The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival unveils its winners
- Amidst uncertain times, many of the winning shorts at the 47th edition of the French event dealt with conflict, memory and a desire for peace
It became clear during the 40th anniversary of the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market that the industry is bracing itself for challenging times ahead. In a tough economic and political era, there was a general sense that the short-film industry is being deemed as expendable by funders and politicians who have little knowledge of its importance within the larger ecosystem of the cinema industry.
Yet the 47th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival also provided much hope. With more than 4,100 professionals accredited by the market, business seemed brisk with an industry eager to work together to face the challenges ahead. More importantly, the festival highlighted the vitality of the short-film medium, registering more than 173,000 admissions to see hundreds of shorts from across the world, some of which were lauded during the awards ceremony held on Saturday.
The International Grand Prix went to Australia’s Unspoken, directed by Damian Walshe-Howling. In 1979 Sydney, volatile protests break out across the city after Croatian immigrants rally against Yugoslavia. Croatian-born Marina tries to live her life, indulging in a secretive love affair with her Australian boyfriend. But politics will soon invade the life of her family in a devastating way. Walshe-Howling’s film is a partly historical document that is filmed with a sense of urgency and verité. But it’s also a powerful exposé of bigoted attitudes that still exist to this day, and reminds us as to why cycles of violence and intolerance can be hard to break.
The Special Jury Prize went to the Canadian film Mercenaire, a raw flick about an ex-convict struggling with his inner violence when forced to work at a job in a slaughterhouse, while the Best Animation Award went to the animated documentary I Died in Irpin by Anastasiia Falileieva (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Ukraine). The film, in which the protagonist and her boyfriend flee from Kyiv to Irpin following the Russian invasion, is a powerful and sobering evocation of survival as people try to rationalise the horror of the reality they face. The Audience Award went to Upshot (Palestine/France/Italy), Maha Haj’s exploration of how war can be devastating in different ways.
The European Film Academy’s candidate for a nomination for Best Short Film at the next edition of the European Film Awards went to the UK effort A Bear Remembers by Zhang & Knight. In the film, a boy is trying to find the source of the metallic sound that haunts the village. When he shares his footage with an old woman, it sparks memories of a bear that roamed the hills during her childhood.
The festival’s National Competition saw the Grand Prix go to Genealogy of Violence by Mohamed Bourouissa. Utilising various techniques, the film is an experimental examination of a youngster who gets pulled over for a routine identity check. Eschewing the usual realism that one would expect for this type of film, it exudes a dark urgency about the continued demonisation of certain communities. The Special Jury Prize went to Oh Maybe Not Tonight (France/Canada/Quebec), Kim Fino’s film that follows a young girl who finds herself in an unfamiliar location, while the absurdist tragedy Two People Exchanging Saliva by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata (France/USA) won the National Audience Award.
The Lab Programme bestowed its Grand Prix on the Mexican film Aferrado by Esteban Azuela, while the Special Jury Prize went to Ship of Fools (Germany/Lebanon), Alia Haju’s animated doc about two people trying to make sense of the situation in Beirut. The Lab Audience Award went to No God No Father by Paul Kermarec (France), a self-described “fiction documentary” that explores the intimate and unusual relationship a young man forms with the internet.
The full list of winners is as follows:
International Competition
Grand Prix
Unspoken - Damian Walshe-Howling (Australia)
Special Jury Prize
Mercenaire - Pier-Philippe Chevigny (Canada)
Award for Outstanding Performance
Ingvar E Sigurðsson – O (Iceland/Sweden)
Special Mentions
Rrugës - Samir Karahoda (Kosovo)
Tayal Forest Club - Laha Mebow (Taiwan/USA)
My Brother, My Brother - Abdelrahman Dnewar, Saad Dnewar (Egypt/Germany/France )
Jacaré - Victor Quintanilha (Brazil)
Audience Prize
Upshot - Maha Haj (Palestine/France/Italy)
Award for Best European Film - European Film Awards Candidacy
A Bear Remembers - Zhang & Knight (UK)
Award for Best Animation
I Died in Irpin - Anastasiia Falileieva (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Ukraine)
Student Prize
Vox Humana - Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (Philippines/USA/Singapore)
National Competition
Grand Prix
Genealogy of Violence - Mohamed Bourouissa (France)
Special Jury Prize
Oh Maybe Not Tonight - Kim Fino (France/Canada)
Award for Outstanding Performance
Philippe Rebbot - Death of an Actor (France)
Award for Best Original Score
Fredrika Stahl - Ashen Sun (France/Belgium)
Special Mention
Apocalypse - Benoît Méry (France)
Audience Prize
Two People Exchanging Saliva - Natalie Musteata, Alexandre Singh (France/USA)
Student Prize
The Devil and the Bicycle - Sharon Hakim (France/Lebanon)
Special Mention
43° in the Shade - Pauline Bailay (France)
Lab Competition
Grand Prix
Aferrado - Esteban Azuela (Mexico)
Special Jury Prize
Ship of Fools - Alia Haju (Germany/Lebanon)
Special Mentions
Dimanche en famille - Gerardo del Razo
Memories of an Unborn Sun - Marcel Mrejen
Audience Prize
No God No Father - Paul Kermarec (France)
Student Prize
Wamè - Joseph Gaï Ramaka (Senegal/France/Morocco)
Jury Special Mention
Ship of Fools - Alia Haju
Other awards
Canal+/Ciné+ OCS Award
A Bear Remembers - Zhang & Knight
Canal+ Award
Two People Exchanging Saliva - Natalie Musteata, Alexandre Singh
Procirep's Award for Best Producer
The Man of Shit - Sorel França (France)
Best Queer Short Award
Are You Scared to Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail? - Bec Pecaut (Canada)
Queer Jury Special Mention
Big Boys Don't Cry - Ambroise Rateau (France)
Special Effects Award by Adobe
Genealogy of Violence - Mohamed Bourouissa
Festivals Connexion Award
Exit From the Cuckoo’s Nest - Nikola Ilić (Switzerland)
Best XR Film Award by Evaveo
In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats - Darren Emerson (UK)
SACD Award for Best French-language Animation
The Puppet and the Whale - Roberto Catani (France)
SACD Award for Best Debut Live-action Short
The Man of Shit - Sorel França
Award for Best Documentary
Exit From the Cuckoo’s Nest - Nikola Ilić
"Fernand-Raynaud" Award for Best Comedy
Death of an Actor - Ambroise Rateau
Festival Grant
La Cure Thermale - Joséphine Ha (France)
Producer: Dimanche Soir
CNC Talent Award for Best Web Short
Anechoic - Enzo Croisier (France)
CNC Talent Grant
Glorious Basterds - Camille Giry, Justine Lossa (France)
Canal+ Kids Award
Eureka! - Kris Borghs (Belgium)
Special Mention
Une Guitare À La Mer - Sophie Roze (France/Switzerland)
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