Gathered in the gorgeous front garden of Bali Dynasty Resort, movie enthusiasts enjoyed the Dutch thriller Accused at a free open-air movie screening while soaking up the relaxing evening atmosphere on Saturday, April 30.

The audience was immersed in the chilling true story of a nurse, Lucia, who was sentenced to life in prison due to her presence at one inexplicable death. With the involvement of young district attorney Judith, the biggest miscarriage of justice in Dutch history was finally reversed.

The event continued at the same venue on the following Saturday, with a British night that featured A Royal Night Out. In a brightly entertaining movie, acclaimed British director Julian Jarrold attracted these movie lovers with his charming fictional comedy-drama about the future Queen of England, Elizabeth, and her sister Margaret going out to celebrate VE Night back in 1945.

The whole of London was on the streets to celebrate the official end of World War II in Europe and Elizabeth and Margaret, aged 19 and 14 respectively, were allowed to join the celebration in a night full of excitement, danger and the first flutters of romance.

Hosted by Bali Dynasty Resort in partnership with Solemen, a not-for-profit charity that the resort currently supports, the two-night event combined fun, entertainment and culture. It also raised much-needed funds for Solemen to help improve the lives of disadvantaged people on the island.

With the presence of Dutch Consul Al Purwa and British Vice Consul John Makin, the event was well received by the Dutch and British communities in Bali, as well as by a general audience who were eager to splash out on purchasing raffle tickets for great prizes donated by the sponsors. While watching the movie, the audience could also enjoy the most popular food and drinks from Holland and Britain.

A total of approximately Rp 10 million (US$754) was raised from booths where companies associated with Holland and Britain showcased and sold their products during the event.

The European Film Festival was held for the first time in Indonesia in 1990, with the second festival following in 1999, jointly organized by European diplomatic and cultural representations in Indonesia.

The main objective of the festival is to introduce and promote European culture in Indonesia. Despite the large number of film productions in Europe — comparable to Hollywood, only a few of these reach the Indonesian market.

As of 2003, the European Film Festival in Indonesia has been held annually under the banner Europe on Screen. Between 2004 and 2006, Europe on Screen was integrated into the Jakarta International Film Festival (JiFFest).

As in the previous years, screenings were held simultaneously between April 29 and May 8 in Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Surabaya and Yogyakarta.

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