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Tafadzwa Zimoyo Senior Arts Reporter
It is true that the film industry generally has grown and evolved rapidly since its inception in the early 1900’s. Over the years, it has gained the attention of every culture in every part of the world.In line with promoting different cultures, the European Union Film Festival held at The Theatre in the Park, Harare Gardens lived up to its billing and ended on a high note. The festival which ran from 16 to 20 May saw film buffs, producers, directors and actors thronging the event to watch various movies that were on offer. In an interview, one of the event organisers Dorothe Grebe said she was happy with the huge turnout.

“This is our first festival and we are so excited that everything went according to plan.

“We had good audience and brought different cultures together. It was good as our filmmakers not only learnt a lot but also shared their experience through some discussion platforms we had,” she said.

Grebe said the climax of the festival was discussion segment where film fanatics and critics mingle discussing the future of film.

“Films and movies are important in our society as they give a solution to lifestyles. We screened a lot of films from United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark and United States which had a true meaning about reality and societal issues. We enjoyed very well and hope next year it would be bigger and better. It is about unity and diversity,” she said.

Grebe said this years’ selection of cinema focused on film enthusiasts with vivid pictures of Europe’s societies in their all-encompassing facets and cultures, a wide scope of stories that engage and pay tribute to the common traits of human nature.

“We had 11 screenings which were spread out across five days, providing more than 1000 minutes of entertainment and food for thought,” she said. Ambassador Philippe Van Damme, Head of the European Union Delegation to Zimbabwe, said they were excited to bring the festival to Zimbabwe.

“Cinema is not just about entertainment. It is also about the expression of identities, reflecting the state of a society, of a community. “And our films are inspired by principles of unity in diversity and values such as equality and democracy, as well as our social model,” said the ambassador.

The festival kicked off with “Almanya”, the German award-winning tragicomedy that questions the sense of identity and belonging of Turkish immigrants and their descendants, thoughtfully and humorously reflecting on the most pressing issues in current Europe: migration and integration.

It ended with films like” Eddie the Eagle”, “Even the Rain”, “Finn”, “Hotel” and “Rising Voices”.