30th EU Film Festival in New Delhi to open with India premiere of Memory Lane, the Netherlands’ 2024 Oscar pick

The European Union Film Festival (EUFF) returns with its milestone 30th edition, celebrating three decades of cinematic, cultural, and artistic exchange between Europe and India. From October 31 to November 9, 2025, the Delhi leg will present 28 acclaimed films from across the EU and Ukraine, before travelling to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. For thirty years, EUFF has been more than a showcase of films, it’s been a meeting ground for cultures, ideas, and emotions that cross borders. This anniversary edition invites the audience to look through a different lens — a window to Europe, its people, and its ever-evolving heartbeat. 

The 30th edition of the European Union Film Festival opens on October 31 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, with the India premiere of Memory Lane, the Netherlands ’ official submission to the 2024 Academy Awards. Directed by Jelle de Jonge, this deeply moving film explores aging, dementia, love, reconciliation, and mortality with striking tenderness.The story follows an elderly man reluctantly driving to Spain to visit a dying friend, accompanied by his wife who lives with dementia. Their journey unfolds into a tender reflection on companionship, and rediscovery of joy in life’s later years. Memory Lane received the Best Feature Film award at the Netherlands Film Festival 2024, with Lena Breederveld honoured as Best Actress. 

Marijn de Wit, writer of the film, will be joining the opening night. Sandeep Kumar, Indian origin director of the Austrian film Happy; Kaisla Viitala and Daniel Kuitunen, producers of the Finnish feature Ohjus / The Missile will also be joining for the inaugural night. Their presence adds a special dimension to the festival’s spirit of creative exchange, spotlighting the diversity and dynamism of contemporary European cinema.

Talking about Memory Lane opening EUFF 2025, the screenwriter Marijn de Wit said, “It’s an honour to have Memory Lane open the 30th European Union Film Festival – a landmark edition for the festival. The film is about rediscovery — about finding meaning and companionship even when life feels uncertain. It speaks to anyone who has loved, lost, or laughed through change. I’m excited to see how Indian audiences connect with the film. EUFF has a wonderful tradition of bringing cultures and people together through cinema, and I’m delighted that Memory Lane can be part of that shared experience.”

Artur Zaborski, curator of EUFF 2025, added, “Memory Lane is the perfect film to open the festival, as it explores the themes that are universal. People around the world love intensely and make similar kinds of mistakes, and old age is often a reflection of all that happened. It’s a film that moves you quietly but deeply — tender, funny, and profoundly human. It captures everything we want EUFF to represent: stories that connect people, emotions that transcend borders, and cinema that lingers long after the credits roll. As we celebrate the 30th edition of the European Union Film Festival, it felt important to open with a story that embodies empathy and rediscovery. I can’t wait for Indian audiences to discover this gem.”

Organised by the Delegation of the European Union to India in collaboration with EU Member States and regional partners, EUFF 2025 will screen films across India Habitat Centre, Instituto Cervantes, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, and the Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre in New Delhi, from October 31 to November 9, 2025. All films will be shown with English subtitles, and entry is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Following its New Delhi chapter, the festival will travel to Bengaluru and Hyderabad, bringing a diverse showcase of European cinema to wider Indian audiences.