Category: BEST STUDENT FILM – 2025 WSXA AMSTERDAM

(Winner)

Original Film Title: Where The Wood Creaks – A documentary about Theater Het Hof

Director’s Name: Lucas Gengler, Samuel Vels

Writer’s Name: Lucas Gengler, Samuel Vels

Producer: Lucas Gengler, Samuel Vels

Country of Origin: Netherlands

Country of Filming: Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Runtime: 20 minutes 57 seconds

Film Description:

Joop van der Linden (75) has been the beating heart of Theater Het Hof for decades. This small, independent theater in Arnhem is devoted to classical theatre. For Joop, the stage is not just a workplace, but a lifelong purpose. He directs, writes, performs, and keeps classical theatre alive purely out of love for the craft.
But as he gets older, the downside of his devotion becomes harder to ignore. The days at the theater are long, and the responsibilities keep piling up. Where Joop once moved effortlessly from one production to the next, he now feels his energy fading.
While Joop takes extra time to prepare for upcoming performances, the theater’s daily demands continue. Without public funding, Joop is almost forced to rent out his space just to keep his head above water. The resentment he feels toward everything he is obligated to do stands in stark contrast to his passion for the theatre.

In this documentary, we follow Joop on his search for balance. Between exhaustion and dedication. Between the stage and daily reality. Between letting go and carrying on. Can he step away from the theatre, or will his passion keep drawing him back?

A portrait of a man who cannot live without his theatre, and a theatre that cannot live without him

(Audience Award Winner)

Original Film Title: PROSOPIKO

Director’s Name: ALEXANDRA TZOUANAKI

Writer’s Name: ALEXANDRA TZOUANAKI

Producer: ALEXANDRA TZOUANAKI

Country of Origin: Greece

Country of Filming: Greece

Language:

Runtime: 12 minutes 15 seconds

Film Description:

(Finalist)

Original Film Title: CONTIGO

Director’s Name: Rodrigo Enrique Perez

Writer’s Name: Rodrigo Enrique Perez, Tan Kitapli

Producer: Michaela Cowan, Hayley Kirk

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 11 minutes 27 seconds

Film Description:

CONTIGO follows a young woman (Jade) who returns to the site of a secret experiment in Venezuela to uncover the truth about what was done to her, only to face the man behind it all, who now stands in her way.

(Honorable Mention)

Original Film Title: Footprint of Fashion

Director’s Name: Kelly YeonJung Choi

Writer’s Name: Kelly YeonJung Choi, JiEun Kim, Hyunwoo Cho, WooJin Song

Producer: Kelly YeonJung Choi

Country of Origin: Korea, Republic of

Country of Filming: Korea, Republic of

Language: English, Korean

Runtime: 12 minutes 9 seconds

Film Description:

Every morning, we choose our clothes without a second thought. But behind each garment lies a hidden weight of resources, distance, pollution, and unseen labor. “Footprint of Fashion” follows the carbon footprint of a single piece of clothing, tracing the environmental cost of its production, the industry shifts now underway, and the small but meaningful actions consumers can take. Through YeonJung Choi’s warm, first-person perspective, the documentary asks: what should we wear, and how should we live for ‘sustainability’ to have true meaning? From the moment we open our closets, “Footprint of Fashion” invites us to rethink our choices and imagine a better way forward.