The European Union Delegation to Gambia in partnership with Alliance Francaise de Banjul continued its tradition of bringing the best of European cinema to Gambian audiences as it stages the 5th edition of the European Film Festival at the Alliance gardens at Kairaba Avenue Wednesday night.
This year’s festival showcases 4 powerful films from France, Germany, Spain and Poland reflecting Europe’s creativity and storytelling excellence.
The opening night was graced by the EU ambassador to The Gambia Immaculada i Cortes, French Charge d’Affaires in Banjul Dr. Stephane Dovert, EU deputy head of mission Raphael Brigandi, Alliance Française director Marion Ray-Essien, representative of the Polish Embassy in Dakar overseeing Gambia Sebastian Rynkiewicz, diplomats from other EU member states and local cinema and film enthusiasts.
Opening the festival is CHOPIN, CHOPIN (2026), a touching Polish film on the life of legendary composer and pianist of the Romantic period, Frederic Chopin who moved from Warsaw to Paris where he maintained a worldwide renown, dazzling high society with concerts and lessons while secretly battling battling illness that led to his early death.
In her address, EU Ambassador Cortes, described the European film festival as a collective celebration of not only contemporary European films but about sharing experiences, values and cultures between the European Union and Gambians.
The ambassador added that cinema does not know borders, cultures or generations as it is a cardinal bridge that brings people together and allows them to dialogue culturally. “We want to make this a tradition in The Gambia by bringing films each year that talk about different things and different social topics. The idea is to bring European cinema to The Gambia, to bring a bit of excellence and to have this cultural debate. Cinema is a way of communicating and it is important that through arts, through cultural diplomacy, we communicate between the European Union and The Gambia,” ambassador Cortes said.
She said the films have been carefully picked to resonate with the audience as they reflect on stories of humour, injustice, inequality and structural disparities among others.
Ambassador Cortes, thanked the EU team, member states and Alliance Francaise for their contribution to this year’s event.
French Charge d’e Affaires, Dr. Stephane Dovert described the festival as a demonstration of how culture unites and inspires people from different backgrounds. Dr. Dovert said, CHOPIN is a film exploring themes of success, fragility and human weakness.
Alliance director Marion Ray-Essien said: “This is the 5th edition of the European Film Festival here in The Gambia. For me, it is a great opportunity for people to connect and discover things from different cultures. It is also a great occasion for the European community to gather and share their movies, their cultures and I also think, it is a very nice platform for Gambians to come and discover more about European cinema. We appreciate the fact that many young Gambians are interested in the stories from different countries and different cultures. We all can reflect on these stories and relate to them.”
The European film festival showcases the best of European cinema in over 100 EU delegations around the world. Since its inception in 1985 it has grown into one of the largest and most popular film festivals in the world.
Films to be screened in The Gambia this year aside of CHOPIN, are: “SOY NEVENKA” (2024) a Spanish film inspired by the case of the first woman in Spain to secure conviction of a politician for sexual harassment: German film “SIEGER SEIN” (2024) telling the story of a young woman who fled Syria with her family and end up in a primary school in Berlin and French film “EN FANFARE” (2024) inspired by the story of acclaimed orchestra conductor Thibaut Lavernhe and his biological brother Jimmy Lottin which will be screened on Saturday.
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