With a lot of Europe preparing itself for a nice long summer break
we seem to have stepped up a gear and had an incredibly busy month here
at ÉCU this month – and the cool thing is that there appears to be no
end in sight as we head down various roads and avenues at warp speed!

Last week I was joined at the London Film Academy by Lousia Mayman
(director of ÉCU 2010’s Best Student Film) for an ÉCU 2011 presentation
and the screening of Lousisa’s film, The Highest Low. It was a great
night and many thanks to Anna and Daisy from the LFA, the attending
students, Lousia as well as to G-Tech who supplied 2 of their fantastic
drives as lucky door prizes.

While in London I also met with Elliot and Julian from The Raindance
Festival – keep an eye on this space for some interesting news
regarding ÉCU and Raindance in the near future!

Then it was off to Italy for the Corto in Bra film festival. Bra is
the ‘slow food’ capital of Italy and has been hosting the festival for
9 years. While the food was slow (the service sometimes matched) the
festival’s organizers were right on the ball, the atmosphere was
fabulous and the ‘official selection was invigorating. Italian cinema
isn’t what it was, that’s for sure, but what a pleasure to see a new
wave of Italian filmmakers coming up and pushing boundaries again. The
outdoor screenings on warm and sultry nights in cobbled Piazzas in
front of responsive audiences is a memory I won’t forget for a while!

Submissions are continuing to come in at a good rate and clips from
them will soon be available on ÉCU’s viemo site – check ‘em out and
leave your comments! If you have a film that you’d like to submit go to
www.ÉCU filmfestival.com where it’s simple and easy!