The Cinematheque hosts 28th annual European Union Film Festival, November 13 to 26
Titles include Denmark’s The Land of Short Sentences, Ukraine solidarity screening Porcelain War, and more
The Land of Short Sentences
The European Union Film Festival, an annual trek across the landscapes of Europe’s latest cinema, returns this autumn for a 28th edition at The Cinematheque.
Presented from November 13 to 26 in partnership with Ottawa’s Canadian Film Institute and Toronto’s European Union Film Festival, 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 E.U. members. A selection of films will also be available to rent online at euffonline.ca following the conclusion of the in-person festival.
As with the previous three editions, EUFF 2025 will feature a solidarity screening to benefit Ukraine, organized in partnership with the Embassy of Ukraine to Canada. Proceeds from this year’s film, the Oscar-nominated Porcelain War, will support the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. The screening closes the festival on November 26 at 8:30 pm.
In Porcelain War, three defiant Ukrainian artists find inspiration as they defend their culture amid the chaos and destruction of the Russian invasion. Despite daily shelling, Anya Stasenko, Andrey Stefanov, and co-director Slava Leontyev elect to stay behind, arming themselves with art, cameras, and—for the first time—guns. An extraordinary document of an extraordinary time, Porcelain War was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.
Porcelain War
Elsewhere at the festival, EUFF wayfarers can expect an eclectic range of national (and sometimes international) productions—everything from domestic blockbusters to arthouse darlings—with a majority of films receiving their Canadian debuts. Opening night features Denmark’s The Land of Short Sentences, directed by Hella Joof, on November 13 at 7 pm. When Rasmus gets a teaching post in Jutland, he accepts. But all signs suggest that this is hardest felt by his girlfriend Marie, who finds her life in Copenhagen hard to give up, and must decide whether the relationship is worth completely uprooting what she knows.
At 28 years strong in Vancouver, and a milestone 50 in Ottawa, EUFF remains the premier survey of contemporary European cinema in the country.
To purchase tickets and browse the full program, visit The Cinematheque.
Post sponsored by The Cinematheque.
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