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Film aficionados are up for a treat!

Film aficionados are up for a treat!
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Providing a 'Window To Europe', the much-awaited 26th edition of the European Union Film Festival will be available in its virtual avatar from November 1 onwards. It celebrates the diversity and depth of European cinema and culture. The festival is organized by the Delegation of the European Union to India, Member States and associate countries, in collaboration with Indian and European partners.

The month-long festival features an exciting line-up of 60 films, in 37 languages across 8 genres that explore unique stories, experiences, and histories with artistic storytelling from across 27 Member States and associate countries, celebrating the most recent cinematic triumphs at Cannes, Locarno, San Sebastian, Karlovy Vary, and Venice, amongst others.

Commenting on the significance of the EUFF, Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the European Union to India, said "The 26th edition of the European Film Festival will provide viewers a window to Europe, taking them in a journey across the continent through the eyes of our storytellers. The very positive feedback after our last edition has encouraged us to include again a section on classic masterpieces from both Europe and India. We hope you will enjoy the month-long festival."

EUFF film curator Veronica Flora commented, "Cinema gives an insight into our generation and lets us glimpse into the future. Through the wide and multiform variety of films presented in this EUFF India 2021 edition, we'll get to know stories of people standing up together for their rights to equality and freedom; listen to the voices of children fighting to go to school and hear about our generation's increasing awareness to defend our planet in the face of climate change."

EUFF curator Valerio Caruso added, "EUFF India offers again to its audiences a great multi-sensorial cinematographic experience, immersing it in the musical mosaic of different languages spoken in Europe: Sounds and intonations resulting from the historical, mutual influences between cultures. In their amazing intertwining of similarities and differences, we can again find the reflection of the wealth and strength of our societies. We will also bring to the audience a series of online side events featuring directors, producers and experts to reflect on the nature of cinema, in the context of growing international cooperation."

The festival this year features eight specially curated sections: 'Eurorama: European Cinema Today', 'Contemporary Indian Cinema', 'Poetry on Screen: Masterpieces of Indian Cinema', 'Masters of European Cinema', 'Film Education: Growing up with Cinema', 'Green Cinema: Addressing Climate Change', 'Cinema together: Co-production in and out of Europe' and 'In a Few Words: A Short Film Selection'.

In collaboration with Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival, the line-up will explore the recent history of the continent as told by some of its most compelling chroniclers. From the pioneering Hungarian director Márta Mészáros' 'The Girl', to Oscar-winning 'Closely Watched Trains' by the Czech director Jiří Menzel, Roberto Rossellini's neorealist drama 'Rome', 'Open City', and the essential 'The Last Stage' by Wanda Jakubowska, this section will provide a singular and in-depth look at Europe in the mid-20th century.

Furthermore, on the occasion of the bicentenary year of the birth of Gustave Flaubert, the fest in collaboration with the French Embassy in India will celebrate his most emblematic and immortal masterpiece 'Madame Bovary'.

As a tribute to the enduring legacy of Indian cinematography and on the birth centenary of Satyajit Ray, in the section 'Poetry on Screen: Masterpieces of Indian Cinema', the festival will offer viewers a deep dive into such classics as the seminal 'Pather Panchali' and the revolutionary 'Kalpana' by Uday Shankar. A contemporary Indian section has been especially curated by the Dharamshala International Film Festival, bringing to screens diverse in-depth stories from across the country.

Globally relevant issues such as climate change, gender equality, women's empowerment, and LGBTQI rights will also be addressed across the film selection.

The festival will also feature a series of co-productions as a tribute to the spirit of collaboration in European cinematography, while film literacy and the promotion of audio-visual works will find mention in the special section for young audiences called 'Growing Up With Cinema'.

Among Indo-European Exchanges most intense will be a script development workshop for professional Indian scriptwriters.

Tickets for the festival and related side events will

be free for audiences. Audiences can register through the

delegation's website and

social media channels. The festival will run till November

30. Once registered, viewers can log in at their convenience.

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