The Italian film La Chimaera is all set to open the 29th European Union Film Festival (EUFF); the film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival

La Chimaera Opens EUFF 29, Celebrating Its Cannes Palme d'Or Competition Recognition

New Delhi, November 04th, 2024: The 29th edition of the European Union Film Festival (EUFF) announces La Chimera as the opening film that will be screened on November 7, 2024, in New Delhi. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher, this charming film follows a lovelorn Englishman as he plunders Italy’s historical treasures with a quirky gang. A delightful blend of fantasy and comedy, La Chimera explores themes of lost love, relationships, life, and death. Yile Yara Vianello, lead actress in “La Chimera” (Italy) is travelling to India for the opening night.

Talking about the film, writer-director Alice Rohrwacher said, “The proximity of sacred and profane, of death and life, that characterised the years in which I was growing up has always fascinated me and given a measure to my way of seeing. This is why I decided at last to make a film that tells this layered story, this relationship between two worlds, the last part in a triptych about a local area whose attention is focused on one central question: what should it do with its past? As some grave-robbers say, down our way it’s the dead that give life.”

The festival, a vibrant celebration of cinema will run in New Delhi till 16th November, bringing to the Indian audience a bouquet of 26 award-winning European films in 31 languages, offering a window into European society, culture, and people. Organised by the European Union, in collaboration with EU Members States and regional partners. This festival is a testament to the strong diplomatic ties between the European Union and India, promoting cross-cultural understanding, artistic expression, and community building through the universal language of storytelling.

EUFF will be hosted across 3 iconic venues in New Delhi: India Habitat Centre, Instituto Cervantes, and Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan from Nov`7th to 16th 2024. This highly anticipated film festival promises an eclectic mix of films that explore diverse themes from complex human relationships to gender identity to sisterhood, self-discovery, and more, offering audiences a Window to Europe through stories that have universal appeal. Each film at the festival is an experience and brings a fresh perspective and new ideas.

Showcasing the crème de la crème of contemporary European cinema, the festival also marks the India premiere of several European films, including, What A Feeling, Because I Love Bad Weather, Stairway To Heaven, Death is a Problem for the Living, Jim’s Story, Without Air, Black Velvet, The Last Ashes, Blood on the Crown, Baan, Horia and The Man Without Guilt.

All films at EUFF 2024 will have English subtitles and will be on a first come, first serve basis. Please note that some of the films are rated 18+, so we recommend checking the ratings before planning your visit.

Line-up for EUFF 2024: :

Austria/ What a Feeling; Belgium/Employee of the Month (L’employée Du Mois); Bulgaria/Because I Love Bad Weather (Защото обичам лошото време); Cyprus/ Embryo Larva Butterfly; Czech Republic/ Restore Point(Bod Obnovy); Denmark/ Sons (Vogter); Estonia/ Stairway To Heaven (Taevatrepp); Finland/ Death is a Problem for the Living (Peluri- Kuolema on Elävien Ongelma); France/ Jim’s Story (Le roman de Jim); Germany/ Afire (Roter Himmel); Greece/ Animal; Hungary/ Without Air; Ireland/ An Irish Goodbye; Italy/ La Chimera; Latvia/ Black Velvet (Melnais Samts); Lithuania/ Five And A Half Love Stories In An Apartment In Vilnius (Penkios su puse meilės istorijos, nutikusios viename Vilniaus bute); Luxembourg/ The Last Ashes (Läif a Séil); Malta/ Blood on the Crown; Netherlands/ Como el Viento; Poland/ Dangerous Men (Niebezpieczni dżentelmeni); Portugal/ Baan; Romania/ Horia; Slovenia/ The Man Without Guilt (L’uomo senza colpa); Spain/ The Teacher Who Promised The Sea (El maestro que prometió el mar); Sweden/ UFO Sweden; Ukraine/ How is Katia? (Yak Tam Katia?)