Category: BEST STUDENT FILM – 2024 ARFF BERLIN

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Jan – dir. Nils Dressel

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: Jan

Director’s Name: Nils Dressel

Writer’s Name: Nils Dressel, Georg Kadau

Producer:

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: German

Runtime: 8 minutes 20 seconds

Film Description:

The movie is about a young, insecure man who wants to become an actor. Over the course of one day, viewers get a brief glimpse into his personality as he is challenged to reveal something about himself.

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Next Station: Lok Ma Chau – dir. Yijian Jiang

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: Next Station: Lok Ma Chau

Director’s Name: Yijian Jiang

Writer’s Name: Xu Cheng

Producer: Thomas Lee

Country of Origin: Macao

Country of Filming: China, Hong Kong, Macao

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 27 minutes 11 seconds

Film Description:

Cross-border student Yuen, who comes from a Single Non-Resident Family, hopes to have her mother immigrate to Hong Kong to accompany her. After failing to assist her mother with the immigration process, Yuan is reluctant to seek help from her brother, who has already settled in Hong Kong. In order to achieve her goal, she joins smuggling operations. However, after being caught by customs, she faces an unexpected legal and moral judgment with her father.

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The Wonders of the Rhinoceros Hornbill – dir. Alongkot Chukaew

(FINALIST)

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Original Film Title: The Wonders of the Rhinoceros Hornbill

Director’s Name: Alongkot Chukaew

Writer’s Name: Najapak Ningcharoen

Producer: Alongkot Chukaew

Country of Origin: Thailand

Country of Filming: Thailand

Language: English

Runtime: 12 minutes 59 seconds

Film Description:

There was a curious girl who ventured into the deep southern part of Thailand, Narathiwat province in the Halabala forest. She was fortunate to meet Mr.Sum, a local muslim researcher who taught and discussed the wonders of the Rhinoceros hornbills. But one thing she had learnt caught her attention, a muslim teaching that made her realize something important.

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Persistent Pain – dir. QIAN LIN

(FINALIST)

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Original Film Title: Persistent Pain

Director’s Name: QIAN LIN

Writer’s Name: QIAN LIN

Producer: ZHE TANG

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: English

Runtime: 14 minutes 45 seconds

Film Description:

After a long absence, the daughter who had been living in Beijing for several years suddenly comeback and live with her mother Zhang Juan. Zhang Juan learns unintentionally—something she finds difficult to comprehend—that her daughter had an abortion. The two get into a disagreement over a miscommunication, and eventually the daughter finds out why Zhang Juan had endured decades of physical and emotional suffering.

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Left-Behind Children – dir. Yuanyuan Zhao

(FINALIST)

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Original Film Title: Left-Behind Children

Director’s Name: Yuanyuan Zhao

Writer’s Name: Yuanyuan Zhao

Producer: Yuanyuan Zhao

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: English

Runtime: 14 minutes 53 seconds

Film Description:

Left-behind children are a special group of children residing in the mountains and rural areas of China. Their parents migrate to larger or more developed cities in search of higher income and job opportunities, leaving their children behind to be cared for by grandparents, relatives, or other adults. Although they may have become accustomed to the absence of their parents, their desire for familial affection and protection remains strong. This documentary explores the present circumstances of left-behind children. The protagonist, Xuanxuan, is a ten-year-old girl whose parents left her to seek employment in the city of Shanghai when she was four years old. She is the epitome of China’s more than six million left-behind children. These children stay silent, enduring the burden of their existence, the gradual wearing away of their solitude, and the intense pain of longing, just like the mountain they live on. Additionally, they are currently facing the problem of insufficient educational resources. While their monetary circumstances may be getting better, their education, emotional well-being, and spiritual development demand greater care and affection.

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Dear Mother – dir. Sabrina Hickl

(FINALIST)

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Original Film Title: Dear Mother

Director’s Name: Sabrina Hickl

Writer’s Name: Sabrina Hickl

Producer: Johanna Nowotny

Country of Origin: Austria

Country of Filming: Austria

Language: German

Runtime: 29 minutes 15 seconds

Film Description:

When the last bee dies, Mother Nature dies too. But she doesn’t leave us without a plan – her secret rescue plan comes into effect. In a world where breathing jars are essential for survival, Edward Green, owner of “Breathe Easy Technologies”, tyrannizes and rules over people. Through his constant surveillance, he takes away people’s freedom. In return, he gives them their lives by producing the breathing glasses. Finn Turner, once pursued by Green’s company, reveals Mother Nature’s rescue plan. Together with his sister Leonie and his brother-in-law Paul, he uses a magic box to bring the bees back to life. Obstacles and betrayal threaten their plan. Nevertheless, Leonie completes the mission and brings nature back to life. Green, disempowered, pays the price for his actions. Years later, the world flourishes again thanks to the bees, in harmony with nature.

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Cinephile – dir. Zhenyun Mu

(FINALIST)

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Original Film Title: Cinephile

Director’s Name: Zhenyun Mu

Writer’s Name: Zhenyun Mu

Producer: Yuyuan Bai

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 39 minutes

Film Description:

In “Cinephile,” young director Archie confronts a personal crisis after his film fails to bring the fulfillment he sought. At the premiere, surrounded by varied reactions from his audience, Archie is left in deep, reflective silence.

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Paralell and perpendicular lines – dir. Fellegi Z. Balázs

(WINNER)

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Original Film Title: Paralell and perpendicular lines

Director’s Name: Fellegi Z. Balázs

Writer’s Name: Fellegi Z. Balázs

Producer: Fellegi Z. Balázs

Country of Origin: Romania

Country of Filming: Romania

Language: Hungarian

Runtime: 17 minutes 18 seconds

Film Description:

A few weeks after Zsófi broke up with him, Cris still couldn’t get back to his normal mental state. During this time he lost his job as well, so he advertised the ride he take to get his stuff away from the flat where they used to live together with Zsófi. As they approach their destination, Cris starts to feel better thanks to the kindness of his passenger, Dani, and because of his music playlist. At a certain point because of a phone call, it turns out that Dani is the man who separated Zsófi and Cris. But why did he get in Cris’s car? What does he want? And how could Cris finally let his bad feelings go?

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Windfall – dir. Fan jin

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: Windfall

Director’s Name: Fan jin

Writer’s Name: Zuo Xiaohan

Producer: Xiaoyu Huang

Country of Origin: Macao

Country of Filming: China, Macao

Language: Chinese – Min Nan

Runtime: 30 minutes

Film Description:

The mahjong parlour run by a single woman, named A Xia, is about to go broke because of the rising rent. Her husband, whom she hasn’t seen for years, suddenly leaves her a large amount of heritage on condition that she looks after his adopted daughter Lin Zihan until she turns 18. For the sake of the mahjong hall, she decided to accept this request.

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The Red Finger – dir. Zhuofei Lin

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: Zhuofei Lin

Director’s Name: Zhuofei Lin

Writer’s Name: Zhuofei Lin

Producer: Wei Zhang, Xiyue Zhang

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 18 minutes 14 seconds

Film Description:

Zhaofeng, grappling with a midlife crisis and barely supporting his family on a modest salary, returns home one day to find a dead body. Faced with this shocking discovery, he is thrust into a series of critical decisions that will test his moral boundaries for the sake of his family’s future.