European Union Film Festival 2018: Where world cinema delights Delhiites

“Could you please not set my things on fire? It’s a bit weird, you know,” says the female actor, and the male actor replies: “But it’s cute too, isn’t it”. On the cusp of turning 30, these two people question if they are still good for each other. And these subtitles build the intrigue to a stream of hilariously obvious question-answers that add drama to the romantic Greek film titled Kissing? by Yannis Korres.

To add to this drama, there will be family narratives, fiction, history, comedy and almost every possible genre of storytelling, which is scheduled to be presented at the ongoing European Union Film Festival 2018.

A still from the French film 9 Month Stretch.

There are 24 such unusual stories in form of films, from 23 EU member states, which will be a treat for aficionados of world cinema. Raimund Magis, chargé d’affaires a.i., Delegation of the European Union to India, says, “Europe invented cinema, and has innovated ceaselessly to present the joys and sorrows of the human condition in a fast-changing world. But, India has embraced cinema with the greatest of enthusiasm. It is perhaps home to the world’s largest film industry, and Indians are certainly among the most appreciative and knowledgeable audiences for cinema. We believe that films — though not setting out to do so — will bring our people closer together. In saying this, I’m delighted to note that Indian films have enthusiastic audiences in Europe, and its stars have a loyal fan following!”

Some of the films to be screened at this festival — which has now become a regular feature in Delhi’s cultural calendar — include: Little Harbour (Slovakia), House Without Roof (Germany), A Brave Bunch: The Uprising Through Children’s Eyes (Poland), Labyrinthus (Belgium), Taranta On The Road (Italy) and The Bride (Spain).

A scene from German film House Without Roof.

Plot of one of these movies blurs the lines of reality when the cyber world comes to life whereas in another, a play done by a motley cast of anti-heroes provides an opportunity for redemption. There’s also a story where a man stuck in an unhappy marriage practices unusual ways to assert his freedom, and another where a music critic finds his father irksome when they both begin to compete for the attention of an attractive psychotherapist.

A scene from Swedish film Eternal Summer.

The festival is organised by the Delegation of the European Union and embassies of EU Member States in partnership with the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India and various city film clubs. This year, students and filmmakers can also interact with Katarína Krnáčová (Slovakian producer), Salvatore Alloca (Italian Director), Yannis Korris (Greek Director), Douglas Boswell (Belgium Director) and Ádám Fekete (Hungarian Actor), who are travelling to India for the festival.

And for future, the organisers plan to invade the virtual space, too. “The world has gone digital in the 30 years since the first EU Film Festival was screened at Chanakya cinema, so we will be going that way too although I can’t say exactly when. What we do know is that there will be more films to choose from and almost limitless opportunity for anyone to see them,” adds Magis.

Meanwhile, after opening in Delhi, the festival will now travel to 10 Indian cities namely Chennai, Port Blair, Pune, Puducherry, Kolkata, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Thrissur, Hyderabad and Goa.

Interact with the author at Twitter/@HennaRakheja