The 25th edition of the European Union Film Festival (EUFF) will be going virtual for the first time, this year and. The festival has lined up 41 award-winning films from 26 European countries.
Jointly hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to India, its member states, and partner countries, the festival celebrates the EU-India cultural partnership. This year, the festival has lined up 41 films across six genres and 37 languages. The festival also has over 50 awards planned. The line-up also features 15 female directors.
Curated by Veronica Flora along with the director of Cineuropa Valerio Caruso, the festival will host a series of workshops, masterclasses, artist talks, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions.
The festival is divided into four sections that include contemporary European cinema, European masterpieces, shorts on climate change, and a tribute to Indian cinema, each of which will carry a selection of award-winning films and critically acclaimed performances.
The festival will pay a tribute to Indian cinema during the session Poetry on Screen: Satyajit Ray and Chaitanya Tamhane, which will feature Ray’s iconic Aparajito and award-winning Tamhane’s Court. Director and screenwriter Tamhane will also participate in a special festival side-event along with a European counterpart.
As part of the festival, six short films from across the world, including from India, will show how climate change is felt in different parts of the world. Also, Nila Madhab Panda’s Megha’s Divorce will be part of the six-part anthology Interdependence.
The 41 titles explore stories from across 26 member states and partner countries, comprising of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden, celebrating the most recent cinematic triumphs at Cannes, Locarno, Venice, Berlin, and San Sebastian, amongst others.
The ambassador of the European Union to India HE Ugo Astuto said, “I am delighted to announce the launch of the 25th edition of the European Union Film Festival in India, in collaboration with our Member States. It will take viewers through a journey across Europe as retold by our storytellers. This landmark anniversary is also a testament to our long-standing cultural ties with India. Highlighting individual stories yet reflecting universal experiences, this year’s special anniversary edition will offer a window into the heart of Europe and the power of cinema to negotiate both everyday and extraordinary circumstances.”
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Adding to the above, curator Flora said, “Thanks to the popular nature of cinema, which is one of the most immediate and democratic art forms we can enjoy, the European Union Film Festival in India aims to be a magic mirror we can use to jointly get through the current challenging times we are witnessing. This year the virtual European Union Film Festival in India will be showcasing the variety and the complexity of the European Union’s culture through innovative film programming, opening paths for further people-to-people and cultural relationships with India, and the extraordinary wealth of its millennial culture. We hope this virtual Festival will contribute to make the film sector a key driver for dialogue, especially in the current situation where culture and creativity have become more important than ever.”
The festival will stream on Festival Scope from November 5 to November 30. The audience can register through the Delegation of the European Union to India’s website and social media channels and by visiting www.euffindia.com.