The delegates waiting for the movie to begin at GSC Suria Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU: The 14th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) on Wednesday kicked off with the showcase of award winning Finnish flick ‘A Christmas Story’.
The film directed by Juha Wuolijoki, featuring actors Hannu-Pekka Bjorkman, Otto Gustavsson, and Jonas Rinne, won the ‘Best in the World Cinema’ award in the Sarasota Film Festival and the ‘Best Cinematography and People’s Choice’ award at the Jussi Awards.
The story is based on an orphaned boy named Nikolas who lived hundreds of years ago in Lapland. After the death of his parents and little sister, Nikolas was looked after by the villagers and, to show his gratitude, decided to make toys for the children of the families as goodbye presents.
A total of 23 award winning movies and documentaries from 20 European countries will be featured in the EUFF, which will be screened at GSC Suria Sabah and ends on December 11.
Tickets for the EUFF are priced at RM6 except for the movies Kryptonite!, London the Modern Babylon and Spanish film ‘Sleep Tight’, which will be screened for free.
Tickets can be purchased via GSC e-payment at www.gsc.com.my, GSC Mobile Apps (iPhone and Android) or at participating GSC outlets.
EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation His Excellency Luc Vandebon, who officiated the festival at GSC Suria Sabah, described Sabah as a front runner in sustainable development, environmental protection, forestry and biodiversity initiatives, adding that the State has been a priority State for the EU and its Member States.
“Our close bilateral cooperation can also be seen through various projects with the State Government, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and other non-governmental organisations in areas such as higher education, forestry, climate change, migration and human rights,” he said.
Vandebon added that they also organised the EU-Sabah Day which featured a seminar on the rights of migrant children as well as the signing of a RM16 million contract to work together with the Sabah Forestry Department on sustainable forest management.
“The European Union Film Festival is another way for us to extend this close link and share our rich heritage with the people of Sabah. The film Festival has become the largest cultural event for Europe in Malaysia.
“Driven by the strong support and interest from moviegoers in Kota Kinabalu last year, we did not hesitate to return to your beautiful shores once again,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vandebon said for this year, 23 movies from 18 EU Member States as well as Norway and Switzerland will be showcased.
“They represent the best of European cinema with everything from touching dramas and nail-biting action-packed thrillers to romantic comedies, thoughtful documentaries and even family-friendly fare,” he said.