Paris, France - Europe's premier event for independent cinema, ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival has announced the winners of the official selection, including its highest honor, "Best European Independent Film 2014".
 
After showcasing 85 films from 32 countries, ÉCU 2014 ended its indie-packed weekend with a spirited final ceremony recognizing 24 award winners in 15 categories. Winners included: Blind Squad, directed by Vlad Fenesan (Romania) for Best European Independent Dramatic Short; The Enemy Within, directed by Yorgos Tsemberopoulos (Greece) for Best European Independent Dramatic Feature; and Second Wind, by Sergey Tsyss (Russia) for Best European Independent Experimental Film.

Arthur Molard took home Best Director for Jiminy (France), while the most prestigious award at the festival for Best European Independent Film 2014 went to 216 Months (France), directed by Valentin and Frédéric Potier.
 
During the festival weekend, international audiences were granted unprecedented access to films and their filmmakers from across the spectrum of experience, culture and genre. Director Q&A sessions provided formal settings for discussions between spectators and directors on filmmaking as both a business and an art form, while after-parties throughout Paris extended these conversations into music-fuelled early morning hours. ÉCU endeavors to provide a cultural platform not only for entertainment, but also for active networking across the independent film world.
 
For the last 9 years, ÉCU has been launching and expanding careers for many talented independent filmmakers. The festival is extremely proud to help further the careers of 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 propels its position as a major European cultural event.
 

"To show our film here in Paris, which is the birthplace of cinema - as a filmmaker, this is like Mecca,"

commented Michelle Mower, director of The Preacher's Daughter, winner of Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Feature.

"Being able to show the film here and have such a wonderful reception, and to have people really respond to the film, is a dream come true."

Scott Hillier, Academy Award-honored filmmaker and ÉCU President, remarked that,

"it was a great honor to showcase such an incredible array of films this past weekend,"

adding that:

"if these are the storytellers of the future, then they certainly offer insight into what this next generation of filmmakers can do. I am filled with renewed excitement for what is to come in 2015."

For a full list of ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival's 2014 award winners, please visit  www.ecufilmfestival.com.