Dear friends of good movies,

The Days of European Film festival will go to Ostrava for the first time in its 27-year history this year. The Ostrava audience will thus see 40 top European films, often awarded with prizes from international festivals. These films do not enter the network of multiplex cinemas, which focus primarily on commercial titles mostly American production. Ostrava has an audience that does not just target mainstream films. It is enough to remember how much the films were screened in the Demanding Viewer Cinema and later in the Minikino.

I am pleased that the Ostrava people can see the best of European film production. This year’s festival program offers exceptionally attractive sci-fi, horror, avant-garde, contemporary life for young people as well as films for families with children, old masters films and documentaries. I myself am curious about movies in virtual reality. The audience will certainly appreciate attractive discussions with the filmmakers as well as discussions where foreign filmmakers will meet Czechs.

I consider the introduction of the films in their original version with Czech and English subtitles as a good step. Ostrava is a multicultural city with a relatively large number of foreign experts and employees working here and in the immediate vicinity. The idea with bilingual subtitles is an invitation and the opportunity to visit European Film Days.

I wish the audience a beautiful and impressive experience and I believe that we will meet on film screenings. I wish the festival guests and filmmakers a pleasant stay in Ostrava and recommend that they take the time to get to know our town closer and look at Ostrava from the viewpoint of the highest town hall tower in the Czech Republic or visit the industrial Lower Vítkovice area. their staff on business.

Tomáš Macura

Mayor of the City of Ostrava