Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s ‘All Of A Sudden’ To Open AFI’s European Showcase
EXCLUSIVE: The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center will open the 39th edition of its European Union Film Showcase with Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s Paris-set feature All Of A Sudden. Scroll down for the full list of titles.
The 2026 AFI European Union Film Showcase runs from December 2–20 at the American Film Institute’s historic theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland. This year’s showcase features 57 films representing all 27 EU member states, including 25 of the top contenders for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
The slate of titles features award winners like Hamaguchi’s All Of A Sudden, which won Best Actress for its two leads at Cannes, alongside regional box-office hits, debut works by up-and-coming talents and new works by leading auteurs.
Described as “a life-affirming tale about the resilience and patience required to truly care for another human being,” All Of A Sudden stars Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto as a pair of unlikely friends who, after a spontaneous encounter, quickly develop a deep and abiding intimacy. Hamaguchi’s French-language debut is Japan’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature.
The closing night title is Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales. The French-language drama is an ambitious reworking of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s A Short Film About Love and A Short Film About Killing. Starring are Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney, Adam Bessa, and Catherine Deneuve. The film follows Sylvie (Huppert), a famous author seeking inspiration by observing neighbors across the street. The film premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and has its North American Premiere at AFI Fest.
Additional highlights from this year’s showcase include La Bola Negra, the buzzy feature from Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi; Florian Zeller’s Bunker, starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz; Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, which is France’s Oscar submission; and Lukas Dhont’s Coward.
Cultural and community partners of this year’s showcase include Alliance Française of Washington DC, the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, the Embassy of Spain, the Embassy of Sweden, and the Italian Cultural Institute.
See the 2026 Showcase titles below. They have been split into films from the Best International Oscar race and other special presentations.
Titles From The 2027 Best International Feature Film Oscar Race:
ADULT SUPERVISION (DIR Alex Schulman. Sweden)
ALL OF A SUDDEN (DIR Ryūsuke Hamaguchi. Japan)
AONTAS (DIR Damian McCann. Ireland)
BROKEN VEIN (DIR Yannis Economides. Greece)
COWARD (DIR Lukas Dhont. Belgium)
THE DREAMED ADVENTURE (DIR Valeska Grisebach. Bulgaria)
EVERYTIME (DIR Sandra Wollner. Germany)
FANTASY (DIR Kukla. Slovenia)
FLOOD (DIR Martin Gonda. Slovak Republic)
GOD WILL NOT HELP (DIR Hana Jušić. Croatia)
GROWTH OF THE SOIL (DIR Hans Petter Moland. Norway)
HOLD ONTO ME (DIR Myrsini Aristidou. Cyprus)
HOW TO DIVORCE DURING THE WAR (DIR Andrius Blaževičius. Lithuania)
IF PIGEONS TURNED TO GOLD (DIR Pepa Lubojacki. Czech Republic)
LA BOLA NEGRA (DIR Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo. Spain)
MINOTAUR (DIR Andrey Zvyagintsev. France)
NINA ROZA (DIR Geneviève Dulude-De Celles. Canada)
OUR ERIKA (DIR German Golub. Estonia)
PAIKAR (DIR Dawood Hilmandi. Netherlands)
ROSE (DIR Markus Schleinzer. Austria)
THE SCENT OF THINGS REMEMBERED (DIR António Ferreira. Portugal)
THE SPIRAL (DIR Paolo Strippoli. Italy)
THE SQUIRREL (DIR Markus Lehmusruusu. Finland)
ULYA (DIR Viesturs Kairišs. Latvia)
ZEJTUNE (DIR Alex Camilleri. Malta)
Complete list of Special Presentations:
ALL OF A SUDDEN (DIR Ryūsuke Hamaguchi. Japan)
AONTAS (DIR Damian McCann. Ireland)
THE BELOVED (DIR Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Spain)
BUNKER (DIR Florian Zeller. France/Spain)
COWARD (DIR Lukas Dhont. Belgium)
THE ECHO CHAMBER (DIR Andrea Pallaoro. Italy)
EVERYTIME (DIR Sandra Wollner. Germany)
IRON BOY (DIR Louis Clichy. France)
LA BOLA NEGRA (DIR Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo. Spain)
LA GRADIVA (DIR Marine Atlan. France)
LOW LIES THE LAND (DIR Emanuele Gerosa. Italy)
MINOTAUR (DIR Andrey Zvyagintsev. France)
PARALLEL TALES (DIR Asghar Farhadi. France)
ROSE (DIR Markus Schleinzer. Austria)
