EU Newsbrief: 26th AFI-EU Film Showcase Celebrates First-Class European Cinema

News provided by

Delegation of the European Union to the United States

Dec 03, 2013, 04:15 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2013 AFI-EU Film Showcase opens Thursday, December 5, at the historic AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland. Presented by the American Film Institute (AFI) in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to the United States and EU Member States, the festival showcases the best in European filmmaking. Now in its 26th edition, this signature fall event for movie-lovers in the DC metro area runs through December 22nd.

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"This year's AFI-EU Film Showcase is a great display of Europe's vibrant and creative film productions," said EU Ambassador to the US, Joao Vale de Almeida. "This is truly the creme de la creme of European films. It allows us to engage an American audience, tell our stories from a European perspective, and share the rich cultural diversity of our EU Member States."

This year's selection features more than 50 films, including multiple award-winners, international festival favorites, local box-office hits and debut works by promising new talents, including several official Oscar submissions for best foreign language film.

The opening film is Poland's Oscar submission, WALESA. MAN OF HOPE. Directed by celebrated filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, this biopic brings the story of Lech Walesa and the Solidarity movement to the big screen. Robert Wieckiewicz plays the lead role and will attend the screening.

For more information, please visit: http://www.euintheus.org/events/afi-european-union-film-showcase/

SOURCE Delegation of the European Union to the United States