This week, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, announced its full lineup for the 35th edition of the AFI European Union Showcase featuring 56 films from all 27 EU member states, 19 Best International Feature Film Oscar® submissions and 12 U.S. and North American premieres. Of the Official Selections, 50% are directed or co-directed by women.
The showcase opens on December 1 with CORSAGE (Austria), Marie Kreutzer’s (THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET) sumptuous period drama about legendary monarch Empress Elizabeth “Sisi” of Austria, for which actress Vicky Krieps (BERGMAN ISLAND, PHANTOM THREAD) won the Un Certain Regard Best Performance award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. CORSAGE recently took the top prize for Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival and is Austria’s official Oscar® submission for Best International Feature Film.
The Closing Night selection screening on December 20 is Nicolas Pariser’s (ALICE AND THE MAYOR) Cannes-premiered THE GREEN PERFUME (France), a comedic, Hitchcock-inspired whodunit starring Vincent Lacoste (LOST ILLUSIONS, SORRY ANGEL) and Sandrine Kiberlain (MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON, 9 MONTH STRETCH) as an unlikely duo who embark on an international adventure of political intrigue in the wake of an unsolved murder.
Alongside CORSAGE, the lineup features several other high-profile new films directed by women, including award-winning documentarian Alice Diop’s (WE) boundary-pushing courtroom drama SAINT OMER, winner of the Silver Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival and France’s official Oscar® submission; Carla Simón’s (SUMMER 1993) stunning Catalonia-set family drama ALCARRÀS (Spain), winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale and Spain’s official Oscar® submission; Maïmouna Doucouré’s (CUTIES) delightful Capra-esque tale HAWA (France), starring famed Malian singer Oumou Sangaré alongside standout newcomer Sania Halifa; Alice Rohrwacher’s (HAPPY AS LAZZARO) mischievous holiday fable THE PUPILS (Italy), produced by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón; Tereza Nvotová’s folk horror breakthrough NIGHTSIREN (Slovakia), winner of the Golden Leopard at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival, with Nvotová in attendance for a Q&A; and the U.S. premieres of Susanna Nicchiarelli’s (NICO, 1988) Venice-debuted feminist medieval musical CHIARA (Italy) and Alice Winocour’s (AUGUSTINE) Cannes-premiered REVOIR PARIS (France), starring Virginie Efira (BENEDETTA, ELLE) as the survivor of a mass shooting.
Additional highlights include several eagerly anticipated new works from some of Europe’s best-known filmmakers, including Jerzy Skolimowski’s (DEEP END, ESSENTIAL KILLING) donkey-led Cannes Jury Prize winner EO (Poland), Poland’s official Oscar® submission; Mia Hansen-Løve’s (BERGMAN ISLAND) deeply personal ONE FINE MORNING (France) starring Léa Seydoux, winner of the Label Europa Cinemas award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason’s (A WHITE, WHITE DAY) Cannes-debuted historical drama GODLAND (Denmark); Romanian New Wave auteur Cristian Mungiu’s (4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS) highly anticipated Cannes-premiered drama R.M.N (Romania); Irish director Frank Berry’s (I USED TO LIVE HERE, MICHAEL INSIDE) Tribeca-debuted social realist drama, AISHA, starring Letitia Wright (BLACK PANTHER, SMALL AXE) and Josh O’Connor (THE CROWN, GOD’S OWN COUNTRY); and Ulrich Seidl’s (PARADISE trilogy) Berlin-premiered RIMINI (Austria), a bleakly comedic character study of a once-successful lounge singer.
Other standouts from among the 19 official Best International Feature Film Oscar® submissions featured in this year’s lineup are Lukas Dhont’s powerful portrait of adolescent friendship, CLOSE (Belgium), his anticipated follow up to GIRL and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; Colm Bairéad’s stirring family drama THE QUIET GIRL (Ireland), winner of seven awards at the 2022 Irish Film and Television Awards and currently the highest-grossing Irish-language film of all time; Alli Haapasalo’s (FORCE OF HABIT, LOVE AND FURY) Sundance award-winning teen dramedy GIRL PICTURE (Finland); Tarik Saleh’s (THE NILE HILTON INCIDENT) Cannes prize-winning political thriller BOY FROM HEAVEN (Sweden); and the U.S. and North American Premieres of award-winning submissions from Croatia (SAFE PLACE), Estonia (KALEV), Portugal (ALMA VIVA), Slovakia (VICTIM) and Slovenia (ORCHESTRA).
Learn more about the AFI European Union Showcase at AFI Silver and buy tickets today.
