Filmeu - European University

🎞️ As we wrap up the 2025/26 academic year here in Dublin, Sofia, Lisbon, and Brussels, we’d like to say a huge thank you to all students who participated in the inaugural year of Pathfinder, the first ever Joint International BA in Film!

The momentous level of work required to develop, organise and run such a landmark programme would have been fruitless without the enthusiasm and engagement of the first cohort of students.

🏫 We now look forward to welcoming a new intake of Pathfinders as well as our second-year class to campuses all over Europe in September!

☀️ In the meantime, we hope you have a happy and safe summer.

👋 See you soon!

🏆 Filmmaker and lecturer Margarida Cardoso () went home with several awards from the 15th annual Portuguese Film Academy Sophia Awards () earlier this month.

Taking place at the Belem Cultural Centre under the theme ‘Designing the present, imagining the future’, the awards honoured the work of several Lusofona University staff members.

🎞️ Cardoso’s film, ‘Banzo’, which she wrote and directed, received several awards including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Special Effects, Best Sound, and Best Editing.

🎥 The Best Cinematography award was also won by Lusofona cinema alumnus, Leandro Ferrão () for his work on the film.

Gonçalo Galvão Teles, film lecturer and director of the Kino Eyes Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Film (), was also honoured with the Best Series award for his production ‘Fado Filmes’.

🔹 FilmEU Changemaker – Pitching for Change 🔹

Have a story to tell? Want to make an impact?

FilmEU invites BA, MA and PhD students from our eight member institutions to pitch their ideas for the screen in this year’s Changemaker programme.

Theme: Exploring the Natural Worlds

Target audience: 15–25 year olds
across Europe

Formats: fiction, documentary, animation or innovative short-form/social media content (max 6 minutes)

✅ If selected, you will:

• Join online pitch training

• Travel to Dublin for in-person training

• Pitch live on stage at the FilmEU Industry Summit this October

🗓️ Apply by Friday, May 29

🔗 More information can be found on our website and the application form is available at the link in our bio.

☀️ Discover the art of filmmaking this summer at in an international, hands-on environment at Short Film Summer School.

📹 This intensive three-week course from July 13-31 takes you through the full filmmaking journey - from developing your idea and writing a script to shooting on set and editing your final film.

Guided by experienced industry professionals, you’ll work in creative teams using professional studios and equipment at the renowned .

By the end of the course, you’ll have contributed to a completed short film with it premiering on the big screen at BFM’s cinema, a truly unique portfolio experience.

📝 Open to participants from all backgrounds, this course is perfect for aspiring filmmakers, creatives, and anyone eager to bring stories to life in a dynamic, international setting.

🔗 To learn more visit the link in our bio.

🗣️ Calling PhD candidates!

FilmEU would like to invite you to participate in the conference, ON ESSAYISM taking place on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 in The Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava, Slovakia.

This one-day conference explores essayism as a method, mode of thinking, and practice within academic and artistic research.

We welcome submissions from PhD candidates across disciplines, including academic, artistic, and hybrid approaches.

Please find more information about the conference, submission requirements, and thematic focus in the attached document.

🗓️ The deadline for submissions is May 24, 2026.

For more information and how to apply, click here - https://iadt-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/ibbotsong_iadt_ie/IQCykAiFzVdURr7raMPuVD56AZoFJdSrzxW6SK7gPigbgG4?e=8GkR2e

We look forward to your contributions.

🖼️ This past April, the FilmEU Dynamic Cluster 'Animating Together' hosted a workshop titled “Co-Designing Participatory Animation.”

This participatory stop-motion workshop explored how animation can act as a collaborative framework for bringing diverse voices together in educational contexts.

Focusing on shared authorship and collective creativity, the session introduced hands-on, participatory approaches to film education.

Working in small groups, participants co-developed ideas through mapping, discussion, and rapid prototyping.

The workshop wrapped up with the creation of short stop-motion animation prototypes, giving participants the opportunity to test and reflect on their co-designed methods in practice.

Led by Nairy Eivazy and Natalie Woolf, the workshop explored the transformative potential of collective storytelling through participatory animation.

🇦🇹 This workshop was held during the Ecstatic Truth X: Animating Hope symposium at the Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, as part of the UNDER_the_RADAR Festival.

🎬 The next FilmEU CineClub takes place this Thursday, May 14!

Taking place online, the event will be hosted by .vsmu and is open to students of all FilmEU partner institutions.

The guest on the day will be Romanian director Tudor Cristian Jurgiu (), screenwriter and lecturer at in Bucharest, whose work has long explored themes of emigration, alienation, and interpersonal relationships.

His films have been presented at major international film festivals such as Berlinale, IFFR Rotterdam, and San Sebastián IFF.

The evening will open with his short graduation film Oli's Wedding (2009), followed by his latest feature On Our Own, which premiered at the 2026 Berlinale.

🗣️ A live-streamed discussion with the director will follow the screening.

🔗 To register for the screening and view the live QnA with Cristian Jurgiu, see the link in our bio!

🎬 This summer, we invite you to join us in Brussels for the 6th FilmEU Summit, hosted by .SchoolofArts from 23–25 June 2026.

This year’s theme, ‘ENACT CHANGE – weaving the a(rts) into STEM’, explores how the arts can enrich STEM education by bringing creativity, critical thinking, storytelling, and imagination into dialogue with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The summit creates a space for students, educators, researchers, artists, and industry professionals to exchange ideas and explore new interdisciplinary approaches to learning, research, and collaboration.

📽️ Alongside the summit, the second edition of the FilmEU Film Festival will also be taking a place.

A celebration of emerging talent and diverse voices of the next generation of filmmakers, the festival will feature works from the FilmEU institutions, our joint programmes, and our partner schools in Ukraine and Armenia.

📍 Brussels, Belgium
📅 23–25 June 2026

🔗 Full programme and registration can be found via the link in our bio

🥳 We look forward to seeing you!

The FilmEU Challenge 2026/27 is open. ✨

This year, we're handing the camera to you - to ask what freedom really looks like, sounds like, feels like in 2026.

Here's what you can expect:

🎥 Make a short campaign film with a local NGO

🌍 Team up with students from 8 European universities

✈️ Ideation Week in Bratislava · Production Week across the FilmEU Alliance

🏆 Compete for a place at the FilmEU Film Festival

💶 Erasmus+ grant covers your travel & stay

Who can apply: Students who will be enrolled in the 2nd or 3rd year of a BA programme at any FilmEU Alliance university for the 2026/27 academic year.

Pick your role: Director · Screenwriter · DOP · Sound Designer · Producer · Editor

📅 Key dates:

Application deadline: 30 May 2026

Virtual Kick-Off: September 2026

Ideation Week (Bratislava): 12–16 October 2026

Production Week (Across the FilmEU Alliance): 22–27 February 2027

Screening: 22 April 2027

FilmEU Summit: June 2027

🔗 For more information see the link in our bio!