The definitive list of the very best film from every country in Europe (best european movies)

We put together this guide on the best film from every country in Europe to give our readers the chance to discover some great films. Inevitably with this kind of guide, it is impossible to list all the great films made in each country. Europe has an enormously rich and diverse film history, so the task of choosing one top film from each country is enormous. We hope you enjoy our selection.

Albania

Nëntori i dytë

Nëntori i dytë (1982) – Director: Viktor Gjika

A humbling story about a group of Albanians and their country’s battle for independence.

Andorra

El Mundo de Pau Casals

El Mundo de Pau Casals (1973) – Director: Joan-Baptista Bellsolell

Andorra

Amor Idiota

Amor Idiota (2004) – Director: Ventura Pons

A drunk man meets a girl on his way home. Unable to get her out of his head, he becomes increasingly obsessed by her.

Austria

Amour (2012) – Director: Michael Haneke

Amour (2012)

After one of them suffers a stroke, an aging couple finds their love tested to the limit.

Azerbaijan

O Olmasin, Bu Olsun (1956) – Director: Huseyn Seyidzadeh

O Olmasin, Bu Olsun

One day a beautiful young woman falls in love with a man. The problem is that she is obliged to marry someone else.

Belarus

In the Fog (2012) – Director: Sergei Loznitsa

In the Fog

During the German occupation, a man faces a difficult moral choice when he is falsely accused of collaboration.

Belgium

Man Bites Dog (1992) – Director: Rémy Belvaux

Man Bites Dog

A film crew follows a deranged serial killer as he goes about his murderous day.

Bosnia Herzegovina

No Man’s Land (2001) – Director: Danis Tanovic)

No Man’s Land

Two soldiers from opposing sides get trapped in no man’s land during the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Bulgaria

Eastern Plays (2009) – Director: Kamen Kalev

Eastern Plays

Two people try to continue with their normal lives in Bulgaria after the end of the Cold War.

Croatia

One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away (1970) – Director: Kresimir Golik

One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away

A young girl notices her mother flirting with a mysterious man during a picnic.

Cyprus

Boy on the Bridge (2016) – Director: Petros Charalambous

Boy on the Bridge

A young boy’s innocence comes to an end when he ends up being at the center of a murder investigation.

Czech Republic

Closely Watched Trains (Ostre sledované vlaky)  (1966) – Director: Jirí Menzel

Closely Watched Trains

An apprentice train dispatcher becomes dismayed when he is unable to perform during his first sexual encounter.

Denmark

Dogville (2003) – Director: Lars Von Trier

Dogville [Image – FilmAffinity]
A woman ends up on the run from a mob in rural Colorado.

Estonia

The Fencer (2015) – Director: Klaus Härö

The Fencer

An Estonian fencer fleeing the KGB ends up returning home to become a teacher in his hometown.

Finland

Iron Sky (2012) – Director: Timo Vuorensola

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Iron Sky (2012) – Director: Timo Vuorensola

Breathless

A car thief on the run from the police meets a young girl who he then persuades to come with him.

Georgia

Corn Island (2014) – Director: George Ovashvili

Corn Island

A man struggles to survive a surging river.

Germany

Fitzcarraldo (1982) – Director: Werner Herzog

Fitzcarraldo

A man becomes obsessed with building an opera house in the middle of the South American jungle.

Hungary

Mephisto (1981) – Director: István Szabó

Mephisto

The story of the surprise success of an actor who’s play becomes a success just as the Nazis come to power. Winner of an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Greece

Zorba the Greek (1964) – Director: Mihalis Kakogiannis

Zorba the Greek

A man’s life changes when he meets the flamboyant Alexis Zorba.

Ireland

In the Name of the Father (1993) – Director: Jim Sheridan

In the Name of the Father

A man and his father are imprisoned for a bombing they didn’t commit.

Italy

La Dolce Vita (1960) – Director: Federico Fellini

La Dolce Vita

A portrait of the life of a journalist and the interesting characters he meets while living in Rome.

Kosovo

Babai (2015) – Director: Visar Morina

Babai

A father and son try to survive in the years following World War 2 by selling cigarettes.

Latvia

Cilveka berns (1991) – Director: Janis Streics

Cilveka berns

A young boy upon hearing his crush is to be married, plots a way to break it off.

Liechtenstein

Paris, je t’aime (2006) – Director: Olivier Assayas

Paris, je t’aime

The story of romance and loss set in Paris.

Lithuania

Forest of the Gods (2005) – Director: Algimantas Puipa

Forest of the Gods

A tale of a man who ends up being imprisoned under first the Nazis and then the Soviets.

Luxembourg

An Affair of Love (1999) – Director: Frédéric Fonteyne

An Affair of Love

A couple recount their feeling about how they got together and their thoughts on their partner.

Malta

Adormidera (2013) Director: Raymond Mizzi

Adormidera

Five soldiers face a series of challenges on their way home from battle.

Monaco

The Wedding in Monaco (1956) Director: Jean Masson

The Wedding in Monaco

A film that recounts the marriage of Prince Rainier of Monaco to Grace Kelly.

Montenegro

Doktor Rej i djavoli (2012) Director: Dinko Tucakovic

Doktor Rej i djavoli

Hollywood director, Nicholas Ray travels to Serbia at the request of a young filmmaker Ratko Drazevi.

Netherlands

Tula: The Revolt (2013) Director: Jeroen Leinders

Tula: The Revolt (2013)

The story of a slave revolt and one slave’s fight for freedom.

Norway

Kon Tiki (1950) Director: Thor Heyerdahl

Kon Tiki

A documentary about the famous Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl.

Poland

The Pianist (2002) Director: Roman Polanski

The Pianist

A Jewish musician fights for his survival in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II.

Portugal

O Fatalista (2005) Director: João Botelho

O Fatalista

A young valet Jacques and his master go on holiday.

Romania

Beyond the Hills (2012) Director:  Cristian Mungiu

Beyond the Hills

The story of two women who grew up in the same orphanage and how their lives turned out.

Serbia

Black Cat, White Cat (1998) Director:  Emir Kusturica

Black Cat, White Cat

A failed businessman must find a way to repay a gangster he has borrowed money from.

Slovakia

The Shop on Main Street  (1965) Director: Ján Kadár

The Shop on Main Street

A man is given a vacated shop that has recently been cleared of the Jewish owners by Nazi storm troopers.

Slovenia

Slovenka (2009) Director: Damjan Kozole)

Slovenka

A woman working as a prostitute is suddenly plunged into a moral abyss after an accidental death.

Spain 

Volver (2006) Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Volver

After she dies, a woman returns to fix the relationships that she couldn’t in life.

Sweden

The Seventh Seal (1957) Director:  Ingmar Bergman

The Seventh Seal

A knight tries to find out the meaning of life as he is pursued by the Grim Reaper.

Switzerland

Night Train to Lisbon (2013) Director: Bille August

Night Train to Lisbon

A Swiss professor decides to quit his job and go on a journey to find himself.

Turkey

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

A group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes.

United Kingdom

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Director: David Lean

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Captured British PoWs are forced to construct a bridge on the Burma railway.