09/05/2014 - Synchronised with Europe Day, the festival will bring 40 European films to Bucharest and Târgu Mureş

Europe Day, one of the symbolic occasions designed to foster unity among Europeans, is being celebrated in a cinematic way in Bucharest, where the 18th edition of the European Film Festival will kick off today with a special screening of Miss Violence [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexandros Avranas
film profile], the Greek winner of the Silver Lion for Best Director and Volpi Cup for Best Actor last year at Venice. Director Alexandros Avranas and actress Eleni Roussinou will be among the gala’s special guests.

Approximately 40 productions from 25 countries make up the programme, with many award-winning titles selected for this edition of the festival. Following Cristian Mungiu and Corneliu Porumboiu, the Romanian Cultural Institute, the traditional organiser of the event, selected director Adrian Sitaru as the ambassador of this year's edition. Sitaru directed the festival’s TV spot, which stresses the complexity of European films, and their importance and influence on world cinema.

Among the films being screened in the festival are Jiri Menzel’s The Don Juans [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Czech Republic), Daniele Cipri’s It Was the Son [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Italy), Annette K Olesen’s The Shooter [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Denmark), Cesc Gay’s A Gun in Each Hand [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Spain), Mark Bodzsar’s Heavenly Shift [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Hungary), Elias Demetriou’s Fish ‘n’ Chips [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Cyprus-Greece), Scott Graham’s Shell [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (UK) and Bruno Podalydès's Granny's Funeral [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (France-Belgium).

The audience can vote on the festival’s website, and a symbolic Audience Award will be handed out during a gala on 16 May. The Bucharest edition will be followed by a shorter one in the city of Târgu Mureş.