Westwind, EFP’s special showcase to promote European films on the Russian market, is putting a spotlight on European Oscar submissions for Best Foreign Language Film to continue and intensify the cultural exchange with the Russian audience.

According to EFP, the large interest in European films is reflected in sold out cinema screenings at the Angleterre Cinema Lounge – one of St. Petersburg’s few independent arthouse cinemas – and a great deal of attention has been generated for “The Westwind Collection” on Russia’s largest VoD platform ivi.ru.

Since the launch of the online festival on ivi in 2015, the viewership for European films has increased significantly thanks to EFP’s promotional activities. Westwind is financially supported by the Creative Europe – Media Programme of the European Union and the participating EFP member organisations.

The five-day event, which is being held from April 19 – 23 and featuring seven award-winning European Oscar submissions and two premieres, will open with the German box-office hit, Welcome to Germany, a very funny, satirical take on the refugee crisis.

The following EFP member organisations are supporting Westwind and have selected their national films: British Council, Danish Film Institute, Film Fund Luxembourg, German Films, Icelandic Film Centre, Instituto de Cinema e do Audiovisual I.P./ICA (Portugal), Macedonian Film Agency, Ministry of Culture of Montenegro, Swedish Film Institute.

Photo courtesy: EFP