Movie lovers can look forward to 18 Namibian and European films to be screened during the fifth annual European Film Festival, starting next Wednesday.
Some of the nine local short films include ‘A fish on a Tree’ by Shashitwako Muteka, ‘The forests of a Desert Land’ by Tim Huebschle, and Oscar-nominated ‘The invisibles’ by Joel Haikali. ‘My thoughts are silent’, a Ukrainian comedy-drama film by director Antonio Lukich, and eight other European feature films will also be screened.
Set to take place over a span of two months from 5 October to 30 November, the festival is celebrated under the theme ‘Youth in Diversity: our shared roots for a better future’, which coincides with the European Year of the Youth.
The films will be screened every Wednesday at The Village Opera House along Liliencron Street in Eros, and entrance is free.
The festival is once again made possible by the Delegation of the European Union to Namibia, in partnership with the EU member states represented in Namibia: Germany, Finland, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium and The Netherlands. The information and communications ministry, the Namibia Film Commission, the Filmmakers Association of Namibia and JAM events are the counterparts in hosting the festival this year.
Speaking at the launch earlier this week, EU Ambassador Sinikka Antila said she’s proud to host the EU Film Festival in Namibia this year again, following the successful festival last year.
She observed that the objectives of the film festival include raising interest, awareness and educating the local audience about European and Namibian films, as well as strengthening cooperation and communication between the EU and Namibian public and local partners.
“The Euro film festival is aligned to the cultural strategy pursued by Namibia and the EU, with the aim to promote and develop arts and culture, fostering cross-cultural dialogue and inclusivity, and contributing to regional and international integration.”
Namibia Film Commission secretary Florence Haifene was pleased to once again be part of this instalment of the EU Film Festival, saying “We always welcome events that promote Namibian content produced by our film practitioners”.
Apart from the film screening, the festival will likewise present a four-day video production workshop in Keetmanshoop from 11-14 October.
The workshop will focus on teaching the fundamentals of filming, script writing and film editing, with the aim to empower participants on how to capture and tell their own stories from their perspective.
It is funded by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and hosted in partnership with the University of Namibia’s Southern Campus. The public is asked to come in numbers for an unforgettable experience, and to witness the different talents from all over the world.