ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival (20)



Deadlines

01 May 2024
Call for entries

18 Dec 2024
Early deadline

15 Jan 2025
Standard deadline

12 Feb 2025
Late deadline

05 Mar 2025
Extended deadline

2
mths

02 Apr 2025
Notification date

09 May 2025
12 May 2025

Address

88 avenue de Ternes,  75017, Paris, Ile de France, France


Festival description
Short film festival 30'<
Feature film festival >31'


Festival requirements
 Film festival
 Fiction
 Documentary
 Animation
 Fantastic
 Terror
 Experimental
 Music Video
 Other
 Any Genre
 Any Theme
 Has submission fees
 International Festival
 Physical Location
 August 2023
 Production countries: Any
 Shooting countries: Any
 Director nationalities: Any
 Debut Films 
 School projects 
 Short Films  30'<
 Feature Films  >31'
 Any language
 Subtitles 
French English
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Photo of ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival
Photo of ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival

Photo of ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival
Photo of ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival

French
English


Festival start: 09 May 2025      Festival end: 12 May 2025

Cinema is an art form that needs to be simultaneously nourished and challenged and ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival provides the perfect arena for indie filmmakers to express authentic cinematic storytelling in the most compelling ways possible.

As one the World’s truly stand out independent film festivals, ÉCU embraces innovation and creativity and allows directors in competition to showcase their films to audiences who appreciate and love independent cinema. Filmmakers who are selected into ÉCU’s Official Selection join an active community of creatives who continually push the boundaries of indie cinema.

"It is always an absolute joy to present one's work at ECU. The team are fantastically helpful, the jury extremely competent, and the selection of the highest quality. I would recommend participating to anyone who's in love with indie filmmaking!" - Celina Liesegang, producer of Viscera: Autopsy of a (non)human body, ÉCU 2022 Official Selection

"It's always a pleasure having our films at ÉCU, especially this year with our awarded short film "Useless"! The communication has been great during the whole process and our filmmakers are so excited to be part of this competition. See you again next year with new projects!" - Marta Salvador Tato, distributor of USELESS, the winner of the Best European Independent Dramatic Short award 2022

Since its inception in 2006 ÉCU has forged a path for independent film and the scope of its presence has grown to a global scale with the festival often being referenced as the European equivalent of Sundance, an honour that we don’t take lightly.

Spring is not only a fabulous time for Paris but an exciting time for ÉCU because that is when we showcase roughly around 100 of the World’s very best independent films. Although ÉCU emphasises European talent, it also recognises the genius of international filmmakers with several categories allocated to non-European films.

The next ÉCU, the 19th edition, will take place on the 19th, 20th and 21st of April, 2024 in Paris, France.

ÉCU isn’t just all about screening an amazing slate of films over its three-day event in Paris in April. There are also professional workshops led by experts in the industry, Q&A’s held with the attending filmmakers after every screening session and a chance to network with fellow filmmakers, producers, agents, industry representatives, prospective film buyers and, of course, the cinema-loving public. At ÉCU, there is a continual dialogue celebrating and critiquing the world’s best indie cinema of today.


Though ÉCU’s main event IS the three-day festival in Paris each spring, there is even more! Thanks to our over 50 partner festivals, partner organizations, film centres and film commissions, ÉCU’s goes on an annual world tour called ÉCU-On-The-Road, which gives award-winning films (as well as many of the Official Selection films) the opportunity to have their films screened to a broader, global audience. ÉCU-On-The-Road showcased films in over 80 countries around the globe in 2016 - 2023 at special ÉCU mini-festivals, partner festivals, cultural institutions and film schools, including an amazing seven day special festival in São Paulo, Brazil. The event was made possible through the support of Caixa Cultural, São Paulo and was a huge success. ÉCU also held special events in Berlin (Germany), Cannes (France) and was part of festivals in Lebanon, Italy, Russia, USA, Romania, Austria, Denmark and ot­her countries. This gives ÉCU filmmakers great exposure to audiences that they may never have reached.

Since 2006, ÉCU has helped the careers of literally hundreds of independent filmmakers, actors, DPs, editors, screenwriters and is honoured to be firmly established as one of the World’s eminent indie film festivals.

Above all, we are proud to be a filmmakers’ festival!

Prizes range from year to year, but are donated by partners like Adaptive Sound, Les Machineurs, Zacuto, SellAScript.com, Film Inquiry, Kingston, IED, InkTip, Parrot, Syrp, Red Giant, Write Brothers, Beachtek and others.

CATEGORIES

EUROPEAN CATEGORIES:
- Dramatic Feature Film
- Dramatic Short Film
- Documentary Film
- Animated Film
- Experimental Film
- Music Video
- Comedy Film

NON-EUROPEAN CATEGORIES:
- Dramatic Feature Film
- Dramatic Short Film
- Documentary Film

WORLDWIDE (EUROPEAN AND NON-EUROPEAN) CATEGORIES:
- Student Film
- Arab Special Selection

Conditions For Entry
Films must have been completed since August 1st, 2023. To be eligible for the short film competitions films must be 30 minutes or less. Films can only be accepted if no more than 50% of the funding came from a studio or broadcaster.

Subtitling
Films should be in their original language with english language subtitles. english language films should be subtitled in French. To qualify for the official selection, all non‐english language films must have an english‐subtitled screening copy available, and all english language films must have French subtitles.

Screening formats & deadlines
To enable ÉCU’s submission judges to view your films they need to be in a digital format. Most of our submission platforms (Festhome) enable filmmakers to upload their films directly to them. If you choose a different submission method, please send us a link to an online viewing site. In the case of being selected for the Official Selection a DCP and HighRes H264 1920×1080 back up copy will be required.


Essential Requirements
* Synopsis in english & French of no more than 50 words
* Brief director biography in english and French
* A photo of director
* 2 digital stills from film (High Resolution)

All this plus contact telephone number, return address and photos should be emailed to: submissions@ecufilmfestival.com

Payment
Films can be submitted via FestHome or directly to the festival via PayPal.

Shipping
If selected, DCP copies must arrive at the festival by date to be confirmed or, by prior arrangement, films may be delivered by hand by the filmmaker. The festival will only pay for the return shipping of films. Films will be returned during the week following the close of the festival. By prior arrangement, prints can be forwarded to another festival immediately after ÉCU. Attending filmmakers must collect their films directly from the festival.

Promotion
The entrant agrees that up to three minutes of their film may be used by The European Independent Festival in promotional activities including screening a clip on television and on the festival’s website. Cinema press may also be allowed a preview of screening copies in order to generate publicity.

Acceptance of these regulations implies that you will abide by them in your dealings with the festival and also that you are legally entitled to submit this film for consideration. All music used in films in whatever category submitted must have permission from the writers or owners of that particular piece of music writing. You are also obliged to deliver a screening copy of the film to the festival office by the required date, should the film be selected.

Should your film be selected as part of ÉCU 2025′s Official Selection we will need you to sign a release form and should you attend the festival you consent to be filmed by the ÉCU film crews and will allow that footage to be used in post‐festival promotional activities.

Screening
The filmmaker has to allow the European Independent Film Festival to screen his/her film in the public arena in Paris during the weekend of the May 9th to 11th 2025. The filmmaker has to acknowledge that all location, acting and branding rights are his/her to grant to The European Independent Film Festival for the duration of the festival and during the festivals’ promotion phase.









  Festhome holds accountable fees festivals by holding the payment of the fees of most newer festivals until they have viewed the submissions, held their festivals and other methods.

  

 
  

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