From December 1 to December 20, 2008, the first annual European Union Film Festival in China will take place in Beijing during the French presidency of the European Union. This event is co-organized and co-financed by the Delegation of the European Commission to China and the French Embassy in Beijing.

All 27 EU member states have been invited to showcase one recent, popular and successful film and such a wide and diverse selection will enable the general public to discover new faces of European cinema. All 24 movies will be shown once only, with screenings at the Centre Culturel Français (French Cultural Center), the Instituto Cervantes (Cervantes Institute), the Instituto Italiano di Cultura (the Italian Institute of Culture) and the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art.

Each film will be screened in their original language with English and Chinese subtitles. Please click here to read the synopsis of every film and the screening schedule.

The Last King of Scotland (UK)
Time: 7PM, Tuesday 9 December 2008
Venue: Istituto Italiano di Cultura (Italian Institut of Cutlure)
Address: 2, Sanlitun Dongerjie, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Tel: +86 010 65322187

Screening information:

• Centre Culturel Français (French Cultural Center): From Monday December 1 to Wednesday December 3 and from Monday December 15 to Saturday December 20, 2008
  Address: 18, Gongti xi lu
  Screenings will be free.
  For further information please see http://www.ccfpekin.org/
• Instituto Cervantes (Cervantes Institute): from Thursday December 4 to Sunday December 7, 2008
  Address: A1, Gongti nan lu
  Screenings will be free.
  For further information please see http://pekin.cervantes.es/
• Istituto Italiano di Cultura (Italian Institute of Culture): from Monday December 8 to Thursday December 11, 2008
  Address: 2, sanlitun dong er jie
  Screenings will be free. An ID or passport is needed to enter the premises
  For further information please see http://www.iicpechino.esteri.it/
• Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA): from Friday December 12 to Sunday December 14, 2008
  Address: 798 Art District, No.4 Jiuxianqiao Lu
  Screenings will be free.
  For further information please see http://www.ucca.org.cn/

Feature Films (subject to change):

• UK: The last king of Scotland by Kevin Macdonald
• Austria: Welcome home by Andreas Gruber
• Belgium: Man zkt vrouw (A perfect match) by Miel Van Hoogenbemt
• Bulgaria: Shivachki (Seamstresses) by Lyudmil Todorov
• Cyprus: Meli kai krasi (Honey and Wine) by Marinos Kartikkis
• Czech Republic: Roming by Jiriho Vejdelka
• Estonia: Röövlirahnu Martin (Matt the Cat) by René Vilbre
• Finland: Matti by Aleksi Mäkelä
• France: La Môme (La vie en rose) by Olivier Dahan (Gala Evening on invitation only)
• Germany: Vier minuten (4 minutes) by Chris Kraus
• Greece: Pandora by George Stamboulopoulos
• Hungary: Fehér tenyér (White Palms) by Szabolcs Hajdu
• Ireland: Once by John Carney
• Italy: Le conseguenze dell'amore (The Consequences of Love) by Paolo Sorrentino
• Lithuania: Loss by Maris Martinsons
• Luxembourg: Nuits d’Arabie by Paul Kieffer
• Poland: Sztuczki (Tricks) by Andrzej Jakimowski
• Portugal: Dot.com by Luís Galvão Teles
• Slovakia: Utek do budina (Escape to Budapest) by Miloslav Luther
• Sloveny: Instalacija ljubezni (Installation of love) by Maja Weiss
• Spain: Te doy mis ojos (Take My Eyes) by Icíar Bollaín
• Sweden: Leo by Josef Fares
• The Netherland: Langer licht (Northern Light) by David Lammers

The EU Film Festival is made possible with the support of the following Embassies in China: Cultural Forum of the Embassy of the Republic of Austria, Embassy of Belgium, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria, Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, Embassy of the Czech Republic, Embassy of the Republic of Estonia, Embassy of Finland, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Embassy of the Hellenic Republic, Embassy of the Republic of Hungary, Embassy of Ireland, Embassy of the Republic of Italy, Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania, Embassy of the Republic of Poland, Embassy of the Republic of Portugal, Embassy of the Slovak Republic, Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, Embassy of Spain, Royal Swedish Embassy, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And with the additional support of: British Council, Cervantes Institute, Estonian Film Foundation, French Cultural Center, German Films, Holland Film, Irish Film Institute, Italian Institute of Culture, Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus, Polish Film Archive, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art.

EU Film Festival – Film Selection:

Country: United Kingdom
Title: The last king of Scotland
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Cast: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson
Genre: Drama, thriller
Runtime: 121 min
Year: 2006
Language: English, French, German, Swahili

Synopsis:
In the early 1970s, Nicholas Garrigan, a young semi-idealistic Scottish doctor, comes to Uganda to assist in a rural hospital. Once there, he soon meets up with the new President, Idi Amin, who promises a golden age for the African nation. Garrigan hits it off immediately with the rabid Scotland fan, who soon offers him a senior position in the national health department and becomes one of Amin's closest advisers. However as the years pass, Garrigan cannot help but notice Amin's increasingly erratic behavior that grows beyond a legitimate fear of assassination into a murderous insanity that is driving Uganda into bloody ruin. Realizing his dire situation with the lunatic leader unwilling to let him go home, Garrigan must make some crucial decisions that could mean his death if the despot finds out.

Awards:
1) Oscar for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Forest Whitaker) at the Academy Awards, USA (2007),
2) Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film / Best Actor in a Leading Role (Forest Whitaker) / Best Screenplay - Adapted and nominated for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (James McAvoy) / Best Film at the BAFTA Awards (2007),
3) Best Actor (James McAvoy) / Best Film / Best Screenplay at the BAFTA Awards, Scotland (2007),
4) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) and nominated for the Best Supporting Actress (Kerry Washington) at the Black Reel Awards (2007),
5) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards (2006),
6) Best Director (Kevin Macdonald) / Best Technical Achievement and nominated for Best Actor (James McAvoy) / Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) / Best British Independent Film / Best Screenplay at the British Independent Film Awards (2006),
7) Critics Choice Award for the Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2007),
8) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (2006),
9) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards (2006),
10) Nominated for the Audience Award for the Best Film / Best Actor (James McAvoy) / Best Cinematographer / Best Composer / Best Director / Best Film at the European Film Awards (2007),
11) Best Screenplay / Best Technical Achievement) at the Evening Standard British Film Awards (2007),
12) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Florida Film Critics Circle Awards (2006),
13) Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (Forest Whitaker) at the Golden Globes, USA (2007),
14) Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Forest Whitaker) and nominated for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Kerry Washington) at the Image Awards (2007),
15) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards (2007),
16) Sierra Award for the Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards (2006),
17) ALFS Award for the Actor of the Year (Forest Whitaker) and nominated for the ALFS Award for the British Actor of the Year (James McAvoy) / British Director of the Year / British Film of the Year / British Producer of the Year) at the London Critics Circle Film Awards (2007),
18) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (2006),
19) Nominated for the Golden Reel Award of the Best Sound Editing in a Feature Film: Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement) at the Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA (2007),
20) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the National Board of Review, USA (2006),
21) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA (2007),
22) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards (2006),
23) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Online Film Critics Society Awards (2007),
24) Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Forest Whitaker) at the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards (2006),
25) Riviera Award (Forest Whitaker) at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (2007),
26) Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama (Forest Whitaker) and nominated for the Best Motion Picture, Drama at the Satellite Awards (2006),
27) Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (Forest Whitaker) at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (2007),
28) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards (2006),
29) Best Cinematography at the Stockholm Film Festival (2006),
30) Nominated for the USC Scripter Award at the USC Scripter Award (2007),
31) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle (2007),
32) Best Actor (Forest Whitaker) at the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards (2006)

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