The European Film Festival Celebrates Its 30th Edition With 23 Films From Across Europe4 min read
Reading Time: 3 minutesPresented by the European Union (EU) Delegation to Singapore, the European Film Festival (EUFF) celebrates its 30th edition from 6 May to 23 May 2021.
In partnership with The Projector and the Singapore Film Society, the festival will look to bring the best of contemporary European cinema to the heart of Singapore’s community of film lovers.
In celebration of the festival’s 30th anniversary, EUFF presents a free public screening of Portuguese film Parque Mayer on 12 May at 8pm. Members of the public can book their complimentary tickets online from https://euff.com.sg/tickets. Tickets are available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Festival tickets are priced at $13.50 on weekdays and $15 on weekends. Tickets will be available for sale at https://euff.com.sg/tickets from 21 April.
Concessions are extended to The Projector Fan Club, The Projector Senior/Student Club, NSFs and Singapore Film Society members.
Festival Details
EUFF 2021 will present 23 films in total, reflecting on the diversity of perspectives, histories, languages and cultures from across the European continent. While the films showcased in the festival may belong to a specific country, they are all representative of Europe’s common cultural heritage.
Audiences can look forward to festival films from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.
Says Barbara Plinkert, European Union Ambassador to Singapore: “The European Film Festival’s landmark 30th edition takes place at an unprecedented moment in time as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. In these truly trying times, many of us have reached out to the arts in its many forms — be it literature, music, or films. In the current context, when travel
remains a challenge, cinema offers us just the lens we need to experience and understand the many complexities and cultures that shape and define our world and make it what it is.”
Portugal is the featured country this year and opens the festival with its film Parque Mayer on 6 May 2021. The comedy-drama set in 1933 Lisbon, is a roller coaster of emotions, amusement and entertainment as it tells the story of a theatre in Parque Mayer, Lisbon’s theatre and entertainment district. All kinds of goings-on take place during rehearsals for a new variety show — unrequited love, personal dramas and a constant battle against censorship, accompanied by skillful attempts to circumvent it.
For the first time and as part of its 30th edition, EUFF also presents a closing film on 23 May — Master Cheng from Finland by director Mika Kaurismäki.
The festival’s celebration of cultural diversity and cross-cultural dialogue through cinema offers a positive message in a time of continued challenges. It underscores the EU’s firm commitment to its relationship with Singapore, connecting the EU even more closely with audiences here.
Singapore Shorts at EUFF
This film festival is not just a window into the intriguing world of European cinema but also offers a platform to showcase films by young Singaporean filmmakers. The Festival continues EUFF’s long tradition of collaborating with a Singaporean film school. Partnering for the sixth time with Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film and Media Studies, the EUFF features short films by students of the school alongside the official film selection.
For full details regarding the festival, visit https://euff.com.sg/ and follow the European Film Festival’s Facebook page.
Festival Schedule
| Date | Time | Film Details | Genre |
| Thursday 6 May | 8.00pm | PARQUE MAYER (Portugal, 134 min) Preceded by AH MA FLIPPA BALL (7 min) (Opening session – By Invitation) | Drama |
| Friday 7 May | 8.00pm | YOUNG AHMED (Belgium, 90 min) Preceded by UNKNOWNATURE (11 min) | Drama |
| Saturday 8 May | 2.00pm | THE BEARS FAMOUS INVASION OF SICILY (France, 82 minutes) | Animation |
| Saturday 8 May | 5.00pm | THE GOOD TRAITOR (Denmark, 115 min) | Drama/War |
| Saturday 8 May | 8.00pm | PARADISE WAR – THE STORY OF BRUNO MANSER (Switzerland, 141 min) | Drama |
| Sunday 9 May | 2.00pm | WOLFWALKERS (Ireland, 103 min) | Animation |
| Sunday 9 May | 5.00pm | GUNDERMANN (Germany, 127 min) | Biopic |
| Sunday 9 May | 8.10pm | BEFORE SNOWFALL (Norway, 105 min) Preceded by DEAR AMELIA (11 min) | Drama |
| Wednesday 12 May | 8.00pm | PARQUE MAYER [Public screening](Portugal, 134 min) | Drama |
| Thursday 13 May | 8.00pm | AND THEN WE DANCED (Sweden, 113 min) | Romance |
| Friday 14 May | 8.00pm | THE INNOCENCE (Spain, 92 min) Preceded by HANDPRINT (12 min) | Drama |
| Saturday 15 May | 2.00pm | THE TROUPE – RELISH YOUR LIFE! (Hungary, 102 min) Preceded by READING BETWEEN THE LINES (10 min) | Feature |
| Saturday 15 May | 5.00pm | THE CONDUCTOR (The Netherlands, 137 min) | Biography |
| Saturday 15 May | 8.30pm | ALL MY CRAZY LOVE (Italy, 97 min) Preceded by WISH UPON A BOOK (7 min) | Drama |
| Sunday 16 May | 2.00pm | THE INFERNAL KHORUGV (Ukraine, 102 min) | Comedy |
| Sunday 16 May | 5.00pm | FUNAN (Luxembourg, 86 min) | Animation |
| Sunday 16 May | 8.00pm | MYTHOPATHY (Greece, 99 min) Preceded by MOTHER (3 min) | Comedy |
| Tuesday 18 May | 8.00pm | THE DEVIL’S MISTRESS (Czech Republic, 106 min) | Biography |
| Wednesday 19 May | 8.00pm | MASTER CHENG [Public screening](Finland, 114 min) | Comedy |
| Thursday 20 May | 8.00pm | CHASING UNICORNS (Estonia, 107 min) Preceded by COME SEE ME (3 min) | Comedy |
| Friday 21 May | 8.00pm | THE BUTTERFLY’S DREAM (Turkey, 138 min) | Biography |
| Saturday 22 May | 5.00pm | JACK STRONG (Poland, 122 min) | Thriller |
| Saturday 22 May | 8.10pm | ANGELO (Austria, 111 min) Preceded by US (3 min) | Drama |
| Sunday 23 May | 2.00pm | QUEEN MARIE OF ROMANIA (Romania, 110 min) Preceded by MILK POWDER (7 min) | Drama |
| Sunday 23 May | 5.00pm | MASTER CHENG (Finland, 114 min) (Closing session – By Invitation) | Comedy |
