by Eleanor Stanford The French theatre troop THéâTRe CaCHé (‘Hidden Theatre’) certainly lives up to its name, performing in loaned apartments around Paris. One Friday night I was their sole audience member, in an interactive performance designed to show how “life is a journey and a journey can veer off course.” Instead of being issued a ticket, I was told to meet a stranger at a Metro stop. He gave me his glasses and a false name and a picture of a girl. Having found the...

26/01 If you have a good story, pursue it — immediately and at any cost — preaches Scott Hillier, Oscar honored filmmaker and president of ÉCU – The European Independent Film Festival. Scott, in pursuit of a good story, is doing just that. Departing for Libya this evening, Scott and his crew will film a documentary following Jihan Mansur Kikhia, the daughter of former Libyan Foreign Affairs Minister Mansur Kikhia, as she seeks to uncover the truth about her father’s...

Kuala Lumpur International Short Film Festival30 January – 1 February 2012The Kuala Lumpur International Short Film Festival (KLIS) is the first and only short film festival in Malaysia and it is based in the metropolitan city of Kuala Lumpur.The Kuala Lumpur International Short Film Festival (KLIS) showcase the shorts by filmmakers from around the world to an audience of film executives and buyers, journalists, film fans and filmmakers. Along with screenings, there are seminars, workshops and...

fa_embedPlayer({vid:50073,w:560,h:312,l:'aHR0cDovL3d3dy5maWxtYW5uZXguY29tL21vdmllL2N1LW9mZmljZS1lcGlzb2RlLXR3by1maXJzdC1kYXkvMjk2NTE-'})Watch more on Film AnnexIn our latest episode of The ÉCU Office, interns Marta and Bernice relive their first experiences at the office. Their bizarre tales will make you either want to throw yourself at ÉCU’s doorstep and beg to be an intern, or run away slightly confused… Will our interviewer make it out with her sanity intact? WARNING: This episode is b...

fa_embedPlayer({vid:49126,w:560,h:312,l:'aHR0cDovL3d3dy5maWxtYW5uZXguY29tL21vdmllL2N1LW9mZmljZS1lcGlzb2RlLW9uZS1lZC13aG8vMjk0NzA-'})Watch more on Film AnnexWelcome to the ÉCU office, where the sun always shines, the interns are content, the films are superb and… Ed is the boss? Join our late intern, Ed, as he guides us on a short, slightly delusional journey through our office. Bienvenue au bureau ÉCU, où le soleil brille, les stagiaires sont content, les films sont superbes et … Ed est ...

ÉCU wishes everyone a Happy New Year and we hope that everyone is energized, re-vitalized and ready to attack everything that 2012 is going to throw at us!Our FINAL, FINAL submission date is January 15th so, if there is anyone still out there with a great story and not already sent it to us now is the time. Our submission judges, over 60 of them hailing from all over the world, didn’t have a very long Christmas break and are screening films like crazy people as we work towards compiling a gre...

by Robert BerryFor all Paris residents who are also lovers of cinema – a Venn diagram with a broad intersection if ever there was one - watching Woody Allen’s recent Midnight in Paris must have provoked a series of uncanny recognitions: the steps at the top of Rue de la Montagne Ste-Genevieve without the overspill crowds of drinkers from the Bombardier pub, entrance to Polidor on Rue Monsieur le Prince, but with the tables arranged slightly differently. Allen’s film presents an impossib...

The Ministry of Education and Culture and Rialto Theatre announces that Calls for Entries for the 10thCYPRUS FILM DAYS -International Film Festival 2012, are now open. The festival, which is being held for the 10th time this year, will host an international competition section titled “Glocal Images” in which film-makers from around the globe and Cyprus are invited to submit their films.The films participating in the competition section will be selected by the festival’s artistic committee:...

Meet Iranian – New-Zealander Faramarz Beheshti, winner of Best Non-European Independent Documentary at ÉCU 2011 for “Salam Rugby”. It is a story of women rugby players in Iran, which may sound like an anomaly, but as this documentary shows, Iranian women are more than ready to dive into the scrum if only the authorities would let them. Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979 competitive sports for women were actively discouraged and it wasn't until the social reforms of the 90s that wome...

MAshRome FILM FEST – MASH UP AWARDS 2012Rome, June 2012Submit your film www.mashrome.orgThe Application Form to submit your film is available on www.mashrome.org. The MAshRome Film Fest, the first Italian festival dedicated to Mash Up, will showcase previews of the best new mash-ups of filmmakers from all over the world.A panel of international judges comprising illustrious names in the artistic, cultural and film industry world, will decide the winners of the competition, whose works will re...

      The Virtual Bridge’s mission is helping young independent filmmakers & producers to connect with the European film industry by organising FilmPitch Webinar Services and provide Training & Education Programs using online meeting technology -removing geographical boundaries.Our focus is to build a (virtual) bridge between filmmakers in developing countries and the European film industry.The programs of the foundation are developed with the aim to scout...

The federal network of city portals CITYCELEBRITY (www.citycelebrity.ru) is the largest independent crowdsourcing creative platform in Russia. They gather young talents from the whole of the country, making projects and contests in which thousands of people can take part and collaborate with festivals, culture centers, universities, international representatives and embassies, galleries, museums, creative and business communities.By registering at CITYCELEBRITY, you are going to to get new exper...

Compete, be judged, screen, be seen, promote, network, travel, participate, join, discover. 1. Compete: If you get into ÉCU 2012’s Official Selection you will be in competition with some of the best independent filmmakers in the world at Europe’s premier independent film festival. 2. Screen your film to large international audiences if your film is selected to be in the elite group of less than 100 films in the Official Selection. 3. Get judged by a panel of experts ...

  Shooting People works to support, nurture and promote independent filmmakers. The Shooting People network was set up in 1998 to connect filmmakers, help them share resources, knowledge and experience, and to help them find an audience for their work. As soon as you become a Shooter you can start reading and posting to the email bulletins which go out daily to the entire membership of over 37,000 filmmakers. You can also build a profile, which will enable ...

1. Your film is about insects in a post-apocalyptic world – where does your inspiration come from? My inspiration usually starts from character or history, something visually striking or profound, and I build a story from there, but in the case of ‘Invertebrate’, it was a flash of inspiration under pressure… I was in a pitch meeting with the local branch of the now defunct UK Film council (Northern Film & Media- thankfully NFM are still here) where I had been as...

INT. TATTOO PARLOR - NIGHT A GIRL, dull and gray stands before a chair as she lets her dress fall to the floor like silk GIRL It’s the pleasure in the pain that hurts so much JOE (pulling dress back up) Woaah! You don’t need to take your whole dress off, I’m only doing a tattoo on your shoulder! She sits frozen, braces for pain. She hears the soft needle. It echoes in the room. Her breath is uncomfortable JOE (CONT.) Ready? GIRL Don’t be careful. Be not d...

Andrew Shermin shares his experience of making a film and using crowdfunding. This summer I shot a documentary about Paris that I produced myself, and am now trying to use crowd-funding to finish it. The concept was simple: a vision of Paris that was taken straight from reality, just a camera and a tripod on the street, offering a vision of the city that both confirms and subverts the fantasy of Paris that different media create. The images are like “moving postcards.” I was able to...

Watersprite: The Cambridge International Student Film Festival - *Call for Entries*   For the third year running, Cambridge is hosting a vibrant student film festival, showcasing works from around the world alongside a diverse programme of free events. Already growing in leaps and bounds, Watersprite aims to recognise and reward emerging talent, inspire and educate young filmmakers and provide a meeting ground for students and industry professionals. In February 2012...