The 11th edition of the Europe by Europe film festival will open with Le Bal. The film introduces our tribute to Ettore Scola, as well as this year’s theme: Chaos and Harmonies, two concepts that mirror this universe, where the fear of a repetition of history prevails, a feeling, however, that is tempered by a nostalgia for harmony.

Today’s historical context was decisive for our selection of films, from the refugee crisis to the threat of terrorism (banalized terms), the never-ending wars and the growing trade of arms and human beings. The festival dedicates a section to the anniversaries of the Great War, the Spanish civil war, the Hungarian revolution, the First Chechen War. András Kovács, director of Cold Days, once said: "I think that every country has to face its own errors, the shameful pages of its history, for it is the only way to liberate individual conscience. And this confrontation is a great part of the work of art and artists."*

We are honored to welcome to our festival, along with their films: Marlen Khoutsiev, Károly Makk, Carlos Saura, Hans-Jürgen Syberberg, István Szabó, Béla Tarr. These great directors have all looked at history exploring the responsibilities and the suffering of innocent people that were dragged into disruptive historical circumstances bigger than themselves. The directors of the films that are selected in both of our competition sections, Prix Sauvage and Prix Présent, are also concerned with today’s reality. Hopefully they can profit from the atmosphere of this year’s festival. 

This year we honor Dutch cinema with masterpieces of the silent era at the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, the classic films of Bert Haanstra, Joris Ivens, Johan van der Keuken, Fons Rademakers. A selection of gems from the experimental cinema genre will be presented by Louis van Gasteren. Méliès, the creator of the cinematic spectacle, was also of Dutch origin. Europe is so small, really.

Our program also includes a great selection of films from Québec and Acadia, our French speaking guests from overseas…

"Time does not exist" is the last postulate in physics, a friend of mine, who’s a mathematician, told me yesterday. It’s comprehensible, in an intuitive way. I had already asked myself: what masterpiece of the past or the future are we part of ? We, the tireless dancers of the Bal.

Enjoy your screenings and your encounters,

Irena Bilic
Founder and general Delegate

* In Istvan Szugan , Interview with Andras Kovacs, Image et son, la revue du cinéma N°217, mai 1968