French shorts honored abroad: November 2018

Between mid-October and the end of November, 245 short French films (or French coproductions) lit up the screens of 17 international film festivals with which UniFrance collaborates.

In ギリシャ, the アメリカ合衆国, ブラジル, ドイツ, 大韓民国, the イギリス, スイス, スペイン, ポルトガル, カナダ, and イタリア, 30 films were honored with 41 awards. Among them let us mention the debut film by Léopold Kraus, Speck of Dust (photo), presented for the first time in the アメリカ合衆国 where it won a Hollywood Silver Screen Prize and also received the prestigious Global Grand Jury Prize.

Thess International Short Film Festival (ギリシャ): October 16-21

Cinematic Achievement Awards, directing

You Will Be Fine by Céline Devaux
Icare by Nicolas Boucart
The Amorous Indies by Clément Cogitore
Kapitalistis by Pablo Muñoz Gomez
The Lives of Lenny Wilson by Aurélien Vernhes-Lermusiaux
Ordeal by Sacha Barbin
Why Did I Write the Bible by Alexandre Steiger
Vihta by François Bierry

Hollywood Film Festival (アメリカ合衆国): October 22-28

Hollywood Global Grand Jury Best Global Hollywood Short: Speck of Dust by Léopold Kraus
Hollywood Short Film Silver Screen Winner (France): Speck of Dust by Léopold Kraus, Icare by Nicolas Boucart, Toprak by Onur Yagiz

Curtacinema (ブラジル): October 24-31

Audience Award: Between the Shadows by Alice Guimarães & Mónica Santos
Special Mention Youth Jury: Between the Shadows by Alice Guimarães & Mónica Santos
Special Mention International Jury: 59 Seconds by Mauro Carraro

DOK Leipzig (ドイツ): October 29-November 4

Golden Dove for Best Animated Short Film: Egg by Martina Scarpelli
Honorary Mention Next Masters Competition: The Republic's Couriers by Badredine Haouari

AISFF (大韓民国): November 1-6

Audience Award: To Hell With Codes by Léopold Legrand

Leeds International Film Festival (イギリス): November 1-15

World Animation Competition - Best Film: Raymonde or the Vertical Escape by Sarah Van Den Boom
Louis le Prince International Competition - Special Mention: The Field by Sandhya Suri

Winterthur International Short Film Festival (スイス): November 6-11

Youth Film Award +16: Guaxuma by Nara Normande

Barcelona Independent Film Festival (L'Alternativa) (スペイン): November 12-18

Special Mention: Mon amour mon ami by Adriano Valerio

Cinanima (ポルトガル): November 12-18

Alves Costa Award - Best Short Film Up to 5 Minutes: The Lost Garden by Natalia Chernysheva
Best Short Film: More Than 5 and Up to 24 Minutes: Flowing Through Wonder by Joanna Lurie
Best Film: More Than 24 and Up to 50 Minutes: This Magnificent Cake! by Marc James Roels & Emma De Swaef
António Gaio Award: Augur by David Doutel & Vasco Sá
Audience Award: This Magnificent Cake! by Marc James Roels & Emma De Swaef
Special Mentions: More Than 5 and Up to 24 Minutes: Augur by David Doutel & Vasco Sá
Egg by Martina Scarpelli

La Cabina International Medium-Length Film Festival (Valencia) (スペイン): November 14-24

Best Medium-Length Film Award: This Magnificent Cake! by Marc James Roels & Emma De Swaef
Best Actress Award: Liv Henneguier for Cross by Idir Serghine
Best Actor Award: Damien Bonnard for Cross by Idir Serghine
Best Photography Award: Noé Bach for Cross by Idir Serghine
Best Editing Award: Damien Froidevaux for his film Back to Genoa City
Best Artistic Direction Award: Jean-Marc Ogier for This Magnificent Cake! by Marc James Roels & Emma De Swaef
Best Production Design Award: This Magnificent Cake! by Marc James Roels & Emma De Swaef

International Festival of Francophone Film in Acadie (FICFA) (カナダ): November 15-23

La Vague Award for Best International Short Film: Facing the Beast by Emma Benestan & Adrien Lecouturier

Rome Independent Film Festival (イタリア): November 16-23

Best International Short Film Award: In the Name of the Strawberry, the Chocolate and the Holy Spirit by Karla Lulić

Berlin International Short Film Festival (Interfilm) (ドイツ): November 19-25

Best Environmental Film Award: 深海の光 by Florian Brauch, Kim Tailhades, Matthieu Pujol, Yohan Thireau & Romain Thirion

Berlin International Short Film Festival for Children and Youth (Kuki) (ドイツ): November 19-25

Best Film for Youth Award: Vermin by Jeremie Becquer
Special Mention: The Hunt by Alexey Alekseev

Most of these films can be viewed at the Short Film Gallery

Selective Promotion Funding (November 27 session)

Among the 9 films submitted, the viewing committee, composed of two representatives of international festivals, a television exhibitor, two film directors, and four producers, selected:

Thing of the Mind by William Laboury – Production company: Bobi Lux / Capricci
The Devil is in the Details by Fabien Gorgeart – Production company: Deuxième Ligne Films
Dunk by Sophie Martin – Production company: Dunk Films / Associatin Les Compagn'arts
Mama Bobo by Ibrahima Seydi & Robin Andelfinger – Production company: Wombat Films – Replica Films
７つめの大陸 by Noé Debré – Production company: Films Grand Huit / Moonshaker

Initiative Subsidies (November 27 session)

Implemented in 2018, this new funding exclusively concerns the specific activities undertaken to encourage the distribution and exhibiting of a short film or a program of short films abroad. For example: theatrical distribution, a presentation at a specific event in a festival or a museum, exhibiting via a platform, or any other initiative of a sort that will enhance and highlight the excellence of French short film production.

For the inaugural session, 4 out of 8 submissions were favorably received: