The 22nd European Film Festival in Vietnam (EUFF) concluded its run this year, having featured nearly 20 contemporary works from Europe at showings in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hue.

From 19 May to 4 June, EUFF 2023 presented a nationwide showcase of the best of European cinema – including a selection of award-winning films – from 18 EU Member States and Ukraine. Over 6 600 people witnessed 57 screenings over the course of the festival, which started in each city with an opening ceremony presided by EU and EU Member State ambassadors and cultural representatives.

Czech, Dutch, German, Slovenian, Spanish and Ukrainian films were introduced to the public with special talks that lended deeper insights into the stories and their relevance. Parents and youths were an active part of these open discussions, which honed in on important social issues such as disability rights.

An online contest was also launched, for audience members to submit their reviews of the films. 5 winners reviewing Belgian, Danish, Dutch and Polish films were selected out of 27 contestants, whose submissions were carefully evaluated by film critic and journalist Le Hong Lam.

This year’s EUFF was broadly covered by local media, in around 40 cases in print and on TV. Feedback from surveys indicated the event’s strong impact on audiences’ knowledge of European society and culture through the films they watched.

The EUFF series – which has been carried out for over two decades in Vietnam – is organised annually by the EU Delegation to Vietnam (EUD), in cooperation with embassies and cultural institutions from across the EU. In recent years, it has also included as a special guest the Embassy of Ukraine in Vietnam.

The event is a flagship initiative of EUD to reach out to local communities and make Europe and its values, stories and creativity known nationwide. European films serve as an important window to the diversity of European identities and culture. In line with the EU’s external strategy for culture, EUFF contributes to the promotion of the EU’s policies and values such as human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Keep abreast of this and past years’ events along with those to come on EUD’s social media via Facebook and Twitter.