EU Film Festival “Europe on Screen” begins today in 7 cities in Indonesia for 10 days
EU Film Festival “Europe on Screen” begins today in 7 cities in Indonesia for 10 days
Starting today until 25 June 2023, Indonesian filmgoers will be able to watch 73 films from 24 European countries during the European Union (EU) Film Festival “Europe on Screen” (EOS). The festival will take place over 10 days in 17 venues, across 7 cities in Indonesia: Jakarta, Bekasi, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar and Medan. All screenings are free. Audiences can come directly to screening venues to get their tickets.
“This year is the 23rd edition of Europe on Screen (EOS), making it the longest running international film festival in Indonesia. I am also proud that we will have more than 230 film screenings this year. The films range from drama to comedy, from family films to documentaries, and much more. There is something for everyone,” said H.E. Vincent Piket, EU Ambassador to Indonesia, ahead of the EOS 2023 opening ceremony at Goethe-Institut, Jakarta.
The festival will open with a new film from Austria, First Snow of Summer, a romantic comedy, about a man who swears to never fall in love, until he meets a beautiful woman in her shop in the subway. Chris Raiber, the film director, will be present virtually to discuss the film on #EoS23 Film Talk via Instagram live on 17 June 2023 at 16:00.
“It is a particular honor that the screening of an Austrian film opens the 2023 edition of “Europe on screen”. Austria had an active and culturally broad cinema and film industry since the early 20th century and that diversity and broadness of the Austrian film industry has continued to the present day,” said H.E. Thomas Loidl, Austrian Ambassador to Indonesia in his speech.
Three Indonesian short films produced by winners of the EOS annual competition programme “Short Film Pitching Project” (SFPP) 2022 will premiere on 18 June 2023 at IFI Thamrin, Jakarta. The three short films of SFPP 2022 winners are:
- Dengung Lebah/ Buzzing Bee (comedy-drama, 13 minutes, film director: Gin Teguh)
- Passing (drama, 16 minutes, film director: Gisela Levy)
- Make a Wish (drama, 19 minutes, film director: Adventio Diyar)
“We hope these three new exciting short films will be able to travel to both local and international film festivals and screenings,” said Nauval Yazid, EOS 2023 Festival Co-Director.
This year, the SFPP 2023 programme received 168 short film proposals from emerging filmmakers in 32 cities across Indonesia, mostly residing outside the greater Jakarta area. Ten finalists will thus virtually present their ideas to a jury panel on Tuesday, 20 June 2023 via Zoom. This pitching session will be open for the public to follow. The jury members for SFPP 2023 are:
- Vivian Idris, Head of the Festival and Event Department of the Indonesian Film Board
- Agung Sentausa, Producer and Supervisory Board of the Indonesian Film Board (BPI)
- Lulu Ratna, Lecturer and Film Programme Consultant
This year’s #EoS23 Film Talk is special as it will be held offline. “Having a chance to chat directly with the filmmakers during the film festival is more fun, as you will get first hand knowledge and behind-the-scenes stories in-person. That is why we are excited to fly in two filmmakers from Europe this year,” said Meninaputri Wismurti, EOS 2023 Festival Co-Director. The visiting filmmakers and their workshops are:
- Workshop: How to Write a Romantic Comedy with Marco Martani, film director of “She’s The One” from Italy (19 June 2023, 15:00 at IFI Thamrin)
- Workshop: Making a Leap From Short Film to Your First Feature Length Film with Alexander Bak Sagmo, film director of “Esther’s Orchestra” from Denmark (21 June 2023 , 16:00 at SAE Indonesia)
Another session of #EoS23 Film Talk is inspired by two selected films in the festival, My Pet and Me (Netherlands, 2022) and Róise and Frank (Ireland, 2022). These two films share a story of special bonds between pets and their owners, and the effect of having pets for one’s mental health. Therefore, the #EoS23 Film Talk: “Our Pets, Our Mental Health” will be held on 24 June 2023 in Erasmus Huis at 14.30 WIB. The discussion will be moderated by Stephany Josephine (writer) with Dr Rini Kumala (veterinarian), Rizal Iwan (actor, writer) and Karin Franken (Jakarta Animal Aid Network) as speakers.
To watch films at EOS 2023, filmgoers can obtain the free tickets at the festival venues an hour before each film screening time. Prior to this, registration is required by scanning the QR code at the registration desk. All schedules, information on films and fringe events, as well as latest updates are available on the EOS social media accounts and website: