51 films representing all 27 EU member gets the spotlight at this year’s 36th AFI European Union Film Showcase, taking place November 30–December 19, 2023, at the American Film Institute’s historic theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland.
AFI European Union Film Showcase opens on November 30 with The Taste of Things (France), a rapturous ode to French gastronomy, and the love between two people pursuing a shared passion, for which director (The Scent of Green Papaya, Norwegian Wood) won the Best Director award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The Taste of Things stars Juliette Binoche (The English Patient, Clouds of Sils Maria) and Benoît Magimel (The Piano Teacher, Pacifiction) and is France’s official Oscar® submission for Best International Feature Film.
The Closing Night selection is Creatura (Spain), directed by Elena Martín Gimeno (Júlia Ist), a powerful and frank story of a young woman’s sexual awakening and repression, featuring a fearless performance from Martín Gimeno, working from a script co-written with fellow Catalan filmmaker and screenwriter Clara Roquet (10,000 KM, Libertad). Creatura won the Europa Cinemas Award for Best European Film in the Directors’ Fortnight competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Additional highlights include several eagerly anticipated new works from some of Europe’s best-known filmmakers, including Aki Kaurismäki’s (Le Havre, The Other Side of Hope) deadpan romance and Cannes Jury Prize winner Fallen Leaves (Finland), Finland’s official Oscar® submission; Agnieszka Holland’s (Europa Europa, Spoor) urgent refugee drama Green Border (Poland), winner of the Special Jury Prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival; Steve McQueen’s (12 Years A Slave, Shame) rigorous World War II documentary Occupied City (Netherlands); Alice Rohrwacher’s (Happy As Lazzaro, La Pupille) funny, folkloric and romantic drama La Chimera (Italy) following English expat archaeologist Josh O’Connor in 1980s Tuscany; and Wim Wender’s breathtaking documentary Anselm 3D (Germany), which explores the life and work of artist and iconoclast Anselm Kiefer.
Other standouts from among the 21 official Best International Feature Film Oscar® submissions featured in this year’s lineup are Jonathan Glazer’s (Under the Skin, Birth) Cannes Grand Prix winner The Zone of Interest (UK/Poland), a startling Holocaust drama set outside the walls of Auschwitz; The Promised Land (Denmark), a rollicking period Danish Western starring Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round, A Royal Affair); The Peasants (Poland), another crowd-pleasing oil-painted animated film from the team behind Loving Vincent; Matteo Garrone’s (Gomorrah) stirring Senegalese refugee drama Me Captain (Italy); the U.S. Premieres of submissions from Croatia (Traces) and Latvia (My Freedom); and visiting filmmaker guests from the Portuguese (Bad Living director João Canijo) and Luxembourgish (The Last Ashes director Loïc Tanson) submissions.
2023 AFI EUROPEAN UNION FILM SHOWCASE
Austria
STAMS
Bernhard Braunstein’s documentary covers a year in the life of the Stams ski boarding school in Austria. The demanding training used to develop elite athletic talent is plain to see; the teenaged students are left to question what physical and mental costs might accrue along the way. DIR Bernhard Braunstein. Austria, 2023, 97 min. In German with English subtitles.
Belgium
HERE (2023)
In this drifting, delicate meditation on human connections, a Romanian construction worker and a Belgian-Chinese botany student form an unexpected kinship after a random encounter in Brussels. DIR Bas Devos. Belgium, 2023, 82 min. In Dutch, Romanian, Mandarin and French with English subtitles.
OMEN [AUGURE]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Belgium
Rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji serves up a visual feast, infusing magical realism into this kaleidoscopic portrait of four intertwined characters accused of witchcraft in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. DIR Baloji. Belgium/Democratic Republic of the Congo/Netherlands/France/Germany/South Africa, 2023, 90 min. In English, French, Lingala and Swahili with English subtitles.
THE OTHER LAURENS [L’AUTRE LAURENS]
In this Belgian neo-noir, French private detective Gabriel Laurens unexpectedly finds himself entangled in a web of lies after being asked by his niece to investigate his estranged twin brother’s suspicious death. DIR Claude Schmitz. Belgium/France, 2023, color, 117 min. In English, French and Spanish with English subtitles.
Bulgaria
BLAGA’S LESSONS [UROTCITE NA BLAGA]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Bulgaria
Filmmaker Stephan Komandarev brings gripping genre thrills to this social realist tale of a retired teacher who falls victim to phone scammers, only to join their ranks in the hopes of reclaiming her life savings. DIR Stephan Komandarev. Bulgaria/Germany, 2023, 114 min. In Bulgarian with English subtitles.
Croatia
TRACES [TRAGOVI]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Croatia
In this lyrical film, anthropologist Ana finds her research on cryptic symbols and ancient tombstones slowly intertwining with her life following the death of her beloved father, leaving her the last living member of a once-large family. DIR Dubravka Turić. Croatia/Lithuania/Serbia, 2023, 98 min. In Croatian with English subtitles.
Cyprus
EMBRYO LARVA BUTTERFLY
U.S. Premiere
In Cypriot director Kyros Papavassiliou’s latest film, a couple finds their relationship tested living in a world in which time is arbitrary and nonlinear — one moment they’re complete strangers and the next expectant parents. DIR Kyros Papavassiliou. Cyprus/Greece, 2023, 91 min. In English and Greek with English subtitles.
Czechia
RESTORE POINT [BOD OBNOVY]
The year is 2041 and citizens have the right to be re-booted should they meet an untimely demise. When the technology’s founder turns up dead, it’s up to a damaged detective to solve the case. This riveting, imaginative sci-fi recalls genre hallmarks BLADE RUNNER and MINORITY REPORT. DIR Robert Hloz. Czechia/Slovakia/Poland/Serbia, 2023, 111 min. In Czech with English subtitles.
Denmark
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
THE PROMISED LAND (2023) [BASTARDEN]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Denmark
Denmark, 18th century. Ludvig von Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) makes a deal with the king: settle the Jutland’s land and ascend to nobility. This rollicking period Danish Western is filled with romance, intrigue and revenge. DIR Nikolaj Arcel. Denmark/Germany/Sweden, 2023, 127 min. In Danish with English subtitles.
Estonia
THE INVISIBLE FIGHT [NÄHTAMATU VÕITLUS]
A young Soviet-era border agent resolves to become an elite kung fu warrior and seeks training from the unlikeliest of places, an Eastern Orthodox monastery, in this hilarious, black metal-infused satire about life under an oppressive regime. DIR Rainer Sarnet. Estonia/Greece/Finland/Latvia, 2023, 115 min. In Estonian with English subtitles.
SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD [SAVVUSANNA SÕSARAD]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Estonia
Tucked away in a forest in southern Estonia, a group of women gathers seasonally in a communal smoke sauna. Their traditional practice offers a look into the healing powers of solidarity and sisterhood. DIR Anna Hints. Estonia/France/Iceland, 2023, 89 min. In Estonian with English subtitles.
Finland
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
FALLEN LEAVES [KUOLLEET LEHDET]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Finland
This delightfully deadpan tragicomedy from Aki Kaurismäki follows two lonely, working-class Helsinkians struggling to find love, acceptance and stability. Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. DIR Aki Kaurismäki. Finland/Germany, 2023, 81 min. In Finnish with English subtitles.
FAMILY TIME (2023) [MUMMOLA]
Tia Kouvo’s impressive feature debut adapts her own 2018 short dramedy that intricately analyzes the complexities and personalities of a modern multigenerational family, set in the snowy Finnish countryside during the holidays. DIR Tia Kouvo. Finland/Sweden, 2023, 114 min. In Finnish with English subtitles.
France
THE BOOK OF SOLUTIONS [LE LIVRE DES SOLUTIONS]
Oscar®-winning filmmaker Michel Gondry returns after an eight-year hiatus with this deliciously meta, hilariously self-aware and semi-autobiographical portrait of a DIY filmmaker wrestling with creative and personal demons to complete his latest film. DIR Michel Gondry. France, 2023, 102 min. In French with English subtitles.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
THE CRIME IS MINE [MON CRIME]
In François Ozon’s star-studded caper comedy, aspiring actress Madeleine and would-be lawyer Pauline struggle to make ends meet in 1930s Paris when an audition-gone-wrong makes Madeleine the prime suspect in a murder. DIR François Ozon. France, 2023, 102 min. In French with English subtitles.
DISCO BOY
Franz Rogowski stars as a Belarusian man looking to gain French citizenship through three years of service in the French Foreign Legion, a decision that sends him to the Niger Delta for an encounter that will haunt him forever. DIR Giacomo Abbruzzese. France/Italy/Belgium/Poland, 2023, 92 min. In English, French, Nigerian, Polish, Russian and Igbo with English subtitles.
LITTLE GIRL BLUE
Marion Cotillard stars in this remarkable, hybrid documentary/psychodrama exploring the life of filmmaker Mona Achache’s mother Carole, a writer who died by suicide in 2016. DIR Mona Achache. France/Belgium, 2023, 95 min. In French with English subtitles.
MIDWIVES [SAGES-FEMMES]
On their first day as professional midwives in a French hospital, two lifelong friends are faced with a whirlwind of scant resources, difficult births and tough decisions that threaten their resolve and friendship. DIR Léa Fehner. France, 2023, 99 min. In French with English subtitles.
ON THE ADAMANT [SUR L’ADAMANT]
In this Berlinale Golden Bear winner, acclaimed documentarian Nicolas Philibert captures the daily life of patients and caregivers aboard the Adamant, a floating, nontraditional care center permanently moored on Paris’ Seine River. DIR Nicolas Philibert. France/Japan, 2023, color, 109 min. In French with English subtitles.
ORLANDO, MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY [ORLANDO, MA BIOGRAPHIE POLITIQUE]
Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando: A Biography,” director Paul B. Preciado, convenes 26 trans and non-binary people to construct a manifold and beautiful image of transness, one that is both broadening and unifying, devastating and joyful. DIR Paul B. Preciado. France, 2023, 98 min. In French with English subtitles.
OPENING NIGHT
THE TASTE OF THINGS [THE POT-AU-FEU]
2024 Oscar® Selection, France
*Q&A with filmmaker Trần Anh Hùng, plus post-screening reception hosted by IFC Films and the Embassy of France on Nov. 29
Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel star in this rapturous ode to French gastronomy from Cannes’ Best Director Award winner Trần Anh Hùng (CYCLO, NORWEGIAN WOOD, THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA). DIR Trần Anh Hùng. France, 2023, 145 min. In French with English subtitles.
Germany
ANSELM in 3D [ANSELM – DAS RAUSCHEN DER ZEIT]
Wim Wenders brings depth to this stereoscopic portrait of German artist Anselm Kiefer, creating a mesmerizing collage of the artist’s past and present to fashion an immersive exploration of his spirit. DIR Wim Wenders. Germany, 2023, 93 min. In German with English subtitles.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE [DAS LEHRERZIMMER]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Germany
A spate of thefts in a German middle school leads to mistrust, strong-arm tactics, wrongful accusations and the near collapse of authority in İlker Çatak’s masterfully controlled allegory. DIR İlker Çatak. Germany, 2023, 98 min. In English, German, Polish and Turkish with English subtitles.
THE UNIVERSAL THEORY [DIE THEORIE VON ALLEM]
Timm Kröger’s visionary, sci-fi fable explores post-World War II German guilt, Atomic Age anxiety and Cold War intrigue in a web of secrets and lies reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock crossed with David Lynch. DIR Timm Kröger. Germany/Austria/Switzerland, 2023, 118 min. In German with English subtitles.
Greece
THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN [TO KALOKAIRI TIS KARMEN]
Best friends Demos and Nikitas spend the day on a queer nude beach soaking in the Greek summer sun as they brainstorm a script based on the lively events of last summer. This breezy, lighthearted romp will leave Greek Weird Wave in the dust as the “Greek Queer Wave” takes over. DIR Zacharias Mavroeidis. Greece, 2023, 106 min. In Greek with English subtitles.
Hungary
EXPLANATION FOR EVERYTHING [MAGYARÁZAT MINDENRE]
High school senior Abel flunks his graduation exam and blames the Nationalist pin he was wearing, igniting a national scandal. Told from multiple perspectives, this incisive political dramedy won Best Film in the Horizons section of this year’s Venice Film Festival. DIR Gábor Reisz. Hungary/Slovakia, 2023, 151 min. In Hungarian with English subtitles.
Ireland
IN THE SHADOW OF BEIRUT
2024 Oscar® Selection, Ireland
Executive produced by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, this powerful and intimate documentary depicts the lives of four families struggling to survive in an urban slum in Beirut amid the total collapse of Lebanon’s financial system. DIR Stephen Gerard Kelly, Garry Keane. Ireland/Lebanon, 2023, 92 min. In Arabic with English subtitles.
Italy
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
LA CHIMERA
Josh O’Connor stars as a heartbroken English archaeologist slumming around with Etruscan graverobbers in 1980s Tuscany in this funny, folkloric, romantic and thought-provoking film from Alice Rohrwacher. DIR Alice Rohrwacher. Italy/France/Switzerland, 2023, 130 min. In English and Italian with English subtitles.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
KIDNAPPED: THE ABDUCTION OF EDGARDO MORTARA [RAPITO]
Marco Bellocchio’s riveting portrait of power and faith tells the true story of a Jewish boy forcibly taken from his family and raised under the care of Pope Pius IX. DIR Marco Bellocchio. Italy/France/Germany, 2023, 134 min. In Italian, Hebrew and Latin with English subtitles.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
ME CAPTAIN [IO CAPITANO]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Italy
Matteo Garrone won Venice’s Best Director award for this epic tale of two Senegalese teenagers’ dangerous journey across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in pursuit of better lives. DIR Matteo Garrone. Italy/Belgium/France, 2023, 121 min. In English, Arabic, French and Wolof with English subtitles.
Latvia
MY FREEDOM [MANA BRĪVĪBA]
U.S. Premiere
2024 Oscar® Selection, Latvia
Charismatic speaker Alicija finds herself at the forefront of the Latvian Popular Front, fighting for independence from the USSR in late ’80s Latvia. But as her star rises, she’ll begin to question those closest to her. DIR Ilze Kunga-Melgaile. Latvia/Lithuania, 2023, 98 min. In Latvian and Polish with English subtitles.
Lithuania
SLOW [TU MAN NIEKO NEPRIMENI]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Lithuania
The whirlwind romance between dancer Elena and soft-spoken sign language interpreter Dovyda unfolds as sex-positive Elena attempts to understand Dovyda’s asexuality. DIR Marija Kavtaradzė. Lithuania/Spain/Sweden, 2023, 108 min. In English and Lithuanian with English subtitles.
Luxembourg
THE LAST ASHES [LÄIF A SÉIL]
U.S. Premiere
2024 Oscar® Selection, Luxembourg
Q&A with filmmaker Loïc Tanson on Dec. 17
Fifteen years after narrowly escaping an isolated village controlled by an egotistical and totalitarian patriarch, Hélène returns to her birthplace in northern Luxembourg under a false identity to seek revenge on those who harmed her. DIR Loïc Tanson. Luxembourg/Belgium, 2023, 120 min. In Luxembourgish with English subtitles.
Malta
CATS OF MALTA
Director and narrator Sarah Jayne’s tender documentary follows the stray cats that call the streets of Malta home through interviews with local caretakers, feeders, workers and artists dedicated to bettering the cats’ lives. DIR Sarah Jayne. Malta, 2023, 68 min. In English and Maltese with English subtitles.
Netherlands
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
OCCUPIED CITY
Steve McQueen’s rigorous documentary explores Amsterdam under Nazi occupation. Rejecting archival footage, the film excavates history one address at a time, drawing powerful connections between past and present. DIR Steve McQueen. Netherlands/UK, 2023, 262 min., including a 10-min. intermission. In English and Dutch with English subtitles.
SWEET DREAMS
2024 Oscar® Selection, Netherlands
During the last gasps of the colonial era, the death of a Dutch sugar plantation patriarch sets off a struggle for his estate in Indonesia. Ena Sendijarević’s biting satire is brilliantly rendered in lush symmetrical frames and droll deadpan. DIR Ena Sendijarević. Netherlands/France/Indonesia/Sweden, 2023, 102 min. In Dutch and Indonesian with English subtitles.
WHERE IS ANNE FRANK
This engaging, animated drama explores the legacy of Anne Frank through the eyes of Kitty, the imaginary friend to whom Frank addressed the entries in her famous diary. In present-day Amsterdam, Kitty sets out on a journey to discover what happened to her friend. DIR Ari Folman. Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg/France/Israel, 2021, 99 min. In English.
Poland
GREEN BORDER [ZIELONA GRANICA]
Academy Award® nominee Agnieszka Holland depicts the contemporary humanitarian crisis at the Belarus-Poland border from the intertwined perspectives of a family of Syrian refugees, a conflicted Polish border guard and a divided group of activists. DIR Agnieszka Holland. Poland/France/Czech Republic/Belgium, 2023, 152 min. In English, Arabic, Polish and French with English subtitles.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
THE PEASANTS [CHŁOPI]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Poland
Comprised of more than 40,000 oil paintings, this awe-inspiring, animated, historical drama is the latest film from Oscar®-nominated directors DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman (LOVING VINCENT). DIR DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman. Poland/Serbia/Lithuania, 2023, 114 min. In Polish with English subtitles.
PIANOFORTE
The International Chopin Piano Competition is an Olympic-level contest for elite young concert pianists, with the champion crowned only after performing a grueling gauntlet of Chopin pieces across multiple weeks. Jakub Piątek’s documentary provides insight into the rigors of professional music performance. DIR Jakub Piątek. Poland/Germany, 2023, 91 min. In English, Polish, Mandarin, Slovenian, Russian and Italian with English subtitles.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
THE ZONE OF INTEREST
2024 Oscar® Selection, UK
A sinister reality exists just outside the idyllic life Rudolf Höss appears to live in the Polish countryside with his young family: their home shares a wall with Auschwitz, and Rudolf is its chief commandant. Jonathan Glazer adapts Martin Amis’ novel to remarkably chilling effect. DIR Jonathan Glazer. U.S./UK/Poland, 2023, 105 min. In German, Polish and Yiddish with English subtitles.
Portugal
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
BAD LIVING [MAL VIVER]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Portugal
Q&A with filmmaker João Canijo, plus post-screening reception sponsored by the Embassy of Portugal on Dec. 2
BAD LIVING is part one of João Canijo’s ambitious diptych, foregrounding the family drama of the owners of a once proud, now struggling, seaside resort near Porto. The private dramas of the hotel’s guests are only hinted at here, but in part two, LIVING BAD, the full picture emerges. DIR João Canijo. Portugal/France, 2023, 127 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
LIVING BAD [VIVER MAL]
Q&A with filmmaker João Canijo on Dec. 3
LIVING BAD focuses on the hotel guests’ stories only hinted at in BAD LIVING, relegating the hotel owners to the margins while revealing some key details and alternate perspectives to what was depicted in the first film. The two films fit together in complimentary, jigsaw puzzle-like ways. DIR João Canijo. Portugal/France, 2023, 124 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
Romania
DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD [NU ASTEPTA PREA MULT DE LA SFÂRSITUL LUMII]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Romania
Radu Jude’s latest feature is an outlandish, satirical critique of Romanian society following a hectic day in the life of Angela, an overworked and underpaid production assistant. DIR Radu Jude. Romania/Luxembourg/France/Croatia, 2023, 164 min. In Romanian with English subtitles.
Slovakia
SHE-HERO [MIMI]
U.S. Premiere
In this charming, whimsical adventure, young Romy finds herself on a magical journey deep in the Slovak forest as she searches resolutely for her beloved missing budgie, Mimi. DIR Mira Fornay. Slovakia, 2023, 84 min. In English, Slovak, Czech and German with English subtitles.
Slovenia
RIDERS [JEZDECA]
U.S. Premiere
2024 Oscar® Selection, Slovenia
Inspired by a stolen VHS tape of EASY RIDERS, two lifelong friends search for freedom, meaning and love via their amateur, upgraded mopeds in this dreamy, nonlinear journey through the Slovenian and Croatian countryside. DIR Dominik Mencej. Slovenia/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Serbia/Croatia, 2022, 110 min. In Slovenian with English subtitles.
Spain
20,000 SPECIES OF BEES [20.000 ESPECIES DE ABEJAS]
In this sun-soaked, sublimely sensitive drama, an eight-year-old experiences a gender identity crisis over one uncertain summer vacation in Basque Country, where three generations of women in her family reside together. DIR Estíbaliz Urresola Solaguren. Spain, 2023, 129 min. In Spanish, French and Basque with English subtitles.
CLOSE YOUR EYES (2023) [CERRAR LOS OJOS]
In director Víctor Erice’s long-awaited return to cinema, a hauntingly personal reflection on memory and art, a filmmaker revisits his abandoned film and the mysterious disappearance of his lead actor. DIR Víctor Erice. Spain/Argentina, 2023, 169 min. In English, Spanish and Chinese with English subtitles.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
SOCIETY OF THE SNOW [LA SOCIEDAD DE LA NIEVE]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Spain
Triumphantly returning to Spanish language cinema, J. A. Bayona brings breathless thrills and emotional gravitas to the tragic, true story of the crashed Uruguayan Flight 571 in this ferocious survival epic. DIR J. A. Bayona. Spain/Uruguay, 2023, 144 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
CLOSING NIGHT
CREATURA
U.S. Premiere
Q&A with filmmaker Elena Martín Gimeno on Dec. 16
Filmmaker Elena Martín Gimeno gives a fearless performance as Mila, a 35-year-old struggling with her own desires, in this powerful and frank story of a young woman’s sexual awakening and repression. DIR Elena Martín Gimeno. Spain, 2023, 112 min. In Catalan with English subtitles.
Sweden
OPPONENT [MOTSTÅNDAREN]
2024 Oscar® Selection, Sweden
Fearing persecution, closeted wrestler Iman (Payman Maadi) has fled his native Iran for snowy northern Sweden. He joins the national wrestling team, and tensions rise as he struggles to honor his family and his desires in this razor-sharp social drama. DIR Milad Alami. Sweden/Norway, 2023, 119 min. In Swedish and Persian with English subtitles.
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