, co-wrote and stars in this comedy loosely based on his life and his relationship with his father, played here by Robert de Niro.

Ellie, Sebastian’s fiancee, encourages him to bring his immigrant hairdresser father to a weekend get-together with her extremely rich and eccentric family. It is not the first time that de Niro plays a father who seems (pretends) to not understand the expectations of those around him, and the role suits him now too, being both incredibly annoying and endearingly naive.

The film hits theatres on May 25.

Not My Type / Les goûts et les couleurs (dir. Michel Leclerc)

Les goûts et les couleurs will have a special screening at Elvire Popesco Cinema on Saturday, May 27, at 6 pm.

Marcia, a young singer, records an album with her idol, Daredjane, a rock icon of the ’70s, who dies right before the album’s release. Maria’s only solution is to convince Anthony, Daredjane’s heir and now the copyright holder, to allow her to release the album.

The problem is that Anthony wants nothing to do with Daredjane and her horrid music. More than becoming famous, Maria wants to honour her idol’s work, and Anthony’s indifferent attitude and rudeness make her fight even harder for her cause. And yet, something more seems to spring between the two.

Ars Electronica on Tour

Elvire Popesco Cinema, in partnership with the Austrian Cultural Forum, brings a selection of films awarded at the 2022 edition of the Ars Electronica Animation Festival.

The program is divided into two sections:

Electronic Theatre – presents a compilation of animated films from the Computer Animation category: Anxious Body (dir. Yoriko Mizushiri, Japan), Tartarus (dir. Mariano Ferández Russo, Argentina), Radicalization Pipeline (dir. Theoklitos Triantafyllidis, Greece), The Crow (dir. Glenn Marshall, UK), Very, Very, Tremendously (dir. Guangli LIU, China), When fox and rabbit say goodnight (dir. Finn Stevenhagen, Netherlands).

Welcome to Planet B – comprises short films that talk about development, evolution, and change: its impact on humanity and the whole planet, and seen as a starting point for resolution and reconnection. The titles included in the section are Tech For Democracy (dir. Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm, Denmark), Patrick and the Buttons (dir. Francois Heiser, France), Borrowed Limbs (dir. Lisa-Marleen Mantel, Laura Wagner, Germany), Intersect (dir. Dirk Koy, Eswatini), mormúrō (dir. Stefan Larsson, Japan).

The event will take place on Saturday, May 27, from 8:30 pm. For more details and tickets, check the event page.

Melissa Antonescu

Writer, photographer and videographer. For Films in Frame she writes news about the latest happenings in the film world and brings to the readers' attention the productions that can be seen at the cinema. When she's not writing articles, she's photographing people in a small studio or searching for new cake recipes.