The European Film Festival (EUFF) Mongolia 2026 opened on 23 June at Urgoo IMAX 3 in Ulaanbaatar's Shangri-La Mall to a packed audience, with attendees filling the staircase and a queue forming for the evening's second screening. Organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Mongolia in partnership with Artwave Mongolia NGO, the five-day festival runs through 27 June, offering 13 films from 13 European countries free of charge.
The opening film, the German feature "22 Lengths" by director Mia Maariel Meyer — winner of the 2025 Hessian Film Award for Best Screen Production — drew a full house. By the time the Bulgarian drama "The Trap" was set to screen at 21:30, a long queue had already formed outside the auditorium. The opening ceremony began at 18:00 with a welcome reception in the VIP Lounge, bringing together representatives of EU Member State embassies, international organizations, and guests from Mongolia's culture and film community. Remarks were delivered by EU Ambassador to Mongolia Ina Marčiulionytė, Goethe-Institut Mongolia Director Leonhard Heydecker, festival director Ts. Nyamdulam, and producer Ts. Ariunaa. A traditional morin khuur performance preceded the screening.
This year's festival features Belgian-American director Jessica Woodworth as guest of honour. Woodworth led a four-hour Director's Masterclass on 22 June and is also leading an Actor Skills Development Programme — a free five-day, 40-hour intensive training covering acting on camera, character development, emotional expression, and director-actor collaboration, open to professional actors and students through an open selection process.
Beyond screenings, the festival includes a substantial capacity-building programme. A 40-hour online CineLab Short Film Production training was delivered ahead of the festival, attracting 12 participants. Eight films were selected for jury evaluation, with the best short film to be awarded at the closing ceremony. The jury includes Ambassador Marčiulionytė. The programme was led by instructors Rob Rombaut, a documentary filmmaker and co-founder of DocNomads, and Javier Solano, a Belgian-Ecuadorian filmmaker and coordinator of MemoryLab. Participants are producing short films under the theme "Your Own Brick" ("Өөрийн өрөг").
The festival has drawn strong media attention, including a feature on Central TV's Daily Show reaching a broad national audience. All screenings take place at Urgoo IMAX 3 through 27 June. The festival programme spans themes including family relationships, adolescence, disability, environmental protection, social media, and self-discovery.