In the name of all who have worked to produce the 14th edition of the Osaka European Film Festival, I am proud and happy to present our grand line up of films and to welcome you to one of the many venues at which the festival will be taking place.

A few new big developments mark this 14th edition as special. Foremost among these is the relocation of the two main events of the Festival. One, our main event, the Premiere Screenings in Japan of new films, which was born in the Osaka Port area, will be held this year right in the centre of town in the prestigious Recital Hall. Two, the very popular Night of the Ad Eaters, the festivalﾕs most lively event, will take place this year in one of the top cultural-event halls in the Kansai area: the imposing and celebrated Festival Hall, which gives us a wonderful opportunity with its 2,700 seats.

As for the program as a whole, please take note of the retrospective devoted to Swedish documentary cinema which gives us a chance to discover not only these recent masterpieces, but also an original look at issues such as education, sexuality, the homeless, or simply at individuals and the people with whom they are intimately involved as presented by the creators of a cinematography too little-known in Japan. In addition, the tribute to Aleksandr Sokurov allows us to bring together the first 3 films of a series, likely to increase in number, in which the Russian cinematographer focuses on historical figures of the 20th century, through whom he investigates the past and present of our world.

In the last two festivals we viewed the works directed by young Finns and Croatians. This year, the section of the festival devoted to films directed by and for children, welcomes the Studio of the Camera Enfants Admis. Created in Liege in 1979, the studio produces animated films conceived by very young filmmakers who wish to express themselves about their worlds, while simultaneously learning the language of images and sound. The result of this experience is an incredible look at issues such as citizenship, environmental problems, health and cultural heritage.

As for expositions, the festival welcomes the works of two ﾒgiantsﾓ of contemporary creative arts. The first, which gives me the opportunity to tip my hat to the honorary president of this 14th edition of the Festival, is devoted to the original drawings, outlines and storyboards of the celebrated Polish director, Andrejz Wajda, who will present on paper the development of a couple of his films and theatres pieces. The second gathers the works of the Japanese artist Makoto Wada, which were inspired by a number of the masterpieces of European cinema.

In addition to these events, Iﾕd like to remind you, thanks to the Festival, there are also various social events, from the holding of debates between the students of professional schools or universities in the Kansai region and our European guests of honor, to the organization of different evening events of the now traditional All Night Parties.

To sum up about the programming, I would like to return to what constitutes the heart and core of the Festival, namely the Premiere Screenings of the films themselves and to emphasize all the care we have taken in this yearﾕs selection. Our ambition has been grand: with these eleven films, we wish to encourage the public to question, but also to enjoy itself, in considering the various themes and very different viewpoints that deal with the many preoccupations of our era: from the struggles of social integration to the pain of exile; from the will to learn about History to the hope for an openness of spirit in our relations, be it with the homosexual community or with the elderly; from all the challenges faced in the family unit and passionate love to class relations, wars, obsession with body image... and plenty of other issues whether approached with gravity or humor.

I hope, and indeed am already convinced, that this program, in all the richness of its diversity will not fail in arousing your compassion and your curiosity.

To conclude, I would like to thank all our honored guests who have come to share with the public the passion that they have for cinema and for life, as well as thank all the people and organizations of the public and private sectors who have once more shown their confidence and support and allowed us to bring to fruit the holding of this 14th edition of the Osaka European Film Festival.