Jakarta, IO – The European Union (EU) “Europe on Screen” (EoS) Film Festival is back to its pre-pandemic glory this year, with full theater screenings. The Festival will run for 10 days – from 16 to 25 June 2023 – in 17 venues across seven cities in Indonesia: Jakarta, Bandung, Bekasi, Denpasar, Medan, Surabaya and Yogyakarta. This year marks the Festival’s 23rd tour of one of the most highly-anticipated cinematic events for film enthusiasts in Indonesia.
“The European film industry is seeing a dynamic resurgence and we are delighted that this year that we have a wider selection of acclaimed European films to choose from and increase the number of screenings for the Indonesian public,” detailed H.E Vincent Piket, EU Ambassador to Indonesia, at the EoS 2023 press conference on 8 June in Jakarta.
EoS 2023 will screen 73 films from 24 European countries. Two European filmmakers – Marco Martani from Italy and Alexander Bak Sagmo from Denmark – will be present in-person during the Festival, to hold workshops for local filmmakers, in collaboration with two Indonesian film schools: Jakarta Art Institute and SAE Institute. Other European directors, actors and filmmakers will also participate in virtual Q&A sessions of the #EoS23 Film Talk. All EoS film screenings and side events are free of charge.
Speaking of the film lineup, Nauval Yazid, EoS 2023 Festival Co-Director, said, “This year we are proud to present new films from Europe; many of them will have their Southeast Asian premieres at our Festival.”
The Festival will open with the Austrian romantic comedy “First Snow of Summer”, directed by Chris Raiber, about a man who swears to never fall in love, until he meets a beautiful woman in her shop in the subway. The Festival’s closing film is the Belgian dark comedy “Employee of the Month”. The 2022 film, directed by Véronique Jadin, provides both playful and dark tones, a sharp look at office culture, explored through a dark comedy lens.
As part of the Festival’s Retrospective program, EoS 2023 will celebrate Greek-French director Costa-Gavras. His first three films will be screened during the Festival. Visitors can also experience Costa-Gavras’ mini exhibitions at Goethe-Institut and Institut Francais Indonesia (IFI) Thamrin. “We are also proud that the Festival provides an opportunity for young filmmakers who have won past EoS Short Film Pitching Project (SFPP) competitions to spread their wings and join various film festivals in Europe and Indonesia,” said Meninaputri Wismurti, EoS 2023 Festival Co-Director.
For 2023, the EoS SFPP has received 168 proposals from emerging filmmakers from 32 cities across Indonesia. Ten finalists will present their short film ideas to an ad hoc jury on Tuesday, 20 June 2023. The public can watch this pitching session via Zoom webinar. Below are the ten selected short film projects:
1. “Karjan dan Kambingnya” – Jakarta – Bismo Triastirtoaji & Arlingga Putra
2. “Tinah Buys Cigarettes” – Wlingi – Gugun Arief
3. “Welcome to My City” – Surabaya – Robi Ilafi & Firman Ardiansyah
4. “Pizza – Yogyakarta” – Achmad Rezi Fahlevie & Renaldi Rachmat Dwiardian
5. “A Letter for Someone” – Surakarta – Sri Kingkin Junita Sari & Aldy Pranata
6. “PARGOY” (Parkir Goyang) – Bekasi – M. Taufik Wicaksono & Muhammad Rayhandika
7. “Bon Repas” – Yogyakarta – Azwar Affrian Affandi & Umar Al Jufri
8. “Firman Firman” (In the Words of Firman) – Jakarta – Kurnia Alexander & Rayner Wijaya
9. “Balada Joni dan Susi” – Yogyakarta – Salius Nadeak & Nico Andilolo
10. “How to be a Man” – Tangerang – William Karko & Sukhadharmi Padmalauwaty
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“Cultural events like ‘Europe on Screen’ bring opportunities to Indonesian filmmakers and become a hub for filmmakers and film enthusiasts to gather, discuss and exchange creativities. Also, a chance for amateur filmmakers to be in the spotlight and gain attention from established Indonesian filmmakers,” said Vivian Idris, Head of the Festival and Event Department of the Indonesian Film Board and EoS SFPP 2023 jury member.
To watch films at EoS 2023, audiences can come to Festival venues and register via QR code at the registration desk. Tickets are available one hour before each film screening time. All schedules, film information and latest updates are available on the EoS social media accounts and website www.europeonscreen.org