Cast member Sandra Huller attends a press conference to promote the movie ‘Rose’ at the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany February 15, 2026. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben
Announced in September, the initiative invited short films of up to 10 minutes, including credits, in fiction, documentary, animation and hybrid formats. Cast member Sandra Huller attends a press conference to promote the movie ‘Rose’ at the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany February 15, 2026. Up to 10 shortlisted films will be screened at the Delhi chapter. The winner will be announced during the festival and will get to attend the 15th edition of Script Fiesta in Warsaw, Poland, from March 17 to 21, 2027.
EU Ambassador to India Jean-Eric Paquet said the festival was travelling to cities “with a rich cultural pulse and a deep love for storytelling. In this edition, it’s also a bridge: not just between our regions, but between the world we live in and the one we still believe is possible,” Paquet said. Festival curator Artur Zaborski said this year’s selection was about bringing the many voices of the European Union to Indian audiences. Each voice has something compelling to offer, and this festival is an invitation to listen,” Zaborski said. Organisers said it demonstrates how cinema can complement the relationship by fostering people-to-people engagement and mutual understanding.
“Cinema has always been a mirror and a window. He added that the EU looked forward to welcoming audiences and to “the conversations these films will inspire. “We share a heritage as a continent, while cherishing our distinct cultures, languages and perspectives. “I hope audiences will discover unfamiliar worlds, recognise something of themselves, and find connections between these European stories and their own lives in India. The festival is also meant to deepen EU-India ties. New award for young Indian filmmakers This edition launches the EUFF Film Project Award for young and emerging Indian filmmakers. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben Entries were to cover themes such as identity and belonging, migration and diaspora, language and cultural memory, women and their interior world, queer stories, climate change and indigenous stories. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test Get the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.
Sandra Hüller’s Rose will headline the 31st edition of the European Union Film Festival (EUFF), which brings 28 award-winning films from 27 EU Member States and Ukraine, in 30 languages, to Indian audiences this winter. The festival opens in Shillong on November 12 and moves to New Delhi from November 25 to December 4. Hüller’s film leads a line-up that also includes Oliver Laxe’s Sirāt, Alex Camilleri’s Żejtune, the French drama The Richest Woman in the World and the Italian film A Year of School. Pune will host the final leg in December. In Delhi, screenings will take place at six venues: India Habitat Centre, Instituto Cervantes, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre, India International Centre and Triveni Kala Sangam. Described as India’s premier showcase of European cinema, EUFF is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to India with the Embassies of EU Member States and regional partners. It is one of the country’s only festivals dedicated exclusively to European films. ‘Cinema has always been a mirror and a window. In this edition, it’s also a bridge’ The programme includes seven films by women filmmakers, five debut features and five historical dramas, alongside feature-length documentaries, animated films and sports dramas. Themes range from resilience, hope, identity and power to cross-cultural encounters, ageing and the autonomy of older people, disability, illness and mental health.