New Delhi: The European Union Film Festival (EUFF) premieres in New Delhi, India on 9thJune, 2017 with a screening of the Estonian film “Cherry Tobacco”. In its 22nd edition this year, the European Union Film Festival features a bouquet of 22 latest and award winning European films from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.This year, the festival will screen movies from varied genres ranging from comedy to gripping family drama, romance and adventure.

The festival will travel from Delhi to Pune and then traverse further through Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata, Ranchi, Coimbatore and Puducherry till August 3, 2017. The EUFF is organized by the Delegation of the European Union and embassies of the EU Member States in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India in Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata, and Ranchi and with the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF) in Chennai, Coimbatore & Puducherry. A preview screening has already been organized in Chennai in partnership with ICAF.

For the first time, the European Union along with the Directorate of Film Festivals and National Archive of India will present a “Masterclass” in Delhi and Pune on 10th and 12th June respectively. Conducted by the Estonian film directors, Katrin Maimik and Andres Maimik, it will cover topics such as direction, screen writing, and international film making.

In this festival of award-winning European films, you will find perennial themes – the redemption of love, the resilience of youth, and the triumph of the human spirit in adversity. Highlights from the festival include the story of the inner struggle of a father, and his complicated relationship with his son; the coming-of-age of a 17 year-old girl Raya, who has to take decisions that even a grown up woman would find difficult to make; a true story of a Moroccan man who decides to go back home and, faces multiple obstacles on the way, turning his story into a real odyssey; a stubborn violin maker and his pharmacist cousin who face hardship and tragedy as they oppose the powerful businessman who plans to force the violin maker from his house to build a luxurious new hotel in its place.

Speaking about the 22nd edition of the European Union Film festival in India, H.E. Mr. Tomasz Kozlowski, Ambassador of the European Union, said, “To connect across geographies and cultures with ordinary people in extraordinary situations, and to realise that in some way we are all one family has been the exhilarating effect of all great art, and film is no exception. This Film Festival endeavours to bring this experience to Indian audiences through recent award winning European movies.”

Mr. C. Senthil Rajan, Director, Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, stated: “DFF is happy to partner with the European Union to showcase films from EU member countries. It is part of our effort to promote cultural ties between India and the EU countries through the medium of films. We are also organizing a masterclass with two European film directors which will help inspiring Indian filmmakers.”