Founded by Saint Petersburg Filmmaker’s Union festival, The Open St. Petersburg Student Film Festival “Beginning” is held annually with the assistance of the Committee of Culture of Saint Petersburg Government. The Film Festival “Beginning” represents a very important opportunity for independent and new cinema in Saint Petersburg. Every year the city at the Neva River welcomes young filmmakers, documentarians, directors, script writers, sound producers and all representatives...

This week the spotlight is on Marcel Carné, an innovative filmmaker who led the poetic realism movement and was arguably considered the most admired French filmmaker of his era. He produced his great works just before the mid-twentieth century, some of which include; “Quai de Brumes” (1938); “Les Portes de la Nuit” (1946); and “Le Jour se lève” (1939). In 1936 Carné directed his first full length feature film “Jenny” and it was with the production of this fil...

This week ÉCU is spotlighting Isabella Ferrari, an Italian actress and Jury member of the International Jury Prize “Luigi De Laurentiis” at the 69 edition of the Venice Film Festival, the oldest film festivals in the world. Isabella is also one of the most beloved actresses of “auteur Italian independent cinema”, highly esteemed by film buffs. Isabella Ferrari was born in Ponte dell’Oglio, near to Piacenza, on March 31st, 1964. Over the years she has worked in Italy and abroad, w...

This week we’re spotlighting Lena Dunham, a New York filmmaker who has made her debut into mainstream cinema with her indie comedy “Tiny Furniture”. (Image of Lena Dunham in the TV series “Girls”) Lena Dunham seems to be the girl that everyone is talking about at the minute. She has recently released the critically acclaimed series “Girls”, which has hit the roof in popularity and gained fans worldwide.  The show is about a group of twenty-something year old girls wh...

This week the spotlight is on Chris Marker, a French avant-garde director known for his controversial documentaries, who has just died at the age of 91. He steered away from the conventional norms of Hollywood cinema and opted for an experimental approach to his filmmaking. He was the innovator of the essay film, a now accepted genre which unites documentary, narrative and personal reflection. (Image of Chris Marker) He was one the industry’s most mysterious filmmakers who wo...

How Are You Spending Your Last Month of Summer? What To Do In Paris In August     August is vacation month in France, and although most Parisians are off visiting other beautiful places, some of us are still here. Whether Paris is your destination location, or you just decided to suck around for the month, try and profit from all the vacant seats in the metro and empty lines. Here are some great things to do for the month of August. have fun!   ...

The largest forum of short films in Russia, the OPEN CINEMA Film Festival kicks off its annual event from July 27th through August 3rd.Held on a beautiful beach on the Neva river at the Peter and Paul fortress, its the only open-air film festival in Russia. This year's festival program includes 83 films from around the world, 22 of which are by Russian directors. This is both exciting and hopeful, as the Russian film industry is trying hard to expand. OPEN CINEMA also functions as an a...

The action camera market, previously dominated by GoPro now has new products pouring in from Sony, Contour, and JVC that are smaller in size and action-ready than ever before. The film industry has recently discovered the value of the smaller, more convenient DSLR cameras, which enable shooting from small cramped spaces or compromising locations – for the action camera crowd, however, size has always been a non-negotiable. When free-skiing powder in Utah, snowboarding in Verbier...

Scott Hillier, President of ÉCU – The European Independent Film Festival and Oscar award-winning independent filmmaker is offering a credit on his latest documentary in exchange for transcription and translation work (Arabic – English). We have been shooting in Libya and have 10 interviews (maximum 30 mins long). This is an unpaid position but you will gain a valuable credit of which you can use in your future filmmaking career opportunities or job prospects. This is a heartf...

The Champs-Elysees shakes with the pounding of hundreds of hooves as French soldiers march their horses past the Arc de Triomph. The strumming of guitars and pounding of drums flows through every street of Paris and the sky above the Eiffel Tower sparkles with red fireworks. Bastille Day commemorates the storming of Bastille prison and the paradigm shift in French society. Known as La Fête Nationale in France, the fourteenth of July is a symbol of the great revolution that forever changed g...

Last week in the Radisson Hotel, Galway, the programme for Ireland’s premier film festival, the Galway Film Fleadh, was unveiled. Among festival staff, industry professionals and film entusiasts, Festival Programmer Gar O’Brien said at the launch “This year is without doubt a banner year for Irish film…alongside the usual mix of the best in world cinema and documentaries”. The 24th edition of the festival, which takes place from 10-15th July, has a line-up that includes 1...

The usual hustle and bustle of Paris starts to slow in July as Parisians head off on les vacances. But that does not mean that Paris is left at a stand still – it’s quite the contrary in fact…   Event: Paris Fashion Week  (Mode à Paris) Details: For all you fashionistas out there -- this is an event you, surely, will not want to miss. Come check out the haute couture fall and winter 2012/2013 collections from all the famous and luxury brands, like Christi...

IN THE PALACE Film Festival is the first and only festival of its kind in Bulgaria. Located in the quaint and romantic town of Balchik, the festival was first established in 2003.  The title of the festival originated from its venue, an architechural park, called "The Palace." "The Palace" was summer residence of the British princess and Romanian Queen, Marie of Edinburgh and constructed especially for her upon request. Initially beginning as a forum predominantly fo...

So you’re attending the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, but what else is interesting off the red carpet? While Cannes is mainly appraised for its highly esteemed film festival, there is much more to be discovered in this trendy and posh French town. As an attendee of the Festival, it is very likely you will take stroll along the famous Boulevard de la Croisette. This street stretches 2 kilometres along the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea, and is filled with many prestigious sh...

On the 18th of May Cannes will host its third annual "Film Finance Forum."  But what exactly is "The Film Finance Forum" exactly? The Film Finance Forum was born when the financial market collapsed for the first time. The forum was then created, bringing together the world’s highest level of entertainment and financial authorities to discuss the impact of the film industry on the global economy. The emphasis of the forum is mainly on the...

  What will Nanni Moretti like? This is the question everybody is asking. It seems like everyone knows how grumpy and bad-tempered this great Italian movie-maker is, and we are sure that his last decision will be a surprise. Nanni Moretti, the president of the Jury at 65th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, always confirms the rumors about his taste and character. Actually, he has already declared that he didn’t share at all, the enormous enthusiasm around “...

The countdown has started, only five days to go until an event with one of the biggest media coverage in the world begins. The 2012 Cannes International Film Festival will commence May 16th, and conclude on May 27t. Our team from ÉCU will be there bringing our independent flavour, so be sure not to miss this prestigious annual event. The Cannes Film festival is an excellent opportunity for ÉCU to bring to light both our strong commitment towards quality cinema, our skilled filmmakers,...

Congratulations to Dominique Hilliard, winner of ÉCU 2012 photo contest “Photo of the Festival”. Dominique will receive two VIP passes to ÉCU 2013 and membership in the ÉCU Club. There were some great photos and the ÉCU staff would like to thank everyone who participated in the contest."Photo of the Festival:" Winning submission of the "Photo of the Festival" for ECU 2012 by Dominique Hilliard ...

Think Memphis and you think music: Graceland, Stax, Sun Studios. Check outÉCU’S new Partner- On Location: Memphis International Film & Music Fest! Quand on pense de Memphis et on pense de musique : Graceland, Stax, Sun Studios. Voit le nouveau associé d’ÉCU- On location : Memphis International Film & Music Fest! http://www.ecufilmfestival.com/en/2012/04/ecus-partner-on-location-memphis-international-film-music-fest/    ...

ÉCU – The European Independent Film Festival 2012 hosted its 7th edition, March 30th through April 1st where “M Farm” won Best European Documentary. Rita Broka worked as a journalist for an evening news programme called “Panorama,” a 90′s patriotic talkshow in Latvia.  Now she feels she has fully become a “film person.” This was especially felt after the National Film Centre in Latvia raised hope and mentioned they would honor several films  produced by Broka. ...