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ovember evenings in Lahore are set to become famously cozy as the European Film Festival returns to the city for its 4th heartwarming edition.
The two-day festival, which opens on the 22nd of this month at Alhamra Arts Centre, is composed of film screenings, immersive art installations, and live performances, spread over Alhamra’s Hall III, Adabi Baithak and courtyard.
The EUFF is a travelling festival — the Lahore iteration will follow the festival’s full-scale runs in Islamabad and Karachi. It’s no cinema on wheels, contrary to popular understanding. By anchoring itself in chosen venues, the festival can afford to be as grand in design and scale as it gets.
Curated by Olomopolo Media, the EUFF’s main draw is expected to be the Wall of Fame which immerses the visitors into a century of European cinema told through 24 remarkable voices, interactive installations, such as the Auteur Ego, Human Slot Game and 360° camera, inviting playful engagement.
Kanwal Khoosat, the director of Olomopolo, says it’s “not going to be about films only.
“There are many other activities that we’ve designed around the festival,” she tells The News on Sunday. “In previous years, we had masterclasses for early-career filmmakers. This year, we’ve replaced those with two performances — one is a participatory social dance which will add to the festivity quotient of the event; and the other is a dramatic reading on cinema by Ali Junejo. It’s titled Chiarascuro.”
Additionally, there will be dedicated spaces like the Reading Nook, photo booths and food kiosks to keep the crowds engaged.
Why European film
festival, though?
European cinema holds an iconic status globally, having pioneered the art form — a nod to France’s Lumière brothers — and given rise to influential movements like German Expressionism, French New Wave, and Italian Neo-Realism. Historically, the world’s most regarded filmmakers and theorists hailed from Europe, even if some, like Hitchcock, eventually left for Hollywood, often due to political pressures at home.
In the 21st Century, European cinema continues to evolve, frequently addressing new geopolitical and social realities. Themes of migration and multiculturalism, post-Soviet life, the legacy of Communism and the challenges of modern democracy (as seen in the Romanian New Wave) dominate its narratives.
Yet, European cinema remains largely an art-house and niche taste. How does that work out for a festival that caters to the general public? Khoosat explains, “I feel that the true essence of cinema, cutting-edge narratives and techniques etc have all come from Europe. On a personal level and as a filmmaker, that is the kind of cinema that speaks to me.
“That said, putting together a festival of this kind in Pakistan is challenging all right. This year we’ve limited ourselves to the metropolitan cities — Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. But in the past, we have taken the festival to Gilgit, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Quetta, and Peshawar. Some of these places have virtually no cinemas at all. That’s where we bring in public engagement — through dialogue, readings on cinema, and master-classes.”
Unfortunately, no European filmmakers will be attending this year’s festival. Khoosat attributes their absence to bureaucratic hurdles, time constraints and other operational issues.
She agrees that the festival celebrates the contribution of European cinema to the world cinema: “I would say yes and also that [the festival] celebrates establishing cultural connections.”
Featured in this year’s EUFF are Je’vida, a 2023 Finnish film that earlier had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival; and Historjá — Stitches for Sápmi (2022), a Swedish documentary about Britta Marakatt-Labba, a daring artist “who confronts climate change while preserving her people’s culture,” to name a few.
Usman Ghafoor is a staff member