Between 12 October and 7 December 2025, ICR Beijing has the great pleasure to present the second edition of the EUNIC China Film Festival, a landmark cinematographic event included in the 2025 EUNIC-funded project “Ageing Together · Voices across Time.” This year’s edition explores the intergenerational dynamic and the social implications of a world in which ageing is becoming an increasingly visible phenomenon, offering the Chinese public a selection of 21 films and 30 screenings, presented in various cultural venues in Beijing. The event is organized by EUNIC China (the Network of the National Cultural Institutes of the European Union in China), in partnership with 19 European institutes and embassies (Romania, Italy, Greece, Austria, Wallonia-Brussels, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Hungary, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland and Estonia), and with the support of the EUNIC Cluster Fund.
The festival programme brings together a broad range of genres – drama, documentary, experimental and comedy – that address contemporary themes related to ageing and relations between generations. Among the key titles are “Fertility” (Katharina Petke, Germany), “Remind Me” (Greece) – the first Greek feature film dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease, made with the participation of over 80 volunteers – and “It’s Not Over Yet” (Denmark), an emotional documentary about elderly care. Other films present memorable human stories: the journey of three septuagenarian sisters through Finland; the artistic portrait of Klaas Gubbels, a 91-year-old Dutch artist; the story of an Irish wife who revives the memory of her lost husband through a mysterious dog; or the return of an Estonian artist to her native country. Philippe Garrel and Bille August, Palme d’Or laureate, propose reflections on family memory and the continuity of generations. The festival ends with the Dutch documentary “Forever Human,” a lucid meditation on the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the individual and the community.
ICR Beijing’s proposal for the Chinese public is the film “Constantin and Elena,” directed by Andrei Dăscălescu – a profound and contemplative documentary that explores the intimacy of an elderly couple from a Romanian village, captured in the simplicity and fullness of everyday life. Through an aesthetic of direct observation and inner rhythm, the film turns ordinary gestures – prayer, household work, shared silences – into a visual meditation on time, love and human dignity. Beyond its ethnographic dimension, “Constantin and Elena” becomes a subtle reflection on the way in which love, faith and fidelity can represent forms of spiritual resistance in the face of modernity and the inexorable passing of time, while at the same time constituting an authentic expression of the traditional Romanian ethos.
The film was distinguished with the “First Appearance” Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), with a Special Mention in the documentary section at the Sarajevo Film Festival, as well as with the Romanian Days Debut Award at the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) 2009.
Andrei Dăscălescu is a Romanian film director, producer, and lecturer, widely recognized for his significant contribution to contemporary documentary cinema. A graduate of the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest, he has established a distinctive style defined by poetic observation, introspective reflection, and a deep exploration of the spiritual dimensions of everyday life. In 2007, he founded the production company Filmlab, promoting artistic independence and authorial integrity in filmmaking. He is also the founder and director of the Piatra Neamț Film Festival, dedicated to discovering and supporting emerging filmmakers. His filmography includes major works such as Constantin and Elena (2008), Planeta Petrila (2016), and Holy Father (2020), all acclaimed for their humanistic depth and formal precision. His films have been awarded at prestigious international festivals including IDFA, Sarajevo Film Festival, and TIFF, confirming his status as a leading voice in European documentary cinema. Since 2015, Andrei Dăscălescu has also been shaping the next generation of filmmakers as a lecturer in documentary film at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, fostering a creative ethos grounded in artistic rigor, ethics, and cultural reflection.
EUNIC – the Network of the National Cultural Institutes of the European Union – is the platform that brings together European institutes and embassies involved in international cultural relations. Through a global presence covering over one hundred countries and 143 clusters, EUNIC promotes a shared cultural diplomacy based on cooperation, dialogue and solidarity between peoples.
The project “Voices Across Time · Aging Together” brings together artists, institutions and communities from Europe and China in a joint endeavour to celebrate the dignity of life at all ages. Its purpose is to stimulate intergenerational dialogue, to promote social inclusion, and to offer elderly people and their families authentic spaces for artistic expression. At the same time, the project involves specialists from the fields of culture and health, whose expertise contributes to the formation of a more united, attentive and inclusive society.
The screening of the film “Constantin and Elena” will take place on 29 November 2025, at 19:00 at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing (Galaxy SOHO), and on 5 December 2025, at 15:00, at Beijing Normal University. Entry is free, based on registration, by scanning the QR code on the poster.
We look forward to seeing you at the cinema!
Festival Programme
19 countries | 21 films | 30 screenings
- October 12, 2025 (Sunday) | 14:00 | Venue: Goethe-Institut (798 Art Zone), German Film:Reproduktion (2024) | Documentary | 111 min, Opening remarks by Robin Mallick and Wild Lin + post-screening input by Gu Xue
- October 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 16:00 | Venue: Beijing Cervantes Institute, Greek Film: Remind Me (2019) | Drama| 60 min
- October 23, 2025 (Thursday) |18:30 | Venue: Goethe-Institut (798 Art Zone), Dutch Film:Human Forever (2023) | Documentary | 83 min
- Opening remarks by Jojanneke Kraan, counselor for Health, Welfare and Sport at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in China.
- October 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 16:00 | Venue: Beijing Cervantes Institute, Spanish Film: Toda Una Vida (2023) | Documentary | 72 min
- October 28, 2025 (Tuesday) | 19:00 | Venue: Danish Cultural Center, Norwegian Film: Songs of Earth (2023) | Documentary | 90 min Opening remarks by the representative of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in China
- October 29, 2025 (Wednesday) | 18:00 |Venue: Embassy of Poland in China, German Film:Heaven Can Wait–We Live Now (2023) | Documentary | 120 min
- October 30, 2025 (Thursday) | 19:00 | Liszt Institute-Hungarian Cultural Center (Beijing), Hungarian Film:Some Birds (2023) | Drama | 93 min
- October 31, 2025 (Friday) | 18:00 | Venue: Embassy of Bulgaria, Bulgarian Film"Because I Love Bad Weather" (2024) |Drama |100 minutes
- November 3, 2025 (Monday) | 15:00 | Taikang Community Yan Garden, Austrian Film:Mademoiselle Paradis | Drama | 97 min
- November 4, 2025 (Tuesday) | 18:30|Embassy of Estonia in China, Ukrainian & Estonian Film:Tales of a Toy Horse (2021) | Documentary | 72 minQ&A session with either the main hero or director (online)
- November 5, 2025 (Wednesday) | 19:00 | Italian Cultural Institute in China, Italian Film:La Grande Bellezza (2013) | Drama |141 min
- November 6, 2025 (Thursday) | 18:00 | Embassy of Finland in China, Finnish Film:Teräsleidit (2020) | Drama | 92min | Pre-screening speech by Janna Laine and Post-screening Q&A with director online
- November 13, 2025 (Thursday) | 19:00 | Danish Cultural Center, Danish Film:It’s Not Over Yet (2021) | 95 min
- November 16, 2025 (Sunday) | 19:30|Fengchao Theater, Belgian Film:Une vie démente (2020) | Drama | 87 min
- November 22–23, 2025 (Saturday–Sunday) | Jintai Art Museum, Dutch Film: The Universe of Klaas Gubbels (2024) | Documentary | 52 minPost-screening discussion with director + artist
- November 26, 2025 (Wednesday) | 18:30 | Evening | Embassy of Ireland in China, Irish Film:Róise & Frank (2022) | Drama | 90 min
- November 29, 2025 (Saturday) | 19:00 | Romanian Cultural Center in Beijing, Romanian Film: Constantin and Elena (2009) | Documentary | 102 min,Opening Remarks: PhD. Andreea-Ema Stoian, Beijing Film Academy, Senior Relations Officer, Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing
- November 30, 2025 (Sunday) | 13:00 | Institut français de Pékin, French Film: The Plough (2023) | Drama | 97 min
- December 5–7, 2025 (Fri–Sun) | Screenings & Closing Events on Beijing Normal University
After each country's screening, a scholar or expert specializing in films from that country will be invited to lead a discussion.
December 5, 2025 (Friday) | BNU
13:00 | Danish Film: Silent Heart (2014) | Drama | 98 min | BNU
15:00 | Romanian Film: Constantin and Elena (2009) | Documentary | 102 min | BNU 17:30 | French Film: The Plough (2023) | Drama | 97 min | BNU
19:30 | Irish Film: Róise & Frank (2022) | Drama | 90 min | BNU
December 6, 2025 (Saturday) | BNU
13:00 | Norwegian Film: Songs of Earth (2023) | Documentary | 90 min | BNU 15:00 | Greek Film: Remind Me (2019) | Drama | 60 min | BNU
17:00 | German Film: Walchensee Forever (2020) | Documentary | 110 min | BNU 19:30 | Hungarian Film: Some Birds (2023) | Drama | 93 min | BNU
December 7, 2025 (Sunday)| BNU
14:00 | Closing Remarks + Reception
15:00 | Spanish Film: Los pequeños amores (2024) | Drama | 95 min | BNU
17:00 | Finnish Film: Teräsleidit (2020) | Drama | 92 min | BNU
19:30 | Closing Film: Dutch Film: Human Forever (2023) | Documentary | 83 min | BNU
