Category: Best Student Film – 2025 ARFF Paris

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: The Claw

Director’s Name: Josef Bentayou

Writer’s Name: Noémie Garbarg

Producer: Claire Denzler

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming: France

Language: French

Runtime: 10 minutes 30 seconds

Film Description:

Edith, a young waitress in a seaside seafood restaurant, suddenly feels a surge of empathy for the lobsters in the aquarium who begin to speak to her. She decides to plan their escape, with the help of Abel, a young kitchen assistant and the owner’s son, who has a crush on her.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Contrary Currents

Director’s Name: Cedric Michel

Writer’s Name: Molly Power, Kayla Power, Chelsea Whipp, Ella Paganoni, Mia Blood, Mila Pickup, Prune de Vallois – Gervais, Charlotte Abgrall, Loéza Bernard, Arno Vuillemot, Lucie Delépine, Elouan Collette-Dumont, Maïwen Le Dru, Gaël Nochez, Jaël Trichet-Gomez, Qhentin Hernot, Raphaëla Gheorghe-Derunian, Divy Olier, Gwendal Raoul des Essarts, Luca Vojinovic-Vuk,

Producer: Cedric Michel, Christopher Sutcliffe

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming: Australia, France

Language: English, French

Runtime: 43 minutes 16 seconds

Film Description:

Contrary Currents is a filmed correspondence between
French and Australian High School students on the effects of climate change.
Camera in hand, they survey their coastlines threatened by rising sea levels, and exchange films on the highlights of their travels. Through these encounters and reflections the filmed letters take us on a journey through space as well as time; between
past, present and future.

(WINNER)

Original Film Title: Fata Morgana

Director’s Name: Mehrdad Bahraini

Writer’s Name: Mehrdad Bahraini

Producer: Mehrdad Bahraini

Country of Origin: Germany, Iran, Islamic Republic of

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: English, German, Persian

Runtime: 25 minutes 52 seconds

Film Description:

Facing the trials of asylum and adapting to a new life, Saman embarks on a quest for renewal after migrating from Iran to Germany

(Audience Award Winner)

Original Film Title: Berlin Fiction

Director’s Name: Zhivorad Milich

Writer’s Name: Zhivorad Milich

Producer: Zhivorad Milich, Amro Neuraldin

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: English

Runtime: 30 minutes

Film Description:

Berlin Fiction follows the journey of DJ Lion, a talented but struggling techno artist in Berlin. After years of performing at the world’s top clubs, DJ Lion finds himself at a crossroads—his passion for electronic music remains, but financial pressures, industry disillusionment, and the fading support of his manager threaten to derail him. One sleepless night, in a moment of creative desperation, he discovers a new path by accident: writing and composing pop music.

Lion’s unexpected venture into commercial music brings fresh inspiration, but it also exposes the harsh realities of the industry, testing his friendships and beliefs about artistry and success. As he wrestles with the betrayal of his trusted manager, Axel, and confronts his fears of selling out, DJ Lion must decide whether to stay true to his roots or embrace change for a chance at survival.

Set against the vibrant yet lonely backdrop of Berlin’s music scene, Berlin Fiction is a poignant exploration of ambition, burnout, and the fine line between artistic integrity and commercial success.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Peanut Butter

Director’s Name: David Ray Lopez

Writer’s Name: David Ray Lopez

Producer: David Ray Lopez

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 7 minutes 30 seconds

Film Description:

A teen male prostitute is rescued by his drug addicted older brother as they illegally occupy the house of their incapacitated father. Sibling loyalty is confronted as they pursue the security and justice that was taken from them.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Trash to Treasure

Director’s Name: Nayoung Kim

Writer’s Name: Yiyao He

Producer: Yue Mao

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 7 minutes 47 seconds

Film Description:

Steve McPherson, a UK-based artist, has been collecting discarded plastic objects from Kent’s coast since 2007. Over 25 years, he’s amassed wave-worn debris, exploring their transformative potential through assemblage, sculpture, and installations. Despite color blindness, he organizes finds by type and color, turning them into multidisciplinary artworks. Through his practice, McPherson delves into personal and collective narratives, highlighting the ecological impact of marine waste. His work intersects with themes of memory, temporality, and change, underscoring the paradoxical nature of plastic as both material and idea. The aim of our documentary is to highlight Steve’s unique artistic creations and raise awareness about the urgent need to address oceanic environmental concerns, urging viewers to reflect on this pressing issue.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: The Empty Journey

Director’s Name: Qinwei Hu

Writer’s Name: Qinwei Hu

Producer: Haochi Zhang

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 9 minutes 33 seconds

Film Description:

The film aims to record the real situation of Chinese undocumented laborers living and working in the UK, allowing this marginalized group to tell their stories through the screen. Through interviews with two groups of characters, the characters tell their own stories and reveal records of their work situations and lifestyles in the main work areas of Chinese labor in the UK (housekeeping and building decoration).

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: The World Behind the Meal Box

Director’s Name: Lillian Shen

Writer’s Name: Chuyan Shen

Producer: Chuyan Shen

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: English

Runtime: 13 minutes 3 seconds

Film Description:

Set against the background of the information age and rapid technological development, this documentary explores the lives of food delivery workers in China—one of the most representative groups in the era of mobile internet. It explains how technology has changed people’s lives and their jobs by creating a system in which one touch on the smartphone can get a meal delivered within 30 minutes, thanks to the unflagging diligence of delivery riders.
Through transparent interviews, the documentary goes behind the scenes to reveal the human cost behind this convenience. Delivery workers tell stories of experiences involving exhausting hours, safety hazards, and a platform-governed system where efficiency is valued at the expense of minimal protection or security. A fair number come from poor socioeconomic backgrounds, drawn to the profession for its low barriers to entry and the promise of “more work, more pay.” But their lives are filled with tremendous sacrifices—leisure, personal time, and sometimes well-being—highlights of the tremendous cost of keeping this technological ecosystem going. Within the context of imposing skyscrapers and vibrant thoroughfares, these individuals serve as the integral components of an economic apparatus that relies heavily on rapidity and productivity. Although technological advancements facilitate development, the documentary raises critical inquiries regarding whether society has sufficiently accounted for its effects on humanity. It encourages audiences to contemplate the repercussions of unceasing innovation and the implications for those situated at the periphery of this technology-oriented environment.

(Envision Award Winner)

Original Film Title: Sparrow Tide

Director’s Name: Xiao GUAN

Writer’s Name: Xiao GUAN

Producer: Xiao GUAN

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 41 minutes 45 seconds

Film Description:

A single-parent family, Quezi lives under the same roof with her mother, Alain, and the mother-daughter relationship that binds them seems to be peaceful, but in fact, there is a surge of darkness. By chance, Quezi’s longtime pen pal, Uranus, arrives in Sparrow’s city for the Storks’ Journey to the South, and the two of them, whose souls are highly compatible, embark on a unique journey of the soul, but at the same time, the turbulent tide of destiny is also approaching them silently.The kite with a broken string is their intersection as thin as paper. The paper rose burns into ashes and drifts towards the river, eventually sinking to the bottom of the sea.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: B2B

Director’s Name: Noam Debel

Writer’s Name:

Producer:

Country of Origin: Israel

Country of Filming: Israel

Language: Hebrew

Runtime: 6 minutes 45 seconds

Film Description:

What does it mean to be a man? In a reality where gender norms are changing, and the classical model of masculinity is being put to the test, is there a new masculinity, or just an old model in new forms? “B2B” (Ben Le Ben) seeks to examine contemporary masculinity through conversations with men in their late twenties. The project explores the tension between societal expectations and individual desires, between what we feel on the inside and what we present to the outside world. The project is aimed at raising questions about identity, gender, and relationships in a reality that is in constant motion.