Bringing European cinema to students and youth

The EUFF@GESS initiative marks the festival’s first collaboration with a school, partnering with the German European School Singapore (GESS). This marks an exciting new chapter for the EU Delegation to Singapore and GESS as we take our partnership further through the landmark 35th edition.

To celebrate this, a specially curated showcase of outstanding cinema from Europe will reach the school community directly, connecting students and youth with strong storytelling and universal perspectives. The inaugural screening features the Academy Award-winning animated film Flow – a powerful and visually striking story reflecting the creativity and emotional depth of European animation. The programme complements GESS’s BeyondClassrooms initiative, which prepares students for the future through academic excellence alongside resilience, adaptability and global awareness.

Grüße vom Mars

2

GERMANY
Family/Comedy

DIRECTOR:
Sarah Winkenstette

CAST:
Theo Kretschmer, Lilli Lacher, Anton Noltensmeier, Hedi Kriegeskotte

<Rating> | 2024 | 85 minutes | German with English subtitles

When his mother has to China, 10-year-old Tom, who finds routine comforting and chaos overwhelming, views a stay with his grandparents as a trial mission to Mars. He dons his astronaut suit, leading his older siblings, and turning the countryside into an intergenerational odyssey of discovery. Tom uses his imagination and unique perspective to bridge generational gaps and cope with change, blending humour with touching moments about neurodiversity and family.

Awards:
Audience Award (Vienna International Children’s Film Festival), Best International Feature Film 2024 (Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival), Best Film Kids and Youth (Filmtage Oberschwaben 2024).

Trailer: Watch Trailer

FLOW

flow

LATVIA
Oscar winning film/Animation

DIRECTOR:
Gints Zilbalodis

CAST:
Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza, Ron Dyens

PG | 2024 | 85 minutes | Latvian with English subtitles

Flow (Latvian: Straume) is a multiple award-winning animated film. Directed by Gints Zilbalodis it won the Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, marking Latvia’s first-ever Oscar win. This independent, dialogue-free film follows a solitary black cat navigating a post-apocalyptic and flooded world. Flow has received widespread international acclaim for its unique, immersive storytelling and stunning animation created using Blender software.

Trailer: Watch Trailer

DIPLODOCUS

Smok-Diplodok-(1)

POLAND
Animation

DIRECTOR:
Wojciech Wawszczyk

<Rating> | 2024 | 93 minutes | Polish with English subtitles

This impressive and innovative animation inspired by the comic books of the legendary Polish artist Tadeusz Baranowski show the great power of imagination and self-belief. Adventure-seeking Diplodocus wants to add some colour to his life. His bog home is grey and dull. When his uneventful existence is disturbed by the appearance of a mysterious fog, he sets out on an unforgettable journey to find his lost family and restore his peace. Diplodocus visits magical lands and encounters fantastic creatures – he gets to know the amazing inhabitants of bizarre worlds. With a clumsy wizard, a quirky professor, and a clever pilot, they will uncover a great secret. Together, they will find out that their reality is actually a comic book page created by Ted, an artist who is going through a creative slump. They will try to save Diplo’s parents and unravel the mystery of the mischievous mist. The film is produced in collaboration with the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Trailer: Watch Trailer

VALENTINA

valentina

SPAIN
Animation

DIRECTOR:
Chelo Loureiro

<Rating> | 2021 | 65 minutes | Spanish with English subtitles

Valentina dreams of being a trapeze artist and believes that because she is Down she will not be able to achieve it, but her grandmother assures her that, if the caterpillars manage to turn into butterflies, nothing is impossible.