One of the country’s longest running foreign language film festivals makes an early return this year as the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines together with the EU Member States and the EU Cultural Institutes present Cine Europa 29 happening on May 28 up to July 4, 2026.
For the film festival’s 29th edition, a diverse selection of 20 full length films, including 3 documentaries, will be screened in partner venues in Metro Manila, Tacloban, and Cagayan de Oro. Slovakia joins the festival for the very first time offering a documentary about pop art icon Andy Warhol. On the other hand, Ukraine continues to be a guest country at the festival underscoring EU’s continued support for the nation.
Here is the selection of films in detail for Cine Europa 29.
Andy Warhol: American Dream (Slovakia, 2023)
Director: Ľubomír Slivka
The documentary traces the extraordinary journey of Andy Warhol, the son of poor immigrants from the Carpathian region, who rose from a Slovak-Rusyn community in Pittsburgh to become one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Beyond the well-known myth of the pop-art icon, the film explores the cultural and spiritual roots that shaped his life and work.
Campamento Garra de Oso | Bear Claw Camp (Spain, 2025)
Director: Sílvia Quer
Cast: Anabel Alonso, Carlos Latre, Edu Soto, Júlia Raya, Martín Abelló
The film is about Maia, an imaginative and lively girl, and Jan, a fearful city boy, who race against time to save the summer camp threatened by eccentric builder Sebastián Sebastián. In their mission, they relentlessly search for a bear they believe still inhabits the valley but remains unseen, aided by Fritz, a funny and grumpy talking skunk which will accompany them in this life-changing adventure.
The Dance Club (Sweden, 2025)
Director: Lisa Langseth
Cast: Nils Wetterholm, Matias Varela, Alva Bratt, Julia Franzén, Pernilla August, Evelyn Mok
Johannes, an eccentric psychology student, takes us on a twisted journey. Together with performance artist Rakel, he forms an unconventional club with his patients to help them fight back against those who have caused them pain. As the club grows, Johannes struggles to keep it together, while inconveniently falling head over heels for Rakel.
Four Mothers (Ireland, 2024)
Director: Darren Thornton
Cast: James McArdle, Fionnula Flanagan, Dearbhla Molloy, Paddy Glynn, Stella McCusker, Niamh Cusack
Edward, a novelist saddled with caring for his elderly mother, finally finds himself on the brink of literary success. Busy with the demands of his upcoming book tour, the last thing Edward needs is his friends leaving their mothers on his doorstep! Over a chaotic weekend, he has to juggle his burgeoning career with the care of four eccentric, combative, and wildly different ladies.
Gloria! (Italy, 2024)
Director: Margherita Vicario
Cast: Galatea Bellugi, Carlotta Gamba, Veronica Lucchesi, Maria Vittoria Dallasta, Sara Mafodda, Paolo Rossi, Stefano Roberto Belisari aka Elio, Natalino Balasso, Anita Kravos, Vincenzo Crea, Jasmin Mattei
Set in a girls' boarding school in Venice at the end of the 18th century, Gloria! tells the story of Teresa, a young visionary, who, together with a small group of extraordinary musicians, crosses the centuries and challenges the dusty catafalques of the Ancien Régime by inventing rebellious, light and modern music. Pop!
Head or Fails | Aimer Perdre (Belgium, 2024)
Directors: Lenny Guit, Harpo Guit
Cast: Maria Cavalier Bazan, Melvil Poupaud, Catherine Ringer, Axel Perin, Michael Zindel, Maxi Delmelle
Unemployed and up to her eyeballs in debt, 26-year-old Armande Pigeon is struggling in Brussels. On top of that, she has a penchant for gambling and doesn't hesitate to take risks because for Armande, all bets are good. All except one, perhaps the craziest bet she is still struggling to take: love.
Hidden People | Skriti Ljudje (Slovenia, 2025)
Director: Miha Hočevar
Cast: Blaz Sef, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Luka Marčetič, Barbara Ribnikar, Ana Urbanc, Igor Samobor
The film follows Guti, a struggling Slovenian man, and Sig, an Icelandic tourist suffering from memory loss, who wake up handcuffed together on a riverbank near Ljubljana. Blending absurd humour with emotional depth, the film portrays an unexpected friendship between two outsiders while reflecting on displacement, social marginalisation, and the search for belonging in contemporary Europe.
How Could I Live Without You? | Hogyan tudnék élni nélküled? (Hungary, 2024)
Director: Dénes Orosz
Cast: Franciska Töröcsik, Márk Ember, Péter Marics, Luca Márkus, Marcell Kirády, Harmat Kovács
Lili reads her mother Eszter’s diary and love letters, revealing Eszter’s summer romance with Geri, a musician, at Lake Balaton in the 1990s, defying her commitment to her boyfriend, impacting their lives and Lili’s.
Lampo the Travelling Dog | O psie, który jezdzil koleja (Poland, 2023)
Director: Magdalena Niec
Cast: Mateusz Damiecki, Dariusz Jakubowski, Kamila Jankowska, Joanna Jarmolowicz, Milena Lisiecka, Malgorzata Pieczynska, Monika Pikula, Adam Woronowicz, Liliana Zajbert
Get to know the story of Lampo – as faithful as Lassie, brave as Bella and funny as Beethoven, who from the time he was a puppy felt drawn to great adventure and touched millions of hearts with his rail journeys.
Loss of Balance | Utrata równowagi (Poland, 2024)
Director: Korek Bojanowski
Cast: Nel Kaczmarek, Maria Wróbel, Mikolaj Matczak, Oskar Rybaczek, Tomasz Schuchardt
Maja has devoted her entire life to acting, but she does not believe in her abilities. Therefore, after graduating from acting, he plans to apply for marketing and management. Everything changes when a new director crosses Maja’s path.
Maricel (Cyprus, 2025)
Director: Elias Demetriou
Cast: Zar Donato, Ntinos Lyras, Lenia Sorocou, Diomedes Koufteros, Daphne Alexander
A Filipino domestic worker is called to take care of an elderly couple in a Cypriot mountain village. What begins as a simple caregiving task gradually exposes a web of silent resentment, emotional dependency and unspoken histories, forcing her into the delicate, unsettling space between obligation and intimacy.
Nasty (Romania, 2024)
Directors: Tudor Giurgiu, Tudor D. Popescu, Cristian Pascariu
1972 was a turning point in Ilie Nastase’s career: winning US Open, reaching Wimbledon and Davis Cup finals. A portray of his victories, controversies, rebellious persona challenging tennis norms, and his influence as a tennis rebel icon.
Un ours dans le Jura | How to Make a Killing (France, 2024)
Director: Franck Dubosc
Cast: Franck Dubosc, Laure Calamy, Benoît Poelvoorde, Joséphine de Meaux, Kim Higelin, Emmanuelle Devos, Mehdi Meskar, Anne Le Ny, Anne-Lise Heimburger
Michael and Cathy accidentally witness a triple murder in the woods on Christmas Eve. A bag with two million euros and a pistol falls into their hands. In order to throw off suspicion, they are ready to accept the craziest ideas, without even knowing what absurdity they will result in.
Peacock | Pfau (Austria, 2024)
Director: Bernhard Wenger
Cast: Albrecht Schuch, Julia Franz Richter, Anton Noori, Maria Hofstätter, Theresa Frostad Eggesbø, Branko Samarovski, Salka Weber, Tilo Nest
Matthias is a master of his profession. Do you need a ‘cultured boyfriend’ to impress your friends? A ‘perfect son’ to influence your business partners’ opinion of you? Or maybe just a sparring partner to rehearse an argument? Whatever it is, just rent Matthias. While he excels at pretending to be someone else every day, just being himself is the real challenge.
Roter Himmel | Afire (Germany, 2023)
Director: Christian Petzold
Cast: Thomas Schubert, Paula Beer, Langston Uibel, Enno Trebs, Matthias Brandt
Leon and Felix’s plan was to spend the summer together in a holiday home on the Baltic coast. They wanted to be there as friends but also to work – one on his second book, the other assembling his art portfolio. But Nadja and Devid are also there, and they bring lots of positive vibes with them. Four young people experimenting with love, even though this does not come easy to Leon. His unfinished manuscript haunts him wherever he goes, whether he is at the summerhouse or the beach. The others’ good mood often causes his to plummet. A visit from his publisher is imminent. But, as the latter arrives in his nifty small car, the forest begins to blaze. It rains ash, the sky turns red, and a relationship-drama that merges physical intensity and artistic sublimation takes a turn into a new dimension.
Sentimental Value | Affeksjonsverdi (EU Parliament, 2025)
Director: Joachim Trier
Cast: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas
The film follows an aging filmmaker who attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter by casting her in his next film. As they navigate unresolved tensions and emotional distance, the project becomes a deeply personal exploration of memory, grief, and the complexities of family relationships. Set against a reflective, intimate backdrop, the film examines how art can both heal and reopen wounds, blending meta-cinema with a poignant study of reconciliation and identity.
A Simple Soldier | Простий солдат (Ukraine, 2025)
Directors: Juan Camilo Cruz, Artem Ryzhykov
A Ukrainian filmmaker joins the army after Russia’s invasion, balancing his duties as a soldier with documenting the war and staying close to his wife. His dual role reveals raw insights into military life, loss, and moral challenges.
Sleeping with a Tiger | Mit einem Tiger schlafen (Austria, 2024)
Director: Anja Salomonowitz
Cast: Birgit Minichmayr, Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg, Maria Nicolini, Lukas Watzl, Oskar Haag, Josef Kleindienst
A painting. Green with conifers, the earthy tones of dry meadows and church walls. In the light streaming through her grandmother’s farmhouse, where Maria Lassnig spends her childhood, shines a cardigan in sky blue for the first time, shining as if not of this world. Growing up in southern Austria, Lassnig is drawn, via Vienna’s Art Academy, into the local post-war art scene. Sky blue, pink, jade green, fleshy red. Taciturn, stubborn among men who like to hear themselves speak, she feels her way into her own body and takes a look at the world. She paints. She films. Mercilessly and mischievously. Doggedly, she develops her career. She knows the value of her painting long before the art world follows suit with its verdict. Birgit Minichmayr embodies Maria Lassnig in Anja Salomonowitz’s filmic homage to the artist across all stages of her life and psychological states, fleshing out the “body awareness” of Lassnig’s art with a physical body that produces the art. An offbeat and complex biopic in hybrid form: acted scenes and documentary sequences interlock. The images are real.
Summer is Crazy | Elämä on juhla (Finland, 2025)
Director: Ulla Heikkilä
Cast: Pirjo Lonka, Aamu Milonoff, Jani Volanen, Ada Pesso, Ulla Tapaninen, Bruno Baer, Jussi Vatanen, Tommi Eronen, Pia Andersson
Set in the Finnish archipelago during the midsummer week, this ensemble film follows the dreams and disappointments of one family and their friends and lovers. After the bankruptcy of their fine dining restaurant, the Eerolas are stuck in the seaside village of Nauvo with no clear plan for the future.
The Waves | Vlny (Czech Republic, 2024)
Director: Jiří Mádl
Cast: Vojtěch Vodochodský, Tatiana a.k.a. Táňa Pauhofová, Stanislav Majer, Ondřej Stupka, Martin Hofmann
Prague, 1968. The International Editorial Office of Czechoslovak Radio is staffed by courageous journalists, celebrities of their time. Young Tomáš works amongst them, though it is his brother's dream job. Tomáš’ main concern is keeping them both safe with no idea that the editors are being targeted by the Secret Service. When a recording is discovered and broadcasting it could change the fate of many, the Secret Service focuses even more intensely on the newsroom. Will Tomas go down in history alongside the journalists or will he protect his younger brother, the last remaining member of his family?
Here is the schedule of screenings at the Red Carpet at Shangri-La Plaza.
May 28, 2026
6:00 PM The Waves (Czech Republic)
May 29, 2026
1:00 PM Lampo the Travelling Dog (Poland)
3:30 PM Four Mothers (Ireland)
5:30 PM Sentimental Value (EU Parliament)
May 30, 2026
12:30 PM Campamento Garra de Oso (Spain)
3:00 PM Maricel (Cyprus)
5:30 PM Rotter Himmel (Germany)
May 31, 2026
12:30 PM Hidden People (Slovenia)
8:00 PM A Simple Soldier (Ukraine)
June 1, 2026
3:00 PM Peacock (Austria)
5:30 PM How Could I Live Without You? (Hungary)
8:00 PM The Dance Club (Sweden)
June 2, 2026
12:30 PM Nasty (Romania)
3:00 PM Andy Warhol: American Dream (Slovakia)
6:00 PM Summer is Crazy (Finland)
8:30 PM Heads of Fails (Belgium)
June 3, 2026
12:30 PM Loss of Balance (Poland)
3:00 PM Gloria! (Italy)
5:20 PM Sleeping with a Tiger (Austria)
7:40 Un ours dans le Jura (France)
After the Red Carpet at Shangri-La Plaza run, Cine Europa 29 will have screenings in Tacloban on June 11-15, 2026, the Rizal Park on June 15-20, 2026, and Cagayan de Oro on June 29-July 4, 2026.
Admission to the film screenings at all venues is for free on a first come, first served basis.
Cine Europa 29 is presented by Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines together with the EU Member States and the EU Cultural Institutes along with partners namely the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Shangri-La Plaza Corporation, Eastern Visayas State University in Tacloban, Liceo Cagayan de Oro University, and the National Parks Development Committee.
