Europe’s top event for independent cinema, ÉCU – The European Independent Film Festival announces its 2020 award-winning films, including its highest honour, “Best European Independent Film 2020.”
Due to the pandemic we were unable to continue our festival in person, but here at ÉCU we were determined to continue with the festival, believing in its importance and the joy it brings filmmakers and film-lovers alike. That is why we took the decision to take ÉCU 2020 online, streaming the festival to our audience at home. With 87 films from 28 countries participating in the festival this year, ÉCU 2020 ended its indie-packed festival with its established final ceremony recognizing 25 award winners in 14 categories.
Across the festival, international audiences were exposed to films and their filmmakers from across a spectrum of experiences, cultures, and genres. We were able to bring to our internet audiences insightful Director Q&A sessions, which brought filmmakers and audiences together from around the world, and provided a great informal setting to learn more about the directors and their films. ÉCU endeavours to provide a cultural platform not only for entertainment but also for active networking across the independent film world.
For the last 15 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 2020 winners:
Best European Independent Film 2020 | The Manchador | Kaveh Tehrani |
Best European Independent Dramatic Short | George the Dog, Refugee | Tomasz Wiński |
Best European Independent Dramatic Feature | Shibil | Nikola Bozadzhiev |
Best European Independent Documentary | Shadows of Light | Walter Fanninger |
Best Experimental Film | THEM | Robin Lochmann |
Best European Independent Music Video | Adagio for Strings and Storm | Ivan Yudin |
Best European Independent Animated Film | Mind My Mind | Floor Adams |
Best European Independent Comedy | Koekoek! | Jörgen Scholtens |
Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Short | Funfair | Kaveh Mazaheri |
Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Feature | The Journey of a Murder | Jun Wang |
Best Non-European Independent Documentary | Amazing Grace | Lynn Montgomery |
Best Student Film | My Cat as Socrates | Villő Krisztics |
Best Short Script | Time Museum | Gahee Lee |
Best Feature Script | Bridge by the Earthen House | Paul Hunt |
Best Actor | Dorris 85 | Chis Schultz |
Best Actress | La Gita | Fatou Mbemgue |
Best Editing | Bathhouse Drummer | Liu Kai Qi |
Best Cinematography | Electric Litany- Sealight | Daniel Lindholm |
Best Director | Anacronte | Raúl Koler and Emiliano Sette |
Special Jury Mention | The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating | Elisabeth Tova Bailey |
Special Jury Mention | California on Fire | Jeff Frost |
Special Jury Mention | No, I Don’t Want to Dance | Andrea Vinciguerra |
Audience Award | The Call Centre | Louisa Connolly-Burnham |
The Ahmed Khedr Award for Excellence in Arab Filmmaking. | Manara | Zayn Alexander |
Excellence in Women’s Filmmaking | The Walking Fish | Thessa Meijer |