directed by Gus Alvarez

This short film opens with a series of distorted images that serve to reflect the morally blurred reality that Gus Alvarez has envisioned in his cautionary tale of corporate desire for power and control. Alongside the Chairman of a nameless company, the audience is given a sales-driven explanation of the ‘Captive Technique’ – a new and ‘groundbreaking’ recruitment method designed to separate the ‘weak’ from the ‘strong’. This divisionary process occurs on the edge of a knife, held literally to the throat of the ‘captive ’- a potential employee - whose determination to succeed is tested beyond ethical imagining. The dystopia Alvarez has created sits uncomfortably close to home when considering current world economics, rendering this film truly affecting. Cleverly depicting the zeitgeist, with reference to ‘international uncertainty’, Alvarez’s Captive asks extreme questions about human limits and who mediates what is acceptable in the most pressured of working environments. How much will people sacrifice in order to succeed and survive? How far can human nature be pushed before the concept of its very existence is destroyed? And is it a potential reality that ‘cut – throat’ work could take on an unthinkable new meaning?

directed by Markus Etter

Underground explores the harrowing delusions of a guilty conscience. We have all imagined what fellow commuters do and who they are, re-writing their lives out in our heads. However if we knew the truth we might not be in such a hurry to scratch beneath the surface. Opening on a platfom of the London Underground, we follow a group of passengers as they hurtle towards a disturbing realisation when one man’s simple act of petty crime leads to irrevocable damage. Combining a screeching metal soundtrack with lurid flourescent lighting, Underground creates a tension reflected in the bleached faces of the nervous passengers. Confrontred by undeniable evidence and united by the knowledge that a crime has taken place, the passengers are implicated through their inaction. Underground leads us to question at what point we as a society are responsible for the things we are witness to and how far we are willing to go to right the wrongs.

directed by Rory Bresnihan

Most people worry about getting locked out and staying on the outside. But what would happen if you got stuck on the inside? The Man Inside explores this theme through the character of Lisandro who is trapped inside his tenth floor apartmentment when his key breaks in the lock. Despite his efforts to find help, Lisandro is left to his own devices surrounded only by the insects that occupy his apartment. Through his unfortunate predicament, Lisandro is forced to slow down and appreciate the smaller things in life. Forgotten by the world he watches from his window, he invites nature in to be his companion and cultivates an enchanted existence from the little hope he has left. The Man Inside reminds us of the pervading force of nature when humankind is too caught up in daily routines to notice the beauty that surrounds us all.

directed by Sybil H. Mair Confined to the close quarters of a restaurant kitchen and a tiny office, we follow a head chef’s struggle to express his true feelings for one of his staff. Bound by both family and work responsibilities, Rob is a man torn between order and desire. Unable to confess his feelings head-on, he decides to write a letter. As he goes about his daily tasks Rob is consumed by anxiety, desire and jealousy when the intimacy and sexual tension of this kitchen threatens to boil over and ruin his plan. Will he have the courage to face up to the consquences of what he’s put down on paper?

directed by Matthew Walker

Operator is a short but sweet animation that mixes realism with the absurd. Sitting in his flat with only his cat and a phone directory for company, is a young man crunching on a toffee apple about to make a very interesting phone call. What better to do on a cloudy afternoon with the rain pelting down outside? Operator taps into that very modern phenomenon of filling the silence. Leave somebody waiting for you at the station and they’re sure to phone a friend on their mobile to while away those few minutes. Leave a guy at home all day with not much to do and the possibilities are endless.

directed by Caroline Sascha Cogez

Emmalou is stuck in many ways. Stuck on a ship she works on day in and day out.. Stuck in the past, desperately hanging on to the memory of her boyfriend Casper who has been missing for over a year after going mountaineering. Through the postcards he sent her, Emmalou clings on to the only thing he’s left behind, his words of love and gentle goodbyes.

As if on autopilot Emmalou goes through the motions of each day barely speaking or smiling. Her only friend is Erik, a fellow colleague who writes songs for her, trying to get her out of her shell. It is only when Emmalou meets a young boy named Casper that she starts to confront her grief and say goodbye to her past life and loves. Beautifully shot, Emmalou portrays the delicacy of grief and the hope in moving on.

As coordinator of the 2009 Much more than a Script Competition, I would like to congratulate our screenwriter finalists! It was a great competition with many wonderfully talented submissions, and in the end our judges narrowed down the choices to the following finalists.

For the best short scripts:

• Breakfast by Rob Vitolo • Fergus and Viola by Anna Condo • Raise You One Dead Body by Marjory Kaptanoglu

For the best feature scripts:

•Sabra Zoo by Mischa Hiller • The Cannibal’s Supper by Amy Waddell • VERA by Caitlin McCarthy

(Meadow Brown ECU 2009)

The Perfect Pitch, that new initiative to premiere at The European Independent Film Festival (ƒCU) – and to be held March 13th and 15th in the Salle Belvedere at La Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Francois Mitterrand – seems to have come together quite nicely.

For those of you who haven’t heard about this pop, bam, whiz of a program, it is aimed at assisting filmmakers in fine-tuning their pitch presentations to film buyers, movie producers, and distributors.

The number of individuals involved in filmmaking is continually on the rise, and with this, the technology and varying mediums these filmmakers are using is improving and outdating itself on an almost daily basis. Considering the current state of the global economy, many distributors and buyers are no longer willing to take financial risks. With less room for error it is essential that filmmakers are able to communicate their knowledge and capabilities effectively when they’re on the spot.

Peter Bart, editor of Variety and recent contributor to Vanity Fair’s March 2009 issue via ‘Beware Falling Stars!’, recognizes these changing times and economies:

“In the 60s and 70s, young filmmakers would pitch their projects in a near frenzy. Every film seemed a passion project. Today’s filmmakers come equipped with data on how their movies might do overseas, on DVD, or on the Internet. Decisions on whether to green-light a project, they realize, are based on research, and they come prepared to deal with demographic realities.”

The Perfect Pitch is a program addressing these very realities, beginning with a series of workshops aimed at helping filmmakers effectively prepare and execute a professional pitch presentation. The workshops will be held the morning of Friday, March 13th. The instructors include:

• Jeff Gross, Director/Screenwriter • Charles Weinstein, Instructor, Film Acting Paris • Matt Jeschelnik, Owner, Boulder Creek International • Jeffrey Goldberg, Filmmaker/Director

On Friday afternoon judges will evaluate individual pitch performances, and twenty Perfect Pitch participants will be invited to pitch their films to a panel of film buyers, movie producers and distributors on Sunday, March 15th. Panelists include:

• Stephane Parthenay, Pyramide Productions • Alexis Hofmann, BAC Films • Sylva Polakova, Film Distribution Artcam • Vanja Kaludercic, The Coproduction Office • Frederic Podetti, Adesif Productions • Tanja Meissner, Memento Films International

The registration deadline for The Perfect Pitch HAS BEEN EXTENDED through MARCH 10th, 2009. Individuals interested in signing up for the workshops and practice pitch session are invited to visit http://www.ecufilmfestival.com/perfect_pitch.php?lang=en. For more information regarding The Perfect Pitch please contact Sarah Schutzki, Program Coordinator, at sarah@ecufilmfestival.com.

We are always asked every year where people can catch another look at a film that has played at the festival – up until now it’s always been ‘we can put you in touch with the filmmaker, and see how you go from there’.

But that is about to change at ƒCU 2009! We will be launching The European Independent Film Channel (EIFC) at the opening press conference on Friday 13th March.

These are the very first steps for EIFC and we would be happy for you to join us in building the brand, gaining recognition for your films and hopefully making some money. Please email filmchannel@euroindie.com for more information about this exciting opportunity.

Exciting news from our media partner-- Wallflower Press, an independent publishing house specializing in cinema and moving images. As one of our media partners this year, they are eager to offer ECU 2009 supporters their beautiful books at a discounted price. Type in this special discount code to take advantage of their generous offer!