FilmEU Challenge students gathering

On Friday 21 March, students from four leading film schools in Portugal, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Lithuania came together, each in their own country, to witness the outcome of an ambitious cross-border collaboration: the FilmEU Challenge.

This annual initiative is more than just a creative project; it's a bold experiment in harmonising artistic education across Europe. Acting as both a laboratory and a testing ground, the Challenge pushes students to work in international teams, navigating different languages, cultures, and working styles to produce original short films.

This year’s theme, water, inspired some truly poetic and experimental responses. Several projects stood out for their bold artistic approach and deep reflection on the human relationship with this essential element, from environmental metaphors to meditative visual journeys.

Fuelled by a mix of experience and raw enthusiasm, several of the teams are now preparing to submit their films to the upcoming FilmEU Festival, which will take place in Sofia this June. With anticipation already building, the festival promises to showcase the best of what this unique collaboration can achieve.