Europe on Screen 2025 Film Festival Officially Opens, Marking Its 25th Edition with a Celebration of Inclusivity

Jakarta, 12 June 2025 — The European Union (EU) Film Festival in Indonesia “Europe on Screen” (EoS) 2025 officially opened with a lively ceremony held at CGV Grand Indonesia, Jakarta. This year marks the festival’s 25th edition, reaffirming its position as the longest-running foreign film festival in Indonesia.

The Opening Ceremony was graced by H.E. Giring Ganesha Djumaryo, Vice Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, who attended as Guest of Honour. Also in attendance were H.E. Denis Chaibi, Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia, H.E. Ina Lepel, Ambassador of Germany to Indonesia; and EoS 2025 Festival Co-Directors Meninaputri Wismurti and Nauval Yazid.

Held from 13 to 22 June 2025, EoS will take place in seven major cities across Indonesia: Jakarta, Bandung, Denpasar, Medan, Surabaya, Sidoarjo and Yogyakarta. This year’s programme features 55 films from 27 European countries, showcasing a broad spectrum of genres and themes that reflect the diversity of European cinema. Notably, over 50 percent of this year’s films are directed by women, many of them debut works.

“The 25th edition of Europe on Screen is a testament to the strong and sustained interest of Indonesian audiences in European cinema. We are particularly proud of the festival’s continued commitment to inclusivity. More than half of this year’s films are by women filmmakers, many making their directorial debut,” said EU Ambassador Denis Chaibi.

Meanwhile, H.E. Giring Ganesha Djumaryo, Vice Minister of Culture for the Republic of Indonesia, expressed his hope that the Europe on Screen 2025 would be leveraged

by Indonesian film industry professionals for learning and development.

“Europe on Screen film festival is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and the timeless power of storytelling. Films screened in this festival are a testament to artistic collaboration between Europe and our cultural communities. To our local filmmakers, may this festival spark your imagination and broaden your perspective. I hope today we also foster inspiration and networking opportunities because we still want to learn all the time. The Short Film Pitching Project in this festival is a great opportunity to market and develop Indonesian short films, which makes this program important to be supported,” he said in his opening remarks.

Opening Film: Circusboy from Germany

This year’s festival opened with Circusboy (Zirkuskind), an 85-minute docu-drama from Germany, directed by Julia Lemke and Anna Koch. The film was an Official Selection for the World Showcase at Hot Docs 2025 and received a Special Mention Prize for Best Film in the Generation Kplus section at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival.

“It is a great honour for us that Circusboy from Germany was chosen to open this year’s Europe on Screen. The fact that the film is a collaboration between two talented female directors makes it even more special. We hope Indonesian audiences will resonate with the film’s heartfelt and powerful story,” said German Ambassador Ina Lepel.

International Filmmakers Join Onsite and Online

A key highlight of EoS 2025 is the participation of Irish filmmaker Brian Durnin, director of Spilt Milk (2024). Durnin will attend post-screening Q&A sessions in three cities – Jakarta, Surabaya and Yogyakarta – on 13-14 June 2025. He will also lead a filmmaking workshop titled “How to Make a Good Children Film” on 13 June 2025 at GoetheHaus Jakarta, beginning at 15:00 local time.

“One of the most exciting aspects of attending a film festival like Europe on Screen is the opportunity to meet with the filmmakers, whether in person or online. This year, we are thrilled to host Brian Durnin from Ireland, who will participate in post-screening discussions of Spilt Milk and lead a workshop on children’s filmmaking. Not only Brian, we also have some renowned Indonesian filmmakers who will present their award-winning short films that have won in major European film festivals in the past decade, in our retrospective programme called ‘From Locarno to Venice’,” explained Meninaputri Wismurti, EoS 2025 Festival Co-Director.

“In addition, we also hold live Instagram sessions with European filmmakers whose films are being screened in the festival. Through these opportunities, audiences can learn from European and Indonesian film industry players,” she added. 

Screenings of the 2024 SFPP Winning Films

Adding a special touch to EoS 2025 is the premiere of three short films developed through the EoS Short Film Pitching Project (SFPP) 2024. These winning projects were awarded funding and given nearly a year of production time following their selection last year. The featured films are:

• Tutup Hari Kiamat by Dzauqy F. Ilham (1st winner)

• The Sadness is Not Over Yet by Tanzilal Azizie (2nd winner)

• Wali (The Guardian) by Rayhan Syafiq Renaldi and Septa Yudhistira (3rd winner)

“The Short Film Pitching Project is one of Europe on Screen’s signature initiatives to support the development of emerging Indonesian filmmakers. This year, we received 367 submissions, over 86% increase from last year. Majority of the ten finalists are filmmakers from outside Jakarta. Over the course of eight editions, SFPP has helped produce numerous short films that have gone on to feature in both national and international film festivals,” said Nauval Yazid, EoS 2025 Festival Co-Director. 

All EoS 2025 film screenings are free of charge and open to the public. Tickets are available at each venue one hour before the scheduled screening.

For full programme details, including screening schedules, workshops, and film discussions, please visit the official website at www.europeonscreen.org or follow EoS’s official social media accounts on Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube.