13, Dec 2023
The 28th Edition Of The European Union Film Festival Culminates In Delhi On A High Note With An Overwhelming Response
New Delhi, December 13, 2023: The 28th edition of the European Union Film Festival (EUFF), organized by the EU Delegation to India in collaboration with EU Member States, concluded in Delhi amidst much excitement and fanfare from film enthusiasts as they experienced the finest in European Cinema. Spanning 10 days, the festival offered a curated selection of 28 movies from 27 EU countries and Ukraine in 25 languages across three venues – India Habitat Centre, Instituto Cervantes (Spanish Cultural Center), and The Goethe-Institut /Max Mueller Bhavan.
The festival concluded with the screening of three films on the last day – Kiddo, directed by Zara Dwinger from The Netherlands; Tori and Lokita, directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne from Belgium, and Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin, directed by Martin McDonagh from Ireland. With this, the curtains were drawn on the 28th Edition of the EU Film Festival in Delhi. The screenings throughout the festival witnessed an overwhelming response from the audience, with several full house shows across venues. The festival will next enthral the audience in Chennai from 19th to 28th January 2024.
During the festival, the audience got the opportunity to interact with European filmmakers and artists visiting the festival, including French actress Guslagie Malanda, Finnish director Hanna Marjo Västinsalo, Finnish producer Cyril Jacob Abraham, and Estonian director Anu Aun.
As the festival concluded in Delhi, Ambassador of the European Union to India, H.E. Herve Delphin, said, “End slap of the clapperboard for this year’s European Union Film Festival in Delhi! This 28th edition of the EUFF was a great window to the best European cinema: a glimpse of Europe’s rich culture through captivating stories. It was heartening to see the enthusiasm and interest of the public. This festival is a step towards creating a larger platform for cultural dialogue between the EU and India, celebrating our tradition of storytelling, and providing young people with a platform that helps them experience cultural exchange in a different light.”
Talking about the theme of the festival, he added: “This year, the festival celebrated women in cinema through the work of dynamic and independent women directors. We also had two directors and an actress from Europe visit the festival, stirring conversation about cinema and the role of women. It was in every sense seeing the world through a wider lens”. He called on the audience to stay tuned to the EUFF: “There is good news for Indian cinema lovers: the festival is not over! It now travels to Chennai, where the selection of EUFF will be on display from 19th to 28th January 2024.”
Featuring movies from 18 women directors, the festival celebrated Women in European Cinema and the art of storytelling from the woman’s perspective, observing the increased dominance of women’s participation in cinema. Along with the screening of these award-winning films that have received significant appreciation across some of the most prestigious global film festivals, the festival also hosted a panel discussion on Women in European Cinema featuring prominent panelists, including the curator of EUFF 2023 – Veronica Flora, Estonian Director – Anu Aun and Actress of the French film Saint Omer – Guslagie Malanda. The session was moderated by film scholar and film critic Sukhpreet Kahlon.
The festival also hosted a masterclass on New Frontiers in Filmmaking — a one-day intensive workshop with presentations, activities, and screenings inspired by anthropology, art-making, virtual reality, cultural heritage, scientific research, and more. The masterclass, organized in collaboration with UnBox, saw sessions by European and Indian filmmakers – Hanna Västinsalo (Finland), Savyasachi Anju Prabir (India), and Finnish filmmakers Cyril Abraham (Finland/India). The three filmmakers brought together unique experiences in producing shorts, features, and experimental work in South Asian and European regions.
A special section, BACHPAN, in collaboration with Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (Siffcy) – a Smile Foundation initiative, was curated by renowned film producer, distributor, and curator Jitendra Mishra. The workshop was attended by over 80 children from Delhi schools and the Smile Foundation. The BACHPAN session screened two specially curated films, She – Hero from Slovakia and Icarus and the Minotaur from Luxembourg. The children also had the opportunity to learn from masters in cinema about one of the most important aspects of film-making – storyboarding.
The ‘free for all’ festival was organized by the Delegation of the European Union to India, Embassies of EU Member States, and regional partners for an incredible cinematic experience with 28 films in 25 languages from 28 European countries. This year, the festival witnessed an excellent line-up of films that have won accolades at top film festivals worldwide, including Cannes, the Academy Awards, the Venice Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, and IFFI, among others. Rich in genre, the EUFF brings some of the best stories and creators from Europe to the Indian audience.
The films screened at the on-ground EUFF 2023 were:
Breaking the Ice – Austria; Tori and Lokita – Belgium; Mother- Bulgaria; Murina- Croatia; The Man with the Answers- Cyprus; Ordinary Failures- Czech Republic; The Quiet Migration- Denmark; Walker on Water- Estonia; Palimpsest- Finland; Saint-Omer- France; Talking About the Weather- Germany; Listen- Greece; Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time- Hungary; The Banshees of Inisherin- Ireland; The Eight Mountains- Italy; My Love Affair with Marriage- Latvia; Remember to Blink- Lithuania; Icarus and the Minotaur- Luxembourg; Carmen- Malta; Kiddo- Netherlands; The Perfect Number- Poland; Wolf and Dog- Portugal; Mikado- Romania; She – Hero- Slovakia; Riders- Slovenia; The Beasts- Spain; After Work- Sweden; Luxembourg, Luxembourg- Ukraine
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- By Rabindra
