EU Film Festival Opens in Bengaluru with Austrian Drama Happy

The 30th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) opened in Bengaluru with a screening of the Austrian film Happy, directed by Sandeep Kumar, at the Alliance Française de Bangalore. The film received an enthusiastic welcome from the audience, marking a strong start to the festival’s Bengaluru chapter.

This year’s edition features 25 acclaimed films from across Europe, presented in 26 languages. The selections delve into themes such as identity, family, courage, shared humanity and hope. EUFF 2025 will run in Bengaluru from November 7–15 across three venues—Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Alliance Française de Bangalore and the Suchitra Film Society—before heading to Hyderabad for its concluding leg.

“We’re delighted to bring the 30th European Union Film Festival to Bengaluru—a city that has always celebrated culture, creativity and global storytelling,” said Ewa Suwara, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to India. “Opening with Happy beautifully captures the festival’s spirit of resilience, diversity and the shared human experience.”

Festival curator Artur Zaborski said the Bengaluru audience’s appetite for thoughtful cinema makes the city a special stop on EUFF’s India tour. “This year’s line-up is filled with courage, humour and humanity from across Europe,” he said. “Opening with Happy feels symbolic—it represents crossing boundaries and finding common ground through film. We’re excited to see how Bengaluru responds before the festival travels to Hyderabad.”