Category: BEST STUDENT FILM – 2024 ARFF PARIS

Original Film Title: Cat Chaser

Director’s Name: SiJia Zheng

Writer’s Name: SiJia Zheng

Producer: SiJia Zheng

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 5 minutes

Film Description:

A little boy accidentally spots a cat fishing in the sky, but his parents don’t believe him, so he wants to prove that what he says is true and is willing to spend everything he has to search for it, including his whole life.

Original Film Title: Orange Shoes

Director’s Name: Stylianos Chrysostomou

Writer’s Name: Stylianos Chrysostomou

Producer: Stylianos Chrysostomou

Country of Origin: Cyprus

Country of Filming: Cyprus

Language: Modern Greek (1453-)

Runtime: 9 minutes 21 seconds

Film Description:

In an attempt to connect with his fiancee who’s she’s locked in a Sanitarium, Pavlos tries to enter in his own will without thinking of the consequences.

Original Film Title: 东归

Director’s Name: Yifei Tang

Writer’s Name: Yifei Tang

Producer: Yifei Tang

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 20 minutes

Film Description:

Girl, woman, and the old crone. There is a forgotten village that lies in the boundless mountains shaded by whispers and deities in Guizhou. The fate of these three was supposed to be as quiet as the wind, fading in tranquility and eternity. However, the girl, who was unable to bear the loneliness, always yearned for the land beyond the provincial mountains. And a city boy enlightened her romance, yet also led her into a river full of poetry and tragedy……

Original Film Title: Анна

Director’s Name: Irina Nikolaevna Krasnova

Writer’s Name: Irina Nikolaevna Krasnova

Producer: Irina Nikolaevna Krasnova

Country of Origin: Russian Federation

Country of Filming: Russian Federation

Language: Russian

Runtime: 23 minutes 7 seconds

Film Description:

The film is about a beautiful and talented teacher who teaches children not according to the program, to be free. In parallel with her work at school, she is acting in films, dreaming of becoming an actress. Having passed many tests. Fate finds her at the most unexpected moment of her life.

Original Film Title: LES AIGLES NE VOLENT PAS

Director’s Name: Robin FURSTENBERGER

Writer’s Name: Claïsse Mercier

Producer: Robin FURSTENBERGER

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming: France

Language: French

Runtime: 12 minutes 21 seconds

Film Description:

The Eagles don’t fly, is a moving short film about the encounter between a French soldier in the Second World War and a child with a vivid imagination. In this story, the harshness and coldness of war are revealed through André, the soldier, while the child’s seeming innocence reveals unexpected depths.

This short film highlights the juxtaposition between the brutal reality of war, embodied by André, and the child’s whimsical perception. Through this touching encounter, the film explores the nuances of childlike innocence, revealing that it can sometimes mask a complex and profound understanding of reality.

“Les Aigles ne Volent pas” offers a poignant reflection on human interaction, the perception of reality and the consequences of war on the individual mind. This short film invites viewers to consider war through the prism of the child’s imagination, offering a unique and moving perspective on a subject that is often difficult to tackle.

Original Film Title: My Rockstar

Director’s Name: Stephanie Williams, Graham Nothrup

Writer’s Name: Stephanie Williams

Producer: Stephanie Williams

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 12 minutes 49 seconds

Film Description:

“My Rockstar” is a compelling and emotional short film that follows the journey of Amanda (aka “Eva” of the band Eva Under Fire”), a determined young Latina woman who dreams of becoming a rockstar while navigating the challenges of her father’s opiate addiction. The story delves into the complexities of familial relationships, self-discovery, and the power of resilience. The film aims to evoke strong emotional responses from the audience while conveying a powerful message about the profound impact of addiction on familial relationships. It explores themes of hope, resilience, and the pursuit of dreams, leaving viewers inspired and moved by Amanda’s journey.

Original Film Title: Tu seras un champion, mon fils

Director’s Name: Bilal Ena Jean-Baptiste

Writer’s Name: Sabri Benmayouf, Ethan Tripied, Eva Cayatte-Leeb, Bilal Ena Jean-Baptiste

Producer: Bilal Ena Jean-Baptiste

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming: France

Language: French

Runtime: 6 minutes 5 seconds

Film Description:

On the verge of losing a match that will determine his young tennis career, Eliott has to make a terrible decision when his father and coach, Marius, suggests doping.

Original Film Title: Help me help you

Director’s Name: Stéphanie Sassen

Writer’s Name: Stéphanie Sassen

Producer: The Arctic University of Norway

Country of Origin: Belgium

Country of Filming: Namibia

Language: English, Other

Runtime: 35 minutes 28 seconds

Film Description:

Help me help you is about young people motivated to help in Namibia’s Kalahari Desert, a place that has attracted much outsider help for many decades. Armed with cameras and participatory video training given by an overseas NGO, a group of young Ju/’hoansi become activists. “It’s not good to sit without doing something”. As they are making a film on the roots of educational marginalisation, the film they are in weaves together joint challenges and contrasts good intentions with power dynamics.

The youngsters turn the camera on school children. The filmmaker turns the camera on the youngsters. Through a microphone, they are opening up a space to speak across generations and continents in their quest to help. But what does help mean?

Original Film Title: 驴咋了

Director’s Name: Hao Jin

Writer’s Name: Hao Jin

Producer: Li Zhang

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 21 minutes 33 seconds

Film Description:

In the face of relentless modernization, Mr. Wang grapples with the loss of his traditional lifestyle when his donkey, a symbol of his past, must be sold to make way for rural urbanization. As he rescues the animal from slaughter, he stands defiantly against the tide of change, questioning his place in a world that no longer values the old ways.

Original Film Title: Out, Damned Spot

Director’s Name: Kai Tong

Writer’s Name: Irene Fu

Producer: Ziyou Wu

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 11 minutes 8 seconds

Film Description: