Though the fifth European Union Film Festival (EUFF) came to an end in November, the burgeoning domestic demand for foreign cinema has prompted an online encore. In the follow-up EUFF online initiative, LeTv.com is screening 17 films from various EU member states.

"In the past four years, people were asking where they could watch the films, aside from the four cities the film festival took place in," said Li Jianbin, the director of acquisitions at LeTv.

LeTv, which carries one of China's biggest libraries of videos, worked with EUFF organizers to choose films. This initiative started due to rising domestic interest in the European film market. Less than a week in, the films have already attracted more than 1.5 million views.

New platforms to communicate, like streaming video websites such as LeTv and social networking sites like Sina Weibo are making it easier for a broader demographic to gain access to the niche market of international films that may otherwise get lost in the mix.

Fifth run

The EU Chamber organized the EUFF in cinemas and cultural centers for the month-long November event. The festival ran in four cities: Beijing, Chengdu in Sichuan Province, Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, and Tianjin.

The Beijing run included 10 movies from 10 EU states, all approved by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT). The films played first at Megabox in Sanlitun, then at cultural centers, such as the French, Italian and Spanish cultural institutes, the Polish Embassy and the Cervantes Institute. Closing out the fifth EUFF, James Huth's Happiness Never Comes Alone (2012) screened on November 28 at the Broadway Cinematheque MOMA in Dongzhimen. 

Luisa D'auria, the coordinator of this year's film festival, said the Beijing events were well attended, even more so than expected.

"All of the evening screenings in Beijing were at full [capacity]," D'auria said. "At the French institute, Polish Embassy and Cervantes Institute, there were always 20 to 30 people wanting to get in."

"The EUFF is an unique opportunity to … showcase to Chinese audiences European cinematic culture. Chinese audiences can learn about Europe, without the jet lag."

Digital platform

Both events are organized and funded by the EU. The films available online will be different than the EUFF-screened films, but will be of the same genre and themes that festival goers enjoyed. The selections will be available on LeTv.com through the end of February 2013.

As for the expected popularity of such films, Li commented, "Because these are art films, their appeal may not reach the level of more commercial films, but they will still be able to attract film lovers."

Regarding issues of censorship, Li said that so long as the films contained no nudity, they were left untouched.

The most popular film as of Tuesday, according to statistics from LeTv, is the French film Rust and Bone (2012), directed by Jacques Audiard, which received over a million views the first five days it debuted. Rust and Bone chronicles the unlikely love story between a killer whale trainer and a bouncer at a nightclub.

Deep Blue Sea (2011) came in at second, with over half a million hits. The British film, directed by Terence Davies, is about an extramarital affair between Hester Collyer (Rachel Weisz) and Royal Air Force pilot Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston).

Other highlights from the playlist include Christophe Honoré's The Beloved (2011) which closed the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, German film Pina (2011), a nominee for Best Documentary feature at the 2012 Academy Awards, and Bullhead (2011), a Best Foreign Language Film nominee in the 2012 Academy Awards. The full repertoire can be found online at www.letv.com.