EU Film Festival opens in Addis Ababa on 23 October with free screenings until 21 November

The European Union Film Festival Addis Ababa 2026 opens on Friday 23 October with an invitation-only night at the Ethiopian National Theatre and runs until 21 November, Videobet Cinema said in posts on its Telegram channel. Entry to the screenings is free.

Videobet says the festival is funded and organised by the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia, the EU Delegation to the African Union and the European Parliament, along with 23 EU member states and guest countries, in association with Videobet. A listing on the Explore Addis events site says the programme has 27 award-winning European films, plus Ethiopian short films, and gives 6:00 pm as the start time on 23 October.

The Banshees of Inisherin (Ireland) will screen on the opening night, Videobet said. On 21 October the cinema offered invitations to the first 20 people to answer a trivia question correctly on its channel.

Apart from the opening and closing nights at the National Theatre, all screenings are at Videobet Cinema, which gives its address as Meskel Square, Red Terror Martyrs Museum.

The first weekend continues on 24 and 25 October with four screenings:

• Saturday 24 October, 4:00 pm: Un Anno di Scuola (Italy), a European Parliament selection
• Saturday 24 October, 6:00 pm: Wax & Gold (Austria), followed by a Q&A with the director
• Sunday 25 October, 4:00 pm: Sorda / Deaf (Spain), a European Parliament selection
• Sunday 25 October, 6:00 pm: Quasi Grazia (Italy), with a masterclass by the producer

The second weekend, 30 October to 1 November, has five screenings:

• Friday 30 October, 6:00 pm: São Jorge (Portugal)
• Saturday 31 October, 4:00 pm: The Horse (Slovakia)
• Saturday 31 October, 6:00 pm: L'Attachement (France)
• Sunday 1 November, 4:00 pm: Memory of Princess Mumbi (Switzerland)
• Sunday 1 November, 6:00 pm: Warboy (Romania)

The third weekend, 6 to 8 November, has seven screenings:

• Friday 6 November, 6:00 pm: Amerikatsi (Armenia), followed by a Q&A with the director
• Saturday 7 November, 2:00 pm: Blood on the Crown (Malta)
• Saturday 7 November, 4:00 pm: The Real Life Guys (Germany)
• Saturday 7 November, 6:00 pm: Mastergame (Hungary)
• Sunday 8 November, 2:00 pm: Champagne (Netherlands)
• Sunday 8 November, 4:00 pm: Hidden People (Slovenia)
• Sunday 8 November, 6:00 pm: Dovbush (Ukraine)

The fourth weekend, 13 to 15 November, has seven screenings:

• Friday 13 November, 6:00 pm: Fathers and Mothers (Denmark)
• Saturday 14 November, 2:00 pm: Breathing Underwater (Luxembourg)
• Saturday 14 November, 4:00 pm: Christy (Ireland), a European Parliament selection
• Saturday 14 November, 6:00 pm: Young Mothers (Belgium)
• Sunday 15 November, 2:00 pm: Flow (Latvia), a European Parliament selection
• Sunday 15 November, 4:00 pm: It Was Just an Accident, a European Parliament selection
• Sunday 15 November, 6:00 pm: The Dance Club (Sweden)

The final weekend begins on Friday 20 November with The Dog Who Travelled by Train (Poland) at 4:00 pm and Stormskerry Maja (Finland) at 6:00 pm.

The festival closes on Saturday 21 November at 6:00 pm at the National Theatre with Sentimental Value (Norway), also a European Parliament selection.

Videobet posts the weekend schedules on its Telegram channel, t.me/videobet_et.