ÉCU - THE EUROPEAN INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL

After the second world war, the liberation of France led to the need — both as a collective and as an individual — being able to express oneself freely in the context of art and creation. Thus, the discussion about film and its discourse coming with that was of immense relevance for many artists as well as film enthusiasts. Among them — considered some of the most valuable at that time — were the film critic André Bazin and filmmaker, film critic and writer Alexandre Astruc. The latter published an article in 1948 about the transformation of cinema which would increasingly focus on a more personal form in which the camera functioned as a pen in the hands of the director. The article "Birth of a New Avant-Garde: The Camera as Pen" was later to be considered the beginning of the New Wave development which includes the politique des auteurs as a decisive aspect. This — first defined in 1955 by the filmmaker François Truffaut for the magazine Cahiers du cinéma — understands in ...

In 2023, the European Union is expected to waste over 58 million tonnes of food , costing an approximate 132 billion euros. These staggering numbers seem even more unbelievable when you consider that over 37 million people struggle to afford quality meals.  Source: European Commission's Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy To tackle this issue, the EU has introduced several initiatives in the past decade. Alongside a dedicated page on their website with “good practices” and a “resource library'', the EU Commission has recently proposed a law requiring each European country cut overall food waste in shops, restaurants, and households by 30% per capita by the end of 2023 .  With food waste a headline topic with European governments, it is clear that conversations around food waste are becoming wide-spread. But this was not always the case. Just 15 years ago, few were aware of the European Union’s food waste problem, and even fewer were making efforts to change that.  So what cha...

Picture this: Covid-related issues at the very beginning of 2020, the struggles of finding love during a world pandemic, beautifully shot frames in this colorful and diverse place: Mexico City.  “ THE TRACE OF YOUR LIPS”   had it all for an intriguing and captivating film and believe me when I say this: that’s exactly what it delivered. My attention was drawn the most to a very specific way of showing the human body. Several scenes presented nudity in its full glory. Frontal, sincere, natural, and relatable nudity that is. The rawness of these interactions tends to resemble our lives a little closer, and makes us all find ourselves and our experiences, somehow portrayed on the screen.  Aldo dancing in his apartment. * After the film was presented at the Chéries-Chéris festival in Paris, I had the opportunity to interview Director and co-Writer Julián Hernández. “ La huella ” -as they affectionately call it- is his 7 th production. They all have his signature imprinted...

Cinema is not just cigarettes in the bed, Timothée Chalamet’s irresistible charisma, or poetic, yet sometimes incomprehensible dialogues. Cinema is much more than that! If you grew tired of fiction and are craving for colors and deep involvement, then animated films are just for you. We at ÉCU love and appreciate all kind of genre spectrum and indie topics. Animated films are very welcome in our submissions! Whether it's a short one, a student one or a feature animated film, our jury is ready to be critical! Yet indulgent. (Of course.)                                                                               While we are waiting for April to happen so we can all gather in Montparnasse to celebrate indie cinema – let's see other film festivals where you can experience animated peaks....