And what to look forward to in June
This summer marks an exciting new event: on August 15th through August 17th, the All Americas’ Independent Film Festival will be taking place at Cinemanía in México City, México. Most importantly, the June 6th, 2025 deadline for submissions is rapidly approaching – for filmmakers, don’t miss out on a chance to have your work recognized! Films will be judged in ten categories, with awards also granted to feature and short scripts.
(Attention filmmakers: films for the All Americas’ Independent Film Festival can be submitted here: aaiffamericas.com)
Cinemanía is located at 46 Altamirano, Ciudad de México, 01090, México. We’re looking to add to our team of film-loving volunteers, especially those in the local community of the Ciudad de México. For those interested, don’t hesitate to apply!
There’s even more to look forward to: on June 4th, 2025, general submissions open for the All African Independent Film Festival 2025. Fifty four countries are eligible to submit – all countries located on the African continent. Films can be submitted in eight categories and will be competing for 16 awards (find the list on our website here: aaiffafrica.com).
This year the All African Independent Film Festival will be held at the French Institute in Kigali, Rwanda from October 10th to 12th, 2025. We’re excited to watch independent cinema from up-and-coming African filmmakers, and how artists from all across the continent tell their own stories.
Submissions are also open for the All Asian Independent Film Festival, to be held on December 5th through 7th, 2025 at Legend Cinema in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Send your work here: aaiffasia.com
As you may already know, May was a very eventful month for ÉCU the European Independent Film Festival. On May 9th through May 11th, the festival celebrated its 20th anniversary at the Cinéma les 7 Parnassiens in Paris, France.
The winners of the festival are listed below:
- Europe’s Best Independent Film 2025
Aux Armes, Christopher – Elise Amblard - Best European Independent Dramatic Short Depredador – Javier Fesser
- Best European Independent Dramatic Feature The Sluggard Clan – Rastislav Boroš
- Best European Independent Documentary Seeds from Kivu – Néstor López and Carlos Valle
- Best Independent Experimental Film Coddess Variations – Hervé Martin Delpierre
- Best European Independent Music Video Before the Dawn – Alexander Denysenko
- Best European Independent Animation Chicken – Anna Benner
- Best European Independent Comedy Les Petits Monstres – Pablo Leridon
- Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Short Holy Heavêness – Farnoosh Abedi and Negah Khezre Fardyardad
- Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Feature Cuadrilateral – Daniel Rodríguez Risco
- Best Non-European Independent Documentary Giselou – Mohammad Sadeq Esmaeeli
- Best Student Film All Beauty Queens Have Broken Bones – Max Tullio
- Best Actor Les Petits Monstres – Samuel Kalambay (actor)
- Best Actress Broken Bird – Rebecca Calder (actress)
- Best Editing Swimming with Wings – Daphna Awadish Golan (editor)
- Best Cinematography Rudi – Alex Jaffar (cinematographer)
- Best Director Tribu – Carlos Gomez-Trigo
- Special Jury Mention Solitarium – Raoul Dattola
- Special Jury Mention In My Beginning is My End – Trevor Murphy
- Special Jury Mention Home – Janina Hüttenrauch
- Audience Award Tokyo Strange Tale – Koichi Ueno
- The Ahmed Khedr Award for Excellence in Arab Filmmaking Asrar – Nawaf Boarki
- Excellence in Women’s Filmmaking Witness – Aida Tabianian
- Best Short Script The Eyes of Refugee – Ro Çil (screenwriter)Best Feature Script
- Best Feature Script A House for the Flowers – Written by Juliana Petry Philippi
For a full recap of the weekend, read about it on our blog! ecufilmfestival.com/ecu-the-european-independent-film-festival-2025-we-love-independent-cinema
Friday: ecufilmfestival.com/ecu-film-festival-day-one
Saturday: ecufilmfestival.com/day-2-ecu-the-european-independent-film-festival
Sunday: ecufilmfestival.com/the-sunday-recap-ecu-film-festival
In the meantime, don’t forget to send submissions for the All Americas’ Independent Film Festival before the June 6th deadline! As always, we look forward to seeing the world’s best independent cinema.
As always, a big thank you to our partners and sponsors. Here are a few that we’d like to highlight:
Centre Culturel Francophone du Rwanda/ Institut Français du Rwanda
The Centre Culturel Francophone in Kigali, Rwanda serves as a center of cultural exchange while promoting French, Rwandan, and African cultures in the Rwandan capital. Offering a rich and varied selection of cultural events year-round, the center offers a multimedia library, a multimedia games room, and language center. The Institut Français, located at the Centre Culturel Francophone, belongs to a worldwide network offering French courses, cultural events, and assistance enrolling in French universities.
Cinemanía
In 1994, Cinemanía was created as an alternative to mainstream cinema in México City on the premise that cinematography will always have a devoted audience. Today, the cinema is not just screening films, but has become an emblematic cultural space offering courses, workshops, exhibitions, and much more for both professionals and the general public.
33 Films
Anda Films 33 is a Rwandan production company looking to tell stories with impactful storytelling that inspires and elevates.
Les 7 Parnassiens
Founded in 1978 and renovated in 2022, the cinema les 7 Parnassiens prides itself on its selection of rich and varied independent cinema from all over the world. The cinema screens in seven theaters, and its garden and reception spaces can be rented for conferences, concerts, and other events.
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