Delegation of the European Union and embassies of EU Member States in partnership with Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is organising the 24th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) during September 20-26, 2019 at the National Museum of Indian Cinema, Mumbai. The festival brings together a boutique of the latest 23 award-winning films from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Director, writer and producer, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Chargé d’affaires, Delegation of the European Union to India, Mr. Raimund Magis together inaugurated the festival today at the National Museum of Indian Cinema, Mumbai. ‘Backstage’, a 90 minute Slovakian film was screened after the inauguration to kick-start the weeklong festival. The inaugural film tells the story of a talented dance group striving for a breakthrough in the show business.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra said: “The EUFF is about diverse cultures and exchange among peoples, how people think in different parts of the world, how they feel and the social and cultural interpenetration of values. There is a lot to learn from each other.” He appealed to invest in tomorrow, to facilitate younger generation, especially students of film journalism. He expressed that youngsters would have fresh, unbiased and a very different perspective and original ideas to tell stories from this part of the world, and we must encourage and facilitate youngsters to take this dialogue and interaction further. He congratulated the organizers for the wonderful initiative and extended his best wishes.
Speaking about the film festival, Raimund Magis, said, “We are glad to showcase Europe’s rich cultural diversity and its dynamic and engaging cinematic landscape in Mumbai. Mumbai is a diverse city replete with cultural flavours and the theme of the films will be well appreciated by Mumbaikars. This year, we bring an array of films exploring themes of self-discovery, dreams of a better future, nostalgia for the past and human endurance in the face of psychological and situational barriers – universal themes cinemagoers everywhere can identify with”.
The festival will be screening some of the finest and most riveting films and will be a heady cocktail of romantic comedy, period drama, mockumentary, satire, family drama, and socio-political thriller. The EU Film Festival, which commenced in New Delhi on 28 June, has traversed through six other cities in India including Goa, Pune, Puducherry, Kolkata, Hyderabad, before culminating in Mumbai in September 2019.
All films will be screened with English subtitles. Entry allowed for 18+ on a first come, first served basis.
Screening Schedule:
Background: About the European Union (EU):
The EU, which consists of 28 countries, has the world’s largest economy and its third largest population, after China and India. Though richly diverse, the countries that make up the EU (its ‘Member States’) are all committed to the same basic values: peace, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. They have set up common institutions so that decisions on matters of joint interest can be made democratically at the European level. By creating a frontier-free single market and a single currency (the euro) which has been adopted by 19 Member States, the EU has given a significant boost to trade and employment. It is also at the forefront of policies on sustainability.
EU-India relations: For over 50 years the EU and India have worked together to reduce poverty, prevent disasters, expand trade, and promote joint research in energy, health, agriculture and many other fields of mutual interest.
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