The best of European cinema...without the jet lag. #AFIfilmEU

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Recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the European Union continues to be a leader on the world stage, including as a major producer of filmed entertainment. The AFI European Union Film Showcase, now in its 25th year, continues in its well-established tradition of bringing the best in European cinema to Washington audiences – over the past 25 editions of the showcase, more than 800 films have had their Washington, DC-area premieres, including many now considered classics.

This year's selection of more than 40 films includes multiple award-winners, international festival favorites, local box-office hits and debut works by promising new talents, plus many countries' official Oscar^® submissions for Best Foreign Language Film.

Highlights of the festival include: Opening Night film QUARTET, the directorial debut of actor Dustin Hoffman starring Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins; Germany's Oscar^® selection BARBARA, starring Nina Hoss and directed by Christian Petzold; HYDE PARK ON HUDSON, director Roger Michell's comedic chronicle of the king and queen of England's visit to America in 1939, with Bill Murray as FDR; Cate Shortland's LORE, an Australia/Germany co-production set in post-WWII Germany; Cannes Grand Prix winner REALITY, the latest from Italy's Matteo Garrone; RENOIR from director Gilles Bourdos, an insightful biopic of the great painter's later days and his son Jean's awakening passion for the cinema; RUST AND BONE, the new film from France's Jacques Audiard starring Oscar^®-winning actress Marion Cotillard and rising newcomer Matthias Schoenaerts; IRA thriller SHADOW DANCER from the UK/Ireland, starring Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough and Gillian Anderson, directed by Oscar^® winner James Marsh; and Ireland's STELLA DAYS, featuring Martin Sheen as a free-thinking country priest.

Official submissions for the 2012 Foreign Language Film Oscar^® include: BARBARA (Germany) directed by Christian Petzold; IN THE SHADOW (Czech Republic) directed by David Ondricek; JUST THE WIND (Hungary) directed by Bence Fliegauf; LORE (Australia) directed by Cate Shortland; MADE IN ASH (Slovakia) directed by Iveta Grófová; MUSHROOMING (Estonia) directed by Toomas Hussar; OUR CHILDREN (Belgium) directed by Joachim Lafosse; and UNFAIR WORLD (Greece) directed by Filippos Tsitos.

The AFI European Union Film Showcase is supported in part by the embassy cultural counselors of the EU member states and the European Union Delegation to the USA in Washington, DC, as well as the Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to the USA.

Look for the November/December issue of AFI Preview, featuring the AFI European Union Film Showcase, inside the November 2 Washington Post!

Passes & Combo Ticket Packages!

THE PASSPORT IS BACK!
Can't get enough of European film? With the AFI European Union Film Showcase Passport, you'll zip right past customs (the AFI Silver box office) and be admitted to every film in the showcase, NO TICKETS NEEDED. The all-access Passport gives you admission for one to every screening — including Opening Night and other Special Presentations, as well as access to Happy Hours. At the end of the showcase, you can see how many countries you've "visited" by checking the stamps in your Passport! Valued at more than $575!


$175 / $135 for AFI Members

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PASSPORT

COMBO TICKET PACKAGE
If you plan to buy eight or more tickets to films in the AFI European Union Film Showcase, in any combination, ask for the Combo Ticket Package discounted rate of just $10 per ticket. (Normal ticket price is $12.) You can buy several tickets to one show, or one ticket to several shows! It's perfect for families attending shows together and festival-goers who, having planned out their schedule of must-see shows in advance, are ready to buy all their tickets ahead of time — before shows start to sell out! 



Combo Ticket Package purchases must be completed at the AFI Silver box office in a single transaction. The Combo Ticket offer is for tickets to SPECIFIC shows selected by you! It is NOT a pass, nor a voucher for a future show to be determined later. Combo Tickets may not be used for Special Presentations or shows with a higher ticket price.

WEEKLY HAPPY HOURS

Stop by the café on select days during the festival from 6:00–7:00 p.m. for Happy Hour! Happy Hours feature European drink specials, complimentary snacks courtesy of local restaurants and festive music. Enjoy a cold drink and a delicious appetizer before or after your film.

No passes accepted for screenings in the AFI European Union Film Showcase.

A NOTE TO AUDIENCES: Because most films in the showcase have not been evaluated by the MPAA rating system in the U.S., AFI has made its best effort to inform audiences about any content that could lead to a restricted rating if released here. The following is a guide:

Opening Night:

UK

QUARTET

Dustin Hoffman makes an auspicious directorial debut with this wry, witty and moving story of four friends in the third act of their long lives and work together. Aged opera singers Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins reside at Beecham House, a retirement home specializing in a classical music clientele. Enter Maggie Smith — a former member of the friends' old troupe who went on to great solo fame, a grande diva of the old school...and Courtenay's ex. With Beecham's annual fundraiser approaching, can the quartet bury past grievances and come together to make music once again? Official Selection, 2012 Toronto Film Festival.

DIR Dustin Hoffman; SCR Ronald Harwood, from his play; PROD Finola Dwyer, Stewart Mackinnon. UK, 2012, color, 99 min. In English. NOT RATED

No passes accepted.

Fri, Nov 9, 7:15 p.m.
Reception to follow screening.

Official Trailer

AFI would like to thank the following supporters:

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Supporting

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