From 2 October to 28 November, Madrid will become a showcase for European cinema thanks to the first edition of the European Film Festival - CINEU. Organised by the NGO el ojO cojo and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this festival aims to bring films acclaimed at Cannes, Berlin, Venice and San Sebastián to Madrid audiences, with a distinctive feature: it reaches different districts of Madrid, offering free admission and meeting spaces open for discussion and debate. In this way, CINEU democratises access to culture, providing quality cinema with stories that are especially appealing to young people, an audience that tends to avoid commercial cinemas.

Screenings will take place in the cultural centres of Valdebernardo and El Madroño (Vicálvaro district), La Vaguada (Fuencarral–El Pardo district) and Emilia Pardo Bazán (Centro district). Each venue will more than just a screening room; it will serve as a laboratory of ideas and a meeting point for experiencing contemporary Europe through cinema.

The first edition of CINEU presents a total of 22 films, including 15 feature films and 7 short films, from Europe, America, Africa and Asia. The programme includes such acclaimed filmmakers as Mohammad Rasoulof (German-Iranian-French co-production The Seed of the Sacred Fig [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Directors Talks @ European…
intervista: Mohammad Rasoulof
scheda film], Special Jury Prize at Cannes 2024), Agnieszka Holland (Green Border [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], Special Jury Prize at Venice 2023), Aki Kaurismäki (Fallen Leaves [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], Special Jury Prize at Cannes 2023) and Mati Diop (Dahomey [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlinale).

The programme is structured around four thematic sections. “Europe in Transformation” portrays the social, cultural and economic changes taking place on the continent, featuring films such as The New Year That Never Came [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Bogdan Mureşanu
scheda film] (the debut film by Romanian director Bogdan Muresanu) and Rosinante (by Turkish director Baran Gunduzalp). “Shared Memories” revisits historical episodes fundamental to understanding European integration, with titles such as the aforementioned Dahomey and Wacay, mujeres del tabacal, an Argentine documentary directed by Belén Revollo. The section "Spain and Europe: 40 Years of Shared History” commemorates four decades of Spain's integration into the European Union. “Ocean Bridges” explores Europe's links with Africa, Asia and America.

The selection of feature films for this first edition of the festival is completed by the documentaries Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Johan Grimonprez
scheda film] (Belgium/France) by Johan Grimonprez, Who But When, How (Germany/United States) by Yehuda Sharim, and L’oubli tue deux fois (France/Dominican Republic/Haiti) by Pierre Michel Jean; and the fiction films The Answer to Forever (China/Germany) by Zheng Yunchang, Anxious. (United States/Netherlands) by Nida Chowdhry, Handling the Undead [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Thea Hvistendahl (Norway) and Black Tea [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Abderrahmane Sissako (France/Luxembourg/Mauritania/Taiwan/Ivory Coast).