Of Betrayal and Self Discovery: Picks from The European Union Film Festival

Singapore’s longest-running film festival, the European Union Film Festival, is back for the 26th time. The festival aims to allow local moviegoers a chance to immerse in the cultural landscape and traditions of Europe. Themed “A Cinematographic Journey Across Europe”, the EUFF 2016 will showcase 30 films.

This year, the Netherlands is the country in focus with Dutch epic tale Admiral (2015) to open the festival. It tells the story of Dutch naval hero Michiel de Ruyter (Frank Lammers) who played a crucial role in securing a future of the young republic of the Netherlands in the 17th century. Director of the film, Roel Rein, will also be in town to attend the festival’s opening on Tuesday, 10th May 2016.


The following films are our top picks to catch at this year’s EUFF, in no particular order:

Hotel (Sweden)
A Swedish drama, Hotel, stars Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander as Erika. Under the veneer of a perfect life, something tumultuous brews, and she begins checking in with a bunch of others to hotels where she can check out as a different person. The film itself also received nominations at the Guldbbage Awards, the Oscars equivalent in Sweden. If Alicia’s presence isn’t enough to prompt you to get a ticket to this movie, I don’t know what will.

Screening details
21 May 2016
9.00pm at GV Suntec City.


The Tribe (Ukraine)
Fancy a film with no dialogue? Ukraine drama The Tribe is akin to a silent film – it uses sign language. A deaf  and mute teenager goes to a specialised school where he struggles to conform to the ‘tribe’ in order to survive.

Screening details
16 May 2016
7.00pm at GV Suntec City


Phoenix (Germany)
Post-war Berlin in the 1940s is depicted in Phoenix, a critically-acclaimed German drama. It stars Nina Hoss, a nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in the 2015 German Film Awards. A holocaust survivor, Nina had her face damaged by a bullet wound and she returns to civilian life with a reconstructed face. Back in Berlin, she gets reacquainted with her husband, who does not recognize her and the truth before her arrest by the Nazis starts to unfold.

Screening details
14 May 2016
4.00pm at GV Suntec City


On top of European movies, the EUFF will also screen 10 selected short films alongside the official film selection. In line with its tradition of collaborating with a local film school, this year the festival will present student works from Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film & Media Studies.

The festival is set to run from 10 to 22 May 2016 at Golden Village Suntec City. Tickets are on sale now. Priced at $12 for members of the Singapore Film Society (SFS), Golden Village Movie Club (GVMC) and students of Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

For more information, follow EUFF on Twitter and Facebook.

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