Julie Schnell

How did your time at the European Film College shape you in a personal way?

I think EFC was really the year where I got to explore my creative abilities to the fullest and I gained a lot more confidence in myself and for the first time I felt quite successful with my work while still having so much fun with it. I think that is very much thanks to the amazing environment you’re in with such creative and openminded people, who encourage and challenge you in the best way possible. It was also such a dream to spend a whole year just on making films with people, who will become your best friends! 

What skills or insights gained at EFC have proven the most valuable in your work or further studies?

First of all, I have gained a lot more courage to throw myself into exciting projects, I normally wouldn’t have thought I was good enough for. Secondly, the technical courses I took really paid off, because before EFC I knew almost nothing about camera and light equipment and only a couple days after graduating EFC, I worked on my first professional film set in the technical department, which is so much fun, it is so cool to play around with all the technical stuff!! 

Can you share a specific project or film experience at EFC that had a lasting impact on you?

I think the spring projects were very interesting to work on, because at this point, no one is thinking about anything else and it was quite intense at times, so a lot of us had a tendency to dive a little too deep into the sleep deprived filmmaker role and forget what we’re actually here for, but then someone would make a joke on set and everyone would be dying of laughter, and then we would realize that it doesn’t really have to be a pain to make great films.

Can you tell us about a memorable moment or friendship you made at EFC that stayed with you?

The last week at EFC will always hold a dear place in my heart. It was such an emotional time and every squaremeter at the school was buzzing with love and gratitude for the time we’d had there together. It was when I realized that I had made friends for life and that my mental health had been improved drastically. And then we got the amazing gift of having northern lights on the last night, and we were all standing outside and watching it, and it was just the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced. 

What would you say to someone considering attending EFC but unsure if it's the right fit for them?

There is never an excuse to not go to EFC! If you think you are under-qualified - you’re not, you’ll learn everything there! If you think you are overqualified - you will still improve your skills and most importantly, you’ll have a lot of fun and learn about different cultures, but also learn a lot about yourself! If you’re scared of not fitting in - don’t worry, there are so many different types of people from all over the world and in many age groups, so it is a very diverse community and is indeed also very queer friendly!