ÉCU Film Festival

ÉFL #51 - Meet the ÉCU Film Festival 2026 Nominees

THE LINEUP: 🎨 Béla Baptsite | THE OBELISK (Non european dramatic feature) Béla grew up in Paris in an Austro-German theatre family. Years of watching his divorced parents turn everyday life into theatre taught him the power of opposites. That push-pull—European self-reflection meeting a touch of American daring, courtesy of his current home, New York City—shows up in many of his films. After dropping out of high school, he swapped the stage for a camera and studied at Vienna’s Filmakademie. After moving to New York in 2018, Baptiste is now developing The Box, a feature adaptation of a stage play, while serving as dramaturg on an audio-visual project for ITN & IRCAM. He continues to bring a touch of his family’s theatrical chaos and charm to every project. 🌙 Alessandro Magnabosco | AGAINST YOUR NATURE (European Dramatic Short) Alessandro Magnabosco is an Italian screenwriter, director and producer based in London. His three short films, “The Second Prince” (2024), “The Star Who Fell to Earth” (2022) and “Achilles’ Prayer” (2021) were featured in several film festivals across the globe, such as the BIFA-qualifying Brighton Rocks International Film Festival as well as Love & Hope International Film Festival in Barcelona. Through his company Prince and Pilgrim Productions, Alessandro’s goal is to tell unique and resonant stories in the realms of science fiction and fantasy, holding up a mirror to discover parts of ourselves we would otherwise be unable to see. 🎤 Alina Popescu | OTHER I (European animated film) Alina is an award-winning director, designer & brand expert. A graduate of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, her expertise includes visual identity, website prototyping and motion graphics. Alina’s design projects have won numerous awards, including three German Design Awards, a Gold Graphis Award in New York, and a C2A Communication Award in Los Angeles. 🎭 Myriam Garcia Marenstras | AN EXCESS BAGAGE (European Dramatic short) Myriam Garcia Marienstras is a French writer and director. Her work explores intimacy, emotional dependency and fragile human relationships, focusing on moments of imbalance, silence and vulnerability. She is particularly interested in characters who love intensely, often clumsily, and struggle to find their place within close bonds. An Excess Baggage is her first short film. The film has been selected and awarded internationally, screening at festivals in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and beyond, including BAFTA. She is currently developing three new short films in production with Sans Regret Productions and Cobalt Films, as well as a feature-length project in development. Through her films, she continues to explore intimate narratives centered on female characters, where emotions surface through gestures, silences and restrained tension.