The 12th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) in China kicked off in Beijing on Friday, bringing internationally acclaimed European films to Chinese audiences.

As an annual flagship European cultural event in China, the panorama this year opens with Austrian film "Little Joe." In the following weeks, it will present 33 films from 28 EU member countries in seven Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Jinan, Chengdu, Shenzhen, and Changsha.

Some of the top picks from the festival include "Made in Malta," a romance film that tells the story of an American filmmaker and his ex-lover who reunite for 24 hours in Malta, five years after they broke up. Another must-see movie is "The Hourglass Sanatorium". The 1973 film focuses on a Jewish boy's journey to visit his dying father in a mystical sanatorium.

According to the organizer, the selection of films emphasizes five special themes: "Life and Society", "Fantasy and Wonder",  "Remembering Summer",  "Laugh or Die", and "Global Diversity".

"Through all these films, the audiences will experience the diversified ways of expression in films and enter to another culture that is different from their own," said Yu Bai, EU ambassador to China, while addressing the opening ceremony on Friday.

Zhang Xiaoguang, deputy director of China Film Archive, also spoke at the event. He said the EUFF deepens the friendship and understanding between European people and Chinese people.

The event 12th EUFF is organized by the Delegation of the European Union to China, in association with the China Film Archive. It runs from November 28 to January 12.

(Cover image by Du Chenxin)