European Film Selections 2023: A Comprehensive Overview
The 2023 European film selections showcase a diverse array of cinematic storytelling, spanning feature films, documentaries, and short films. These selections highlight the creative breadth of filmmakers across the continent and beyond, reflecting a wide range of cultural perspectives and artistic visions.
Key Facts
- Feature Film Announcements: Released in two parts on August 16 and September 27, 2023.
- Documentary Announcement: The selection was officially announced on August 30, 2023.
- Short Film Process: Candidates were chosen by juries from various collaborating European film festivals.
- Geographic Reach: Films represent a vast array of countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Poland, among others.
Feature Films
The feature film category is characterized by high-profile international co-productions and acclaimed directors. The selection process was split into two phases throughout the latter half of 2023.
Notable entries include Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet (France), The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer (UK, Poland, USA), and Society of the Snow by J. A. Bayona (Spain). The list also features a strong presence of German cinema with works like Afire by Christian Petzold and The Teachers' Lounge by İlker Çatak.
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Complete Feature Film List
| Film Title | Director | Country/Countries |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 Species of Bees | Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren | Spain |
| Afire | Christian Petzold | Germany |
| Anatomy of a Fall | Justine Triet | France |
| Animal | Sofia Exarchou | Greece, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus |
| The Animal Kingdom | Thomas Cailley | France |
| Behind the Haystacks | Asimina Proedrou | Greece, Germany, North Macedonia |
| Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry | Elene Naveriani | Switzerland, Georgia |
| Blaga's Lessons | Stephan Komandarev | Bulgaria, Germany |
| Close Your Eyes | Victor Erice | Spain, Argentina |
| Club Zero | Jessica Hausner | Austria, UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Qatar |
| Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World | Radu Jude | Romania, Luxembourg, France, Croatia |
| Excursion | Una Gunjak | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, France, Norway, Qatar |
| Explanation for Everything | Gábor Reisz | Hungary, Slovakia |
| Fallen Leaves | Aki Kaurismäki | Finland, Germany |
| Femme | Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping | United Kingdom |
| Firebrand | Karim Aïnouz | United Kingdom |
| The Goldman Case | Cédric Kahn | France |
| Green Border | Agnieszka Holland | Poland, France, Czechia, Belgium |
| The Happiest Man in the World | Teona Strugar Mitevska | North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, Denmark |
| Holly | Fien Troch | Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, France |
| Housekeeping for Beginners | Goran Stolevski | North Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Poland, Kosovo |
| How to Have Sex | Molly Manning Walker | United Kingdom, Greece |
| Kidnapped | Marco Bellocchio | Italy, France, Germany |
| La chimera | Alice Rohrwacher | Italy, France, Switzerland |
| Me, Captain | Matteo Garrone | Italy, Belgium |
| The Old Oak | Ken Loach | United Kingdom, France, Belgium |
| Paradise Is Burning | Mika Gustafson | Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Finland |
| The Pot-au-Feu | Tran Anh Hung | France |
| The Promised Land | Nikolaj Arcel | Denmark, Germany, Sweden |
| Safe Place | Juraj Lerotic | Croatia, Slovenia |
| Slow | Marija Kavtaradze | Lithuania, Spain, Sweden |
| Society of the Snow | J. A. Bayona | Spain |
| Stepne | Maryna Vroda | Ukraine, Slovakia, Germany, Poland |
| Sweet Dreams | Ena Sendijarević | Netherlands, Sweden, Indonesia |
| Tatami | Guy Nattiv & Zar Amir Ebrahimi | Georgia, USA |
| The Teachers' Lounge | İlker Çatak | Germany |
| The Universal Theory | Timm Kröger | Germany, Austria, Switzerland |
| The Vanishing Soldier | Dani Rosenberg | Israel |
| Woman Of... | Małgorzata Szumowska & Michał Englert | Poland, Sweden |
| The Zone of Interest | Jonathan Glazer | UK, Poland, USA |
Documentaries
The documentary selection, announced on August 30, 2023, focuses on non-fiction narratives that explore political, social, and personal histories. These films often involve cross-border collaborations to capture global stories.
- Apolonia, Apolonia – Lea Glob (Denmark, Poland)
- Between Revolutions – Vlad Petri (Romania, Croatia)
- Four Daughters – Kaouther Ben Hania (France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia)
- The Hearing – Lisa Gerig (Switzerland)
- In the Rearview – Maciej Hamela (Poland, France, Ukraine)
- Light Falls Vertical – Efthymia Zymvragaki (Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands)
- Motherland – Hanna Badziaka & Alexander Mihalkovich (Sweden, Ukraine, Norway)
- On the Adamant – Nicolas Philibert (France, Japan)
- Orlando, My Political Biography – Paul B. Preciado (France)
- Our Body – Claire Simon (France)
- Paradise – Alexander Abaturov (France, Switzerland)
- Smoke Sauna Sisterhood – Anna Hints (Estonia, France, Iceland)
- We Will Not Fade Away – Alisa Kovalenko (Ukraine, France, Poland)
- Who I Am Not – Tunde Skovran (Romania, Canada, Germany)
European Short Films 2023
The short film selection is unique in its curation process. Rather than a single committee, the European Short Film 2023 is presented in cooperation with various European film festivals. Each participating festival appoints a jury to select a single candidate for the final list.
Short Film Candidates and Their Selecting Festivals
- Airhostess-737 (Greece) – International Short Film Festival of Cyprus
- Asterión (Czechia, Slovakia) – Riga International Film Festival
- Aqueronte (Spain) – Drama International Short Film Festival
- Been There (Switzerland) – Locarno Film Festival
- The Birthday Party (Germany, Italy, France) – Curtas Vila do Conde
- Chords (Spain) – Go Short International Short Film Festival
- Daydreaming So Vividly About Our Spanish Holidays (Spain) – DokuFest
- The Debutante (UK) – Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF Shorts)
- Emotional Architecture 1959 (Spain) – Valladolid International Film Festival
- A Free Run (France) – Uppsala Short Film Festival
- Hardly Working (Austria) – Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur
- Headspace (Ireland) – Cork International Film Festival
- How I Learned to Hang Laundry (Slovenia) – Sarajevo Film Festival
- I Can See the Sun But I Can't Feel It Yet (UK) – Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg
- I Think of Silences When I Think of You (Sweden) – International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
- Les Chenilles (France) – Berlin International Film Festival
- Papa – Notes on Life and Death (Denmark) – OFF Odense International Film Festival
- Red Ears (Germany) – Tampere Film Festival
- Remember How I Used to Ride a White Horse (Croatia) – VIENNA SHORTS
- A Short Trip (France) – Venice Film Festival
- There Are People in the Forest (Poland) – Kraków Film Festival
- Things Unheard Of (Turkey) – Motovun Film Festival
- 27 (France, Hungary) – Cannes Film Festival
- Women Visiting the City (Spain, France) – Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival
- Zoon (Germany) – ZINEBI and Leuven International Short Film Festival
Frequently Asked Questions
When were the feature film selections announced?
The feature film selections were announced in two parts: the first on August 16, 2023, and the second on September 27, 2023.
How are the European Short Films selected?
Short films are selected through a cooperative effort with various European film festivals, where a jury appointed by each festival chooses one candidate.
When was the documentary selection announced?
The documentary selection was announced on August 30, 2023.
Which films in the feature category are co-productions?
Many films are co-productions; for example, Club Zero involves Austria, UK, Germany, France, Denmark, and Qatar, while The Happiest Man in the World involves North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, and Denmark.
Which short film was selected at the Cannes Film Festival?
The short film 27, directed by Flóra Anna Buda (France, Hungary), was selected at the Cannes Film Festival.