In the framework of the French Presidency of the EU Council, EFAD and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) proposed the exclusive screening in Brussels of the French feature film Simone, a woman of the century directed by Olivier Dahan, on Monday 27 June at Cinema Palace. The event was the opportunity to celebrate French cinema and promote the cultural diversity objectives at European level.

The film was introduced by Julie-Jeanne Régnault, EFAD Secretary General, and by a video of Elsa Zylberstein, who plays the role of Simone Veil in the film (you can find it on our Facebook page here). The screening was followed by speeches of Ms Evelyn Regner, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Ms Aurélie Champagne, representative of the French Permanent Representation to the European Union, and Mr Jérémie Kessler, Deputy Director for European Affairs at the CNC.

The event was organised in partnership with European associations in the culture and audiovisual sector: FERA - Federation of European Screen Directors, Society of Audiovisual Authors (SAA), Unifrance, Europa Cinemas, Coalitions Européennes pour la Diversité Culturelle (CEDC), CICAE - Arthouse Cinema, Europa Distribution, Europa International, European Film Academy (EFA), Cineuropa, CEPI – European Audiovisual Production, Eurocinema, European Producers Club (EPC),  the International Union of Cinemas – UNIC.

About the film

Simone, a woman of the century is the biopic of Simone Veil, one of the prominent women in France in the 20th Century. It tells Simone Veil’s life story from her childhood to her major political battles seen through the pivotal events of the twentieth century. An intimate and epic portrait of an extraordinary woman who eminently challenged and transformed her era: her humanist message is still keenly relevant today. The film is a French production.