Europe’s top event for independent cinema, ÉCU – The European Independent Film Festival announces its 2023 award-winning film, including its highest honour, “Europe’s Best Independent Film”.
We were thrilled to have for the second year in a row a hybrid festival, being able to see the joy in filmmakers’ and film-lovers’ eyes and reaching a broader audience through an online version of the festival. With 57 films from 28 countries participating to the festival this year, ÉCU 2023 ended its indie-packed festival with its established final ceremony recognizing 26 award winners in 14 categories.
For the last 18 years, ÉCU has been helping to launch and expand the careers of many talented independent filmmakers. The Festival is extremely proud to assist these passionately driven artists who create incredible cinema without the benefits of large production budgets. ÉCU’s mission to discover and promote extraordinary independent films from around the world renders it a major European cultural event.
LISTED BELOW IS THE FULL LIST OF ÉCU 2022 WINNERS:
| Europe’s Best Independent Film 2023 | The Red Suitcase | Cyrus Neshvad |
| Best European Independent Dramatic Short | FERRARRIE | Boris Biaou |
| Best European Independent Dramatic Feature | The First Two | Balázs Szövényi-Lux |
| Best European Independent Documentary | Memories From The North | Abdulmohsen Almutairi |
| Best Independent Experimental Film | Boy | Vladimir Loginov |
| Best European Independent Music Video | Duel | Alberto Nacci |
| Best European Independent Animation | Caramelle | Matteo Panebarco |
| Best European Independent Comedy | BABEL | Alex San Martín |
| Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Short | Middle Eastern Stories: Father | Reza Dagagh |
| Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Feature | Yes Repeat No | Michael Moshe Dahan |
| Best Non-European Independent Documentary | Memories From The North | Abdulmohsen Almutairi |
| Best Student Film | Lena | Ada Gabor |
| Best Short Script | 1918 | Written by Jenna Brister |
| Best Feature Script | L’Ete | Written by Apolline Bas & Victor Mirabel |
| Best Actor | The First Night | Actor – Ctirad Götz |
| Best Actress | Get Home Safe | Actress – Dena Abay |
| Best Editing | Courage | Jasmina Pusök & Star Bazancir |
| Best Cinematography | You Are Not Ivan Gallatin | Cinematographer: Joseph Areddy |
| Best Director | Love | Timo Bénit |
| Special Jury Mention | Dividing Line | Viktória Szemerédy |
| Special Jury Mention | Nonna | Paco Sepúlveda |
| Special Jury Mention | Watermelon Nights | Hassan Sabri |
| Audience Award | Internal | Casey Eldridge |
| The Ahmed Khedr Award for Excellence in Arab Filmmaking. | Transit | Baqer Al-Rubaie |
| Excellence in Women’s Filmmaking | Seven Minutes and Thirty-One Seconds | Solmaz Gholami |