ECU Film Festival 19-21 April, 2024

ECU Film Festival in Paris

ECU Film Festival offers the European cinema-loving public much more than a full program of quality and riveting independent films. Every year, the festival provides a unique, inspiring and interactive experience that all attendees are encouraged to partake in. Whether it is workshops taught by industry professionals, in-depth discussions with “Official Selection” directors in the Q&As that follow every screening session or other various events such as networking events and parties – there is something for everyone to enjoy. ÉCU is committed to the promotion and projection of the very best European independent films. At the heart of ÉCU’s mission lies the belief in the power of independent cinema to transcend cultural boundaries and foster a deeper understanding of European narratives.

ECU Film Festival’s “Official Selection” films are original and represent the best quality, creativity and innovation within the independent film industry. This level of excellence has helped to create a well-respected film festival whose focus is to discover fresh and cutting-edge filmmaking talent. This dedicated search goes beyond Europe: it is a global hunt for those that foster the ÉCU mission.

“At last Europe has an answer to Sundance. This is about the opposite spectrum. ÉCU is all about independent work – it is not about making your film in big studios. These are concepts that would never be tried outside of independent film-making and these are the things that I keep experiencing here every year and that is what sparks me about it – such unusual projects.”

–Alan Arrivée, Director of SILENT RADIO, THE ORIGINAL IQ TESTER and ÉCU Jury Member

The European Independent Film Festival is proud to announce ÉCU’s 2024 Official Selection for its 19th edition which will take place from the 19-21 April 2024 in Paris, France.
ÉCU 2024 will showcase 50+ films from 26 countries and they will compete for 25 awards in 14 categories. The films range from features, shorts, humor, documentaries and animations, to student films and experimental works. The festival’s top award “Europe’s Best Independent Film ” will be presented, along with the rest of the awards, at ÉCU’s award ceremony on Sunday, the 21st of April.

Some ÉCU Opening Night Ceremony highlights are:

WILD SUMMON (United Kingdom) European Animated Film dir. Karni Arieli and Saul Freed –  A natural history fantasy film, following the dramatic life cycle of the wild salmon in human form.

ECU 2024

Wild Summon

IT TURNS BLUE (Iran) Non-European Short Film dir. Shadi Karamroudi – Morteza beats up his 3 years old daughter in one of her weekly visits. Then he asks his older sister, Pari, to help him handle the situation.

MANGATA (Germany) European Short Film dir. Maja Costa – Little Alya and her father are crossing the Mediterranean Sea on a boat in search of a safe place to call home. Tragically, the boat sinks, but rescuers spot little Alya, the sole survivor. Many years later, we find her again as an astronaut on an important lunar mission.

Taxi

ECU Film Festival

TAXI (Greece) European Comedy Film dir. Constantinos Nikiforou – Navigating the scenic roads of Cyprus, a taxi driver recounts gruesome details of her husband’s death to her captivated passengers.

LOVE CONFESSION (Russian Federation) Student Film dir. Anna Filonenko – Using only a phone camera, it tells the story of a young woman who failed to confess her love and now tries to regain the chance to be heard.

GET UP THE YARD (Ireland) European Documentary dir. Jose Ángel Catalán Ruiz and Mario Barsony – Infused with both humor and emotion, a painter from Cork narrates his personal journey, highlighting his extraordinary artwork that surpasses all expectations.

European Film Festival

A toi

À TOI (France) European Music Video dir. Stéphane Berla – This is the story of two lives. There is a boy in red and a girl in blue. While he represents reality, she incarnates the ideal, something dreamlike.

“It’s festivals like this that raise the profile of independent filmmakers like us. Scott Hillier and the whole ECU team are fierce film warriors, and they care so much for independent film. The cast and crew of AL-SIT are extremely grateful for this amazing festival! » says independent filmmaker, Suzannah Mirghani winner of Excellence in Women’s Filmmaking at ÉCU 2021.
ÉCU is committed to acknowledging the participation of female directors at the festival and presents the « Excellence in Women’s Filmmaking » award for the ninth consecutive year. Also don’t miss the #SHESHOOTS discussion panel, where female directors in competition at ÉCU share their filmmaking experiences.
In addition to the screening, ÉCU will be hosting Workshops / Masterclasses as well as online Q&A sessions which allow the audience to interact with the competing filmmakers.
  • For more information and a full list of the 2024 Official Selection, visit our website ecufilmfestival.com.
  • At Cinema Les 7 Parnassiens, 98 Bd du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris
  • Workshop tickets are just 5€, a weekend pass is 25€ or 20€ for students or you can choose days passes or session passes for less. Purchase tickets and see the full program here: https://ecufilmfestival.com/tickets-2024/
  • Follow @ecufilmfestival on Instagram