Cinema Nouveau to host European Film Festival

Through the theme A Woman’s World, the festival will feature 12 internationally-acclaimed films representing the best of European cinema and never before screened to South African audiences.

The festival will be hosted by Cinema Nouveau, co-ordinated by the French Institute of South Africa, and organised in partnership with the European Union and 12 other European cultural agencies or embassies in South Africa including, the British Council, the Camões Institute, the French Institute of South Africa, the Goethe-Institut, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Embassy of Belgium and Flemish delegation, as well as the Embassies of Austria, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Poland and Spain.

All the featured films are recipients of numerous awards and accolades at international film festivals and competitions, including the Oscars and the Cannes Film Festival.

They are the latest productions from the most exciting and talented film directors in Europe at the moment, and a true reflection of European cinematographic creativity and diversity.

This very special treat for film lovers is hosted exclusively by Cinema Nouveau nationwide, with the 10-day screening programme taking place concurrently in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban from 8 to 17 May.

Among the films that will be shown are:

• Ida, Pawel Pawlikowski’s film is the first Polish feature to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film (2015)
• Two Days, One Night, the latest project taken on by the multi-award winning Dardenne brothers featuring French actress Marion Cotillard, nominated for the 2015 Best Actress Oscar
• A Second Chance, directed by Academy award-winning Susanne Bier and featuring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
• 3 Hearts, a French romantic drama starring film legend Catherine Deneuve.

What international film festivals have you been to and do you believe those organised in South Africa are just as good?

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