The days of European cinema are slowly entering their fourth decade, and how else but spectacularly with big names in world cinema and promising debuts. As always, we can look forward to images that do not appear in regular distribution but that, almost without exception, bring powerful stories and messages. The kind that the people around us live by and maybe even us.

The program of the thirty-first year of the festival is a balanced mixture of feature films, documentaries and animated films from all over the continent, spanning a wide range of genres; a number of them are crowned with prizes from major festivals. The accompanying program invites to seminars, interviews and discussions. The festival offers moments reflecting time and a view of our part of the planet.

Let's enjoy them!

Martin Baxa

Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic

Dear fans of quality European films,

it's that time of year again when we can look forward to the best European cinema.

I am very happy that the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic can again participate in the Days of European Film festival. Our participation in the festival aligns with the European Union's long-term commitment to supporting culture and the audiovisual sector, primarily through the Creative Europe program, with a budget of 2.44 billion euros for 2021-2027. This program promotes European cultural diversity and responds to the needs and challenges of the cultural and creative sector.

In today's world, which is full of diverse challenges, we try to reflect this dynamism and diversity in the selection of films at this year's festival. These films offer diverse perspectives on cultural, social and political aspects of European life, and we believe they will provide not only entertainment but also new perspectives and stimulate discussion among viewers.

I wish you, our viewers, that the festival fills you with inspiration and hope. I thank the festival organisers for their tireless work on the rich program and wish them lots of energy and enthusiasm for the following years.

Monika Ladmanová

head of the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic

Dear movie lovers,

it is spring, and we can again look forward to heading to the dark halls of Kino Art to enjoy the richness of European cinema together. The 31st edition of the Days of European Film will also offer us many exciting and highly topical topics that move not only Europe. I like the idea promoted by the organizers of this year's show, that the festival should not be just a simple hack with the art of film, i.e. just a kind of consumption of a large number of images, but should discover for us the diversity of European culture through "visual storytelling", turn cinemas into open, innovative centres, meeting places and shared experiences.

This time, the central theme is intergenerational relationships and everything connected with them, i.e., the search for one's identity, the journey to happiness, love, inner and outer freedom, and relationship crises. European creators have grasped these and many other phenomena of the present in an inventive and original way, and everyone can choose from the diverse program.

I wish the audience and everyone involved in the festival that the screenings, workshops, and talks always become opportunities to open a dialogue, explore new topics, and deepen the understanding of film art and interpersonal relationships.

Markéta Vaňková

the mayor of the city of Brno

Dear fans of European cinema,

that rare time has come again when we will be allowed to immerse ourselves in the world of European filmworks, which usually do not have a place in regular cinemas and are tailor-made for viewers with selected tastes. The Days of European Film festival traditionally presents a wide range of contemporary films from all over Europe.

This film festival will take place in many Czech cities, with our Prague 1 district proud to be home to most screenings in Prague. Visitors can expect a carefully selected collection of contemporary feature, documentary and animated films from renowned and up-and-coming European filmmakers.

I hope that the festival will attract many satisfied viewers. I wish the next years of the festival interesting topics, strong stories, and a lot of talented filmmakers, both established and new, success.

Mgr. Terezie Radoměřská

mayor of the Prague 1 district