Another Event in France Aside from Festival de Cannes and the Poker Grand Prix
When one thinks of romantic and classic cities, Paris is the sort of idyllic scenery that springs to mind. However, there’s more to Paris than just a tour to the Eiffel Tower. Events like the Paris Fashion Week and the World Poker Tour Grand Prix Paris are just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re familiar with France’s Cannes Film Festival or Festival de Cannes, then there is another film festival you can enjoy right in the heart of Paris.
The European Independent Film Festival is a showcase of different independent film entries held in mid April in Paris for three days. According to their official website, “We proudly provide a unique platform for risk-taking storytellers to reach the broadest audiences possible. It is through this platform that we achieve our goal in fostering the collaboration and exchanging of ideas to further the careers and artistic paths of our ‘Offical Selection’ directors.” ÉCU has become increasingly known and referred to as the Sundance of Europe. The festival is the ideal venue for bold and visionary filmmakers to showcase their work to the cinema-goers who are enthusiastically seeking alternatives to commercially-driven major studio projects. The ÉCU gives many another reason to visit Paris and complements the list of grand events like the WPT Grand Prix Poker Competition, the Tour de France, Festival de Cannes and many more.
What makes this festival even more popular is that it is not constrained to just one venue or one country. The ÉCU provides on-the-road screenings and country visits. “Three days in Paris is just not enough,” the festival highlights. “Every year, the festival travels around the world making sure our “Official Selection” directors and films are made known. This demonstrates our active commitment to cultivate and encourage the new and inspiring talent that comes our way.”
In this year’s itinerary, one of the scheduled stops of the film festival will be in South Africa. The scheduled week of the festival coincides with another grandiose event, the World Poker Tour (WPT) Emperors Palace Poker Classic. This is a good opportunity for film-lovers and even poker enthusiasts as the WPT gaming sponsor partypoker.com will be holding an online qualifier competition wherein the winner gets to fly to South Africa for the tournament. If you happen to be the fortunate person chosen, not only are you awarded with an expense-paid flight and stay in Johannesburg, but you also get the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the ÉCU over at The Cape Town and Winelands International Film Festival.
“As a festival for film makers, it is extremely important for ÉCU to go on the road and tour our films. Through our road series, we have the ability to changes lives, forge relationships, further artistic expression, and most importantly, encourage a new generation of film making and film-goers,” the festival states. That goal is what you would ideally experience when you participate any of the country events.
For those who happen to be aspiring film-makers, submission of film entries for the 2014 festival run is open. Go ahead and visit their official site at ecufilmfestival.com or visit withoutabox.com for submission mechanics and rules.