The Cinematheque launches 27th-annual European Union Film Festival, November 14 to 28
Featuring film offerings from all 27 European Union members, festival opens with Hungary’s Some Birds and closes with Ukraine’s The Hardest Hour
SPONSORED POST BY The Cinematheque
Some Birds (Valami madarak).
Sample the latest in Europe’s cinematic achievements at the annual European Union Film Festival, celebrating its 27th edition at The Cinematheque this fall from November 14 to 28.
Presented in partnership with the Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa and the European Union Film Festival in Toronto, along with the member states of the European Union and the Delegation of the European Union to Canada, this year’s festival features in-theatre offerings from all 27 EU members.
This year’s host country is Hungary, which is in the spotlight come opening night on November 14 at 7 pm with a screening of Dániel Hevér’s debut feature film Some Birds (Valami madarak) sponsored by the Hungarian Vice Consulate in Vancouver.
Elderly but defiant, Béla (László Szacsvay) has been placed in a care facility by his son, who believes he is incapable of living independently. Béla doesn’t like it at all, so he rebels against the care workers and schemes to escape. At this same facility he meets Zoé (Lilla Kizlinger), a troubled young woman who has been assigned to work there as part of her juvenile-delinquent rehabilitation process. Both outsiders, they soon develop a friendship, and Zoé decides to help Béla in his outlandish plans to escape—which proves a risky move indeed.
The Hardest Hour (Довга доба).
Since the 2022 escalation of war in Ukraine, the European Union Film Festival has concluded with a fundraiser screening organized in partnership with the Embassy of Ukraine to Canada. Proceeds from this year’s film on November 28 at 7 pm, the crowdsourced documentary The Hardest Hour (Довга доба), will benefit the Ukraine Harmony Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about Ukraine both in Canada and globally.
Directed by Alan Badoev, The Hardest Hour consists entirely of cellphone footage taken by Ukrainians before and during the war. Culled from 200 hours of video recordings, the film is a collective testament to a nation’s courage and resilience.
Following the conclusion of the in-person European Union Film Festival in Vancouver, a selection of films will also be available to rent online at euffonline.ca.
To purchase tickets and browse a full selection of screenings, visit The Cinematheque.
Post sponsored by The Cinematheque.
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