The European Film Festival kicked off on Thursday in Bucharest and will present 85 films from 27 countries until May 29th.
The screenings will be hosted by six cities. Four of them are competing for the title of 2021 European Cultural Capital: Bucharest, Baia Mare, Cluj, Timisoara. The screenings are scheduled in eight theatres in Bucharest and five local editions in Hunedoara, Targu Mures, Timisoara, Baia Mare and Cluj-Napoca.
Vote is open to the general audience on the festival’s website www.ffe.ro throughout the festival; the Public’s Prize will be awarded based on the vote counting on 15 May, at Cinema Elvire Popesco of Bucharest. The winner will be known by the end of September.
The festival is organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute, the EC Representation to Romania, the Romanian Filmmakers Union and the National Film Archive, with the support of European embassies and cultural centres, under the patronage of EUNIC Bucharest, a network of national institutes for culture of EU member states.
Angela Filote, head of the European Commission Representation to Romania, stated the European Film Festival proposes a different, sometimes more frightening Europe.
“I think these hundreds of European films I saw during the many editions of the festival help complete this image on Europe’s soul. For we know Europe from news, with crises, successes, failures and debates; we know Europe, perhaps, from personal experience, from visits to various European countries; but I believe that in the festival we see a different Europe — more subtle, sometimes more complicated, other times more fearful or frightening. This, too, is our Europe,” she told at the festival opening gala on Thursday, as quoted by Agerpres.
“The seventh member state in terms of size, Romania brings, as you can see, an infusion of confidence in the European project, when this most needs signals of trust and solidarity,” she said.
Filote added that she roots for the Romanian films at this year’s International Film Festival of Cannes: “For me, as a Romanian and also as a representative of the European Commission, it is a great joy to see Romanian films — often films that benefit from the financial support of the European Union — getting on the list of winners in Cannes, so I wish to see such a success this year, too.”
Goethe Institute in Bucharest is also involved in the Festival, endorsing the German productions.
„Rico, Oskar und die Tieferschatten“ by Neele Vollmar will be screened on May 7, at 15:00 at Elvire Popesco Cinema in Bucharest.
“Im Labyrinth des Schweigens“ by Giulio Ricciarelli is due on May 11, at 20:30 at Eforie Cinema in Bucharest.