ECG just confirmed something I didn’t anticipate: excerpts from Polished Edges and Temporary Access are being considered for screen adaptation.
December 2025, London. “Film & Literature: Shorts Review” session as part of ECG Film Festival 2026 programming cycle. My short story collections will be reviewed alongside work from other writers for possible development into micro-short screen pieces.
Micro-short means under five minutes. Not traditional adaptation. More like visual translation of literary fragments. Working with UK film school partner to explore what survives transfer from page to screen.
I write in fragmented structures deliberately. Polished Edges uses linked stories, each capturing single manicure appointment conversation. Temporary Access moves through chat logs, visa applications, voice transcripts. Both collections already visual in conception.
Question: does that mean they translate to film, or does their visual quality exist specifically on page?
The December session will examine extracts to determine what’s actually filmable. Not every literary technique works cinematically. Fragmentation on page creates rhythm and juxtaposition. On screen it might just confuse.
What interests me: the collaborative process. Writers rarely see their work interpreted through different medium whilst they’re still developing as artists. Usually adaptation happens after you’re established, often without your meaningful involvement.
This is different. Working with film students and ECG to explore possibilities. I’ll be present during review session, participating in discussion about which fragments could work, how structure might adapt, what gets lost or gained in medium shift.
Polished Edges follows twelve clients through nail appointments. Each story captures different aspect of performed identity, beauty labor, migration. Visually: hands, polish application, salon space, overheard conversations. Could work as series of connected shorts.
Temporary Access tracks women navigating borders during pandemic lockdowns through digital formats. Already structured like screen: chat screenshots, voice messages, fragmented scenes. Might translate more directly.
Or both fail completely when attempted visually. That’s also useful information.
The ECG Film Festival 2026 shorts strand will include selected works. Not guarantee my excerpts make final programme, but possibility exists.
Beyond immediate project: this creates dialogue between literary and film communities I hadn’t accessed before. ECG connects writers with filmmakers exploring similar themes of migration, identity, bilingual consciousness.
If excerpts do get developed, they’ll screen at festival alongside work from across Eurasian region. Audience of filmmakers, writers, industry professionals. Platform for examining how literary themes translate across media.
I’m nervous about this. Fiction gives you complete control. Collaboration means releasing that control, trusting others understand what you’re attempting.
But that’s the point. Literature doesn’t exist in vacuum. Cross-medium conversation pushes work into territories it couldn’t reach alone.
December review session first. Then decisions about development. Then possibly actual micro-shorts for 2026 festival.
Posted from London, where unexpected opportunities require saying yes before fully understanding implications.
— Writer Julia Zolotova
