Europa! Europa Is Australia's New Touring Film Festival Dedicated to European Cinema

Just like planning overseas getaways for certain parts of the year — now that they're allowed again, that is — Australian cinema lovers can base their annual calendar around which parts of the globe they'd like to peer at. As autumn hits, the French Film Festival kicks into gear around the country. Midyear, when things are frosty, the Scandinavian Film Festival usually arrives. When spring is in full swing, it's Italian Film Festival time. And, from February 2022, summer will now end with a movie-going trip to Europe.

Kicking off on Friday, February 4 and running through until Sunday, February 27, Europa! Europa is the new Aussie film fest that'll bring Europe's latest flicks to our screens. Debuting in Sydney and Melbourne, it'll focus on fresh new flicks from the entire continent — and pair them with live music and special events across its three-week run.

While it's too early for the festival's program just yet, Europa! Europa will launch its 2022 lineup with a keenly anticipated title that gives a firm idea of how the event means to go on. That'd be the acclaimed, Cannes-premiering French feature Benedetta, which tells the tale of real-life 17th-century Tuscan nun Benedetta Carlini. The reason there's a film about her? She believed she saw visions of Christ, and also had in a sexual relationship with a fellow sister at her abbey.

Benedetta also hails from Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, who has quite the attention-grabbing resume — including directing the original RoboCop and Total Recall movies, sticking with sci-fi for Starship Troopers, and spearheading 90s erotic thrillers courtesy of Basic Instinct and Showgirls. He also helmed the Isabelle Huppert-starring revenge thriller Elle in 2016, too.

Consider it a vision of things to come at Sydney and Melbourne's newest film fest, which hasn't announced its venues yet, either, but'll host its launch screenings on Sunday, January 16 at Elsternwick's Classic Cinemas in Melbourne and Randwick's Ritz Cinema in Sydney.

Check out the trailer for Benedetta below:

Europa! Europa will screen in Sydney and Melbourne between Friday, February 4–Sunday, February 27, 2022, following program launch screenings on Sunday, January 16 at Elsternwick's Classic Cinemas in Melbourne and Randwick's Ritz Cinema in Sydney. We'll update you with the full lineup when it is announced.