This year’s European Film Festival is already in full swing, inviting film lovers to a buffet of cinematic options from all across the European Union.

If you already missed the excellent standouts Oink (from The Netherlands) and The Counterfeiters (Austria), fear not, for the festival’s second week has plenty more to offer.

Also on the menu is a selection of short films from students hailing from Lasalle College of the Arts, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Nanyang Technological University, adding a unique Singapore flavour to the full-length features in the line-up.

Here are some must-see picks for the last week of the festival:

The Quiet Girl (Ireland) - May 26, 8 pm

Colm Bairead’s poignant portrayal of childhood and grief won hearts at film festivals all over the world, even scoring a Best International Feature Film nomination at this year’s Academy Awards, the first Irish-language film to do so. Lead actress Catherine Clinch, making her film debut at just 11 years old, steals the spotlight with her quietly heartbreaking performance. Hankies required.

Hope (Norway) - May 27, 4.30 pm

Critics’ darling Maria Sodahl returns after a decade-long absence with a deeply moving exploration of her real-life experience with terminal brain cancer. In her second feature film, long-time partners Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig) and Tomas (Stellan Skarsgard) grapple with her illness amid a growing rift between them and blended-family tensions. Sodahl’s richly layered writing and direction combine with powerhouse performances from Hovig and Skarsgard to create an emotional goldmine of an artpiece.

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Precious Ivie (Germany) - May 28, 2 pm

Family can be tough, and no one knows that better than up-and-coming auteur Sarah Blasskiewitz. Her humorous, earnest feature debut brings two Afro-German sisters together in the wake of their father’s death and upcoming funeral in Senegal. Blasskiewitz’s keen, sensitive screenplay is brought to vibrant life by newcomers Haley Louise Jones and Lorna Ishema. Getting in touch with one’s roots has never been this much fun.

Confine (Italy) - May 28, 8 pm

Over a year since Russia first began its violent military campaign in Ukraine, the fallout continues among private citizens. Alice Tomassini’s critically acclaimed documentary turns the spotlight away from politicians and soldiers to ordinary, civilian women going above and beyond to fight for peace. At a train station on the border between Ukraine and Hungary, these women risk everything on daily to help Ukrainian refugees find safety. Confine is a gut-punching call to all humans to stand up and together amid impossible trials and tribulations.

Champions (Spain) - May 31, 8 pm

A feel-good comedy-drama about a pro basketball coach tasked to train a team of players with intellectual disabilities. As with most movies of this type, its abled protagonist learns that his new charges have more to teach him than he does them. Despite the predictable plot, the film is full of heart and buoyant camaraderie.

The European Film Festival runs till May 31. Visit https://euff.com.sg for more details.