Guwahati: Shillong will host the opening leg of the 31st European Union Film Festival (EUFF) from November 12 to 18, featuring 21 films representing all 21 European Union (EU) Member States. The festival is expected to bring a diverse range of European cinema to audiences in Meghalaya and other parts of the Northeast.
The films explore a wide range of themes, including family relationships, gender identity, privilege, belonging, defiance and human connections, while reflecting on the complexities of contemporary society.
Among the featured titles are Rose, starring Sandra Hüller; Sir?t, directed by Oliver Laxe; ?ejtune, directed by Alex Camilleri; the French drama The Richest Woman in the World; and the Italian film A Year of School. The organisers have described the selection as award-winning.
In Shillong, screenings will take place at four venues: the Asian Confluence Centre (The Habitat), Lady Keane College, St. Edmund’s College and KL Bajoria College.
Following its Shillong edition, the festival will travel to New Delhi from November 25 to December 4 before moving to Pune in December.
The festival is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to India in collaboration with EU Member States. In Shillong, the event is being hosted in partnership with the Asian Confluence Centre, a city-based think-and-do tank that works through research, capacity-building, policy advocacy and exchange programmes to promote cooperation across Eastern South Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region.
Jean-Eric Paquet, Ambassador of the European Union to India, is scheduled to visit Shillong on November 13 to attend the film screenings.
Explaining the decision to begin the festival in Shillong, Paquet said the city’s cultural diversity and appreciation for storytelling made it a fitting venue.
“The European Union Film Festival returns with the 31st edition, this time starting in Shillong, a city with a rich cultural pulse and a deep love for storytelling. What makes it unique is the opportunity to experience Europe through the lens of its most compelling filmmakers, presenting stories that provoke, evoke interest, and often reflect our own shared human experiences,” he said.
He further described cinema as a medium that connects people, regions and cultures, adding that the festival would encourage conversations and highlight shared human experiences.
“Cinema has always been a mirror and a window. In this edition, it’s also a bridge: not just between our regions, but between the world we live in and the one we still believe is possible. We look forward to welcoming audiences to this year’s festival and to the conversations these films will inspire, reaffirming cinema’s unique ability to bring people and cultures closer together,” he added.
Festival curator Artur Zaborski said the selection was designed to introduce Indian audiences to the different cultural perspectives and creative voices of EU Member States.
“Curating this year’s line-up was about bringing the many voices of the European Union to audiences in India. We share a heritage as a continent, while cherishing our distinct cultures, languages and perspectives,” he said.
The organisers said the Shillong edition would offer audiences in Meghalaya and neighbouring northeastern states an opportunity to experience the latest selection of European films before the festival moves to its other destinations in India.