Everything you may have missed this weekend

That’s a wrap – today marked the last day of the ÉCU European Independent Film Festival: Europe’s main event for independent cinema. This year, 43 films were selected in 19 categories, coming from 20 different countries. 2025 marks an important year as well – the 20^th anniversary of ÉCU’s founding.

The event today was hosted, as usual, at Cinema les 7 Parnassiens (Paris, France). Filmmakers and audience members alike rejoined for a day of screenings, workshops, and conversation, all brought together by their shared passion for cinema.

The day kicked off with a workshop on editing and structure, hosted by Antoine Vareille. Vareille has worked on films such as Dead End (2003), Hitman (2007), and Big Nothing (2006). Many filmmakers were in attendance, but there were many others who were curious to learn more about a job so often left behind-the-scenes.

Vareille stepped onstage to decrypt his process of finding continuity and rhythm in film sequences. As someone who works often in comedy films, “I start feeling it’s good when I start laughing”, he jokes. He also discussed his experiences working collaboratively and “understanding what the director wants to see”. Audience members had opportunities to ask their questions and receive answers from an industry professional.

Later in the morning, ÉCU hosted #SheShoots, a discussion panel of all-female directors. The talk was animated by Suz Sainty, a documentary producer and screenwriter who has served on ÉCU’s jury since 2007. Seven nominated filmmakers sat onstage to discuss their experiences in leadership in cinema. While each director revealed their backstory, some common themes arose: feelings of self-doubt, lack of representation, but most importantly, the desire to realize an editorial vision.

“I believe in the power and importance of women’s stories”, Kalyani Persaud (director of the nominated Non-European Dramatic Short River Oaks) declared. With filmmakers listing early inspirations from Kill Bill to Lady Vengeance, they described the evolutions of their careers and their approaches to teamwork on set. Sissy Cui (co-director of nominated European Music Video Koga) explains how her perceived lack of voice as an actor drove her to pursue directing. “Why should I be less loud?”, she said.

To conclude, each filmmaker left a few words of advice for aspiring female directors. “Don’t be afraid to try”, Fleur Howle (director of nominated European Experimental Film Khadija Bint Khuwaylid) said. Joanne Mitchell (director of European Dramatic Feature Broken Bird) agreed, adding “trust yourself and keep going”. “Believe in yourself. Believe in the stories you want to tell”, Kalyani said. Sissy Cui left the final word: “Be loud”.

Between showings, participants exchanged amongst themselves. “It’s the personal experience”, said Carlos Gómez-Trigo (director of nominated European Dramatic Short Tribu). “Meeting the filmmaker staff, but also watching the movies, that can give you the energy to go back and write and film, so for me, every time I go to a festival it’s kind of a boost of energy because it’s quite inspiring”.

ÉCU European Independent Film Festival concludes with an award ceremony for its 2025 winners, to be announced on our page this week.