French short films tour the world: June 2025

01 7月 2025

A look back at the international distribution of French short films in June, at festivals supported by Unifrance. A month rich in selections and awards!

🏆 Numerous prizes were awarded:

➡️ At Animafest Zagreb in クロアチア, French films won top honors:

Hurikán by Jan Saska received the Audience Award
Scars We Love by Raphaël Jouzeau received a Grand Competition Short Film Special Mention
Lonely Dog by Marta Reis Andrade received a Grand Competition Short Film Special Mention
S The Wolf by Sameh Alaa received the Films for Youth Competition Special Mention

➡️ In ノルウェー, at the Norwegian Short Film Festival (Grimstad):

Trash by multiple directors received the Youth Jury Honorable Mention
Apocalypse by Benoit Méry received the Honorable Mention for Short Documentary

➡️ At the Tribeca Film Festival in New York:

Playing God by Matteo Burani won the Best Animated Short Award

➡️ At the Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca in スペイン, French films triumphed:

Volcelest by Éric Briche won the Animation International Danzante
Death of an Actor by Lucas Tothe won the International Debut Danzante awarded by the Anselmo Pié Sopena Foundation
Across the Waters by Viv Li received a Special Mention
Playing God by Matteo Burani received a Youth Jury Special Mention
The Man Who Couldn't Remain Silent by Nebojša Slijepčević received an International Competition Special Mention and a Best Script Special Mention
Berthe Is Dead But It's Okay by Sacha Trilles received a Special Mention in the Documentary Competition
Noon, the Bread from Tehran by Philippe Aussel received a Special Mention in the Documentary Competition.

➡️ At the Short Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo, 日本, Joe Wieland and Finn Constantine won the Global Spotlight Award for their film Marion.

➡️ While at the Palm Springs International ShortFest, Chico by Enzo Lorenzo won Best LGBTQ+ Short.
Hakim Atoui won two awards with his two films programmed at the festival: Blood Ties carried off a Best Comedy Short Special Mention, and Goodbye Sun took home a Best International Short Special Mention.

➡️ Last but not least, as always, French short animated films shone brightly at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival:

Night Boots by Pierre-Luc Granjon won the Cristal for a Short Film, Audience Award, and the André Martin Award for a French Short Film
Zootrope by Léna Martinez won the Cristal for a Graduation Film
Entre les jours by Martin Bonnin won the Jury Award for a Graduation Film
Naive New Beaters & Star Feminine Band - Ye Kou Si Kuo Watch & Dance by Lola Lefèvre won the Cristal for a Commissioned Film

-----

✈️ The following people received travel funding:

Alice Gervat to present her film Someone Special at Tokyo Short Shorts
Guil Sela to present his film Montsouris Park at Tokyo Short Shorts
Benoit Méry to present his film Apocalypse at Tokyo Short Shorts
Pablo Léridon to present his film Les Petits Monstres at the Tribeca Festival in New York
Thibault Martin to present his film Belted Up at the Norwegian Short Film Festival (Grimstad)
La Fille Renne to present her film Chasing Whales at the Norwegian Short Film Festival (Grimstad)
Coralie Watanabe Prosper to present her film Kotowari 断り at the Palm Springs International Shortfest
Linda Lô to present her film We Had Fun at the Palm Springs International Shortfest
Miriam Furniss-Yacoubi to present her film After the Very End at the Palm Springs International Shortfest
Marie Vieillevie to present her film The Path at the Palm Springs International Shortfest

Alice Gervat au Festival Tokyo Short Shorts et La Fille Renne au Festival De Grimstad

All the selections, all the awards

At the beginning of the month, the Krakow Film Festival included 14 French productions or co-productions in its International Competition:

Amelia Starlight by Laura Thomassaint
Autokar by Sylwia Szkiłądź
Clamor by Salomé Da Souza
Comme si la terre les avait avalées by Natalia León
If the Sun Drowned Into an Ocean of Clouds by Wissam Charaf
Fatmé by Diala Al Hindaoui
The Man Who Couldn't Remain Silent by Nebojša Slijepčević
The Exploding Girl by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel
Ardent Other by Alice Brygo
Last Snows by Sarah Henochsberg
Luna Rossa by Olga Pärn and Priit Pärn
An Orange from Jaffa by Mohammed Almughanni
Wander to Wonder by Nina Gantz
Wassupkaylee by Pepi Ginsberg

Virtual Reality

Oto's Planet by Gwenaël François
Emperor by Marion Burger and Ilan Cohen

🇭🇷 At Animafest Zagreb, nearly 50 short films were selected in various categories:

Grand Competition

Lonely Dog by Marta Reis Andrade
Burattino e la balena by Roberto Catani
Comme si la terre les avait avalées by Natalia León
Father's Letters by Alexey Evstigneev
Hurikán by Jan Saska
Scars We Love by Raphaël Jouzeau
Mealitancy by Marie Royer and Zinia Scorier
Sisowath Quay by Stéphanie Lansaque and François Leroy
Shadows by Rand Beiruty

National Competition

Baking With Boris by Maša Avramović

Student Film Competition

Jeanne et Jean Jean by Thanys Martin
Entre les jours by Martin Bonnin
Hic svnt dracones by Justin Fayard
Sublime by Marie Heribel, Candice Yernau, Juliette Buysschaert, Camille Leroy, Joséphine Vandeville, Martin Laurent, and Lucas Foutrier
Trash by Gregory Bouzid, Maxime Crançon, Robin Delaporte, Mattéo Durand, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral, Margaux Lutz, and Fanny Vecchie

Films for Children and Youth Competition

S The Wolf by Sameh Alaa
My Teenage Blackout by Basile Khatir
The Night Tunnel by Annechien Strouven
De caillou à caillou by Charlotte Annereau
Méditerranée (Juniore) by Clément Soulmagnon
The Legend of the Hummingbird by Morgan Devos
The Carp and the Child by Morgane Simon and Arnaud Demuynck
Night Boots by Pierre-Luc Granjon

World Panorama

Special Programs

Nube by Christian Arredondo Narváez and Diego Alonso Sánchez de la Barquera Estrada
Žarko, You Will Spoil the Child! by Veljko Popović and Milivoj Popović
Misérable Miracle by Ryo Orikasa
Corn Man Origin Theory by Alexandre Louvenaz
Polka-dot Boy by Sarina Nihei
Astéréotypie "Du vélo à St-Malo, du kayak à St-Briac" by Fabian Dores Pais
The Miracle by Nienke Deutz

Family Program

Nube by Christian Arredondo Narváez and Diego Alonso Sánchez de la Barquera Estrada
Žarko, You Will Spoil the Child! by Veljko Popović and Milivoj Popović
Night Boots by Pierre-Luc Granjon
The Miracle by Nienke Deutz
The Night Tunnel by Annechien Strouven
The Carp and the Child by Morgane Simon and Arnaud Demuynck
Baking With Boris by Maša Avramović

Masters of Animation

Cyclists by Veljko Popović
Žarko, You Will Spoil the Child! by Veljko Popović and Milivoj Popović
Luna Rossa by Olga Pärn and Priit Pärn
Tram by Michaela Pavlátová

Theme: The World is On Edge

Blind Spot by Lotfi Achour
Unsung Women by Julie Gavras and Mathieu Decarli
Margarethe 89 by Lucas Malbrun
Uncanny Valley by Paul Wenninger

The Audience Award was given to Hurikán by Jan Saska!

The Grand Competition Jury awarded two Special Mentions to Lonely Dog by Marta Reis Andrade and Scars We Love by Raphaël Jouzeau

S The Wolf by Sameh Alaa received the Films for Youth Competition Special Mention.

Hurikán

🇺🇸 In New York, four French films were selected at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival:

Short Films Official Selection

Pirateland by Stavros Petropoulos
Les Petits Monstres by Pablo Léridon
Black Tide by Kim Yip Tong
Playing God by Matteo Burani

And Playing God by Matteo Burani won the Best Animated Short Award!

Playing God

Pablo Léridon, who received Unifrance support to attend the festival and present his film Les Petits Monstres, had this to say:

🗣️"If I had to sum up my experience in one sentence, I'd say Spike Lee came up to me after a screening to tell me he'd found my film very funny. Which, so far, is the highlight of my career!"

🇳🇴 Ten French films were presented at the Norwegian Short Film Festival (Grimstad):

International Competition

An Orange from Jaffa by Mohammed Almughanni
Apocalypse by Benoit Méry
Nemesio Blues by Alice Brygo and Louise Hallou
Belted Up by Thibault Martin
Chasing Whales by La Fille Renne
Her Dance by Julián Córdoba
The Man of Shit by Sorel França
Sixty-Seven Milliseconds by Galdric Fleury and fleuryfontaine
Trash by Gregory Bouzid, Maxime Crançon, Robin Delaporte, Mattéo Durand, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral, Margaux Lutz, and Fanny Vecchie
Volcelest by Éric Briche

The Youth Jury Honorable Mention was awarded to Trash by Gregory Bouzid, Maxime Crançon, Robin Delaporte, Mattéo Durand, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral, Margaux Lutz, and Fanny Vecchie
And Apocalypse by Benoit Méry received the Honorable Mention for Short Documentary

Apocalypse

La Fille Renne , who traveled to the festival with the support of Unifrance to present her film Chasing Whales, reports on a wonderful experience:

🗣️ “The activities apart from the film screenings, such as the professional meetings, the 9am swim in the sea in cold water with breakfast, the sailboat tour of the Grimstad fjord, the end-of-festival party... everything was organized so that every participant could experience a good festival. To sum up, I found this festival to be very human, gentle, and focused on encounters, no matter our position in the film industry. It's terrific to still have these spaces for culture and art.”

🇪🇸 At the Cinema Jove in Valence, eight films were selected:

International Competition

Les Amours électriques by Alois Sandner Díaz
After the Very End by Miriam Furniss-Yacoubi
Percebes by Alexandra Ramires and Laura Gonçalves
Blanche by Joanne Rakotoarisoa
To Become Ghost by Olivier Calautti
Furious by Thomas Vernay
God Save the Queen by Charlène Brimaud
Les Fleurs bleues by Louis Douillez
Ni Dieu ni père by Paul Kermarec

And the Luna de València for Best Short Film was awarded to Amours électriques by Alois Sandner Díaz.

Les Amours électriques

🇺🇸 On the other side of the Atlantic, the Palm Springs International ShortFest featured 32 French films:

International Competition

Goodbye Sun by Hakim Atoui
After the Very End by Miriam Furniss-Yacoubi
Automagic by Ashok Vish
Cartagène by Léa Berbach, Fabien Bernard, Lou Buisson, Paola Couturier, Marine La Villa, Théo Nouare, Marie Pacreau, and Abla Saigh
Chico by Enzo Lorenzo
Comme si la terre les avait avalées by Natalia León
We Had Fun by Linda Lô
Forever by Théo Djekou, Pierre Ferrari, Cyrine Jouini, Pauline Philippart, and Anissa Terrier
Gioia by Nixon Singa
Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites by Chheangkea
Hun Tun by Magdalena Hejzlarová
Hurikán by Jan Saska
My Teenage Blackout by Basile Khatir
The Path by Marie Vieillevie
Kotowari 断り by Coralie Watanabe Prosper
L'Avance by Djiby Kebe
The Man of Shit by Sorel França
The Man Who Couldn't Remain Silent by Nebojša Slijepčević
La Voix des sirènes by Gianluigi Toccafondo
Le Petit et le Géant by Isabela Costa
The Hunters by David Pinheiro Vicente
Blood Ties by Hakim Atoui
Against One Another by Badroudine Saïd Abdallah and Mehdi Meklat
Mango by Joan Iyiola
Mont Noir by Erika Haglund and Jean-Baptiste Peltier
Black Tide by Kim Yip Tong
Playing God by Matteo Burani
Real by Rodrigue Huart
Un été bleu by Juliette Ragot
Volcelest by Éric Briche
Wassupkaylee by Pepi Ginsberg
Water Hazard by
Alexander David

Among the many prizes awarded by the festival juries, three French short films were honored:

Chico by Enzo Lorenzo received the Best LGBTQ+ Short.
Hakim Atoui received two awards for his films programmed by the festival: Best Comedy Short Special Mention for Blood Ties and Best International Short Special Mention for Goodbye Sun. Bravo Hakim!

Chico

🇯🇵 In Tokyo, the Short Shorts Film Festival presented 20 French films:

International Competition

There is Fire by Thibault Leclercq and Simon Leclerq
The Boy With White Skin by Simon Panay
Marion by Joe Wieland and Finn Constantine
Montsouris Park by Guil Sela

Asia and Japan Competition

Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites by Chheangkea

Non-fiction Competition

Apocalypse by Benoit Méry

Animation Competition

Someone Special by Alice Gervat
Todos los futuros by Bárbara Cerro
Flatastic by Alice Saey
Playing God by Matteo Burani
Sisowath Quay by Stéphanie Lansaque and François Leroy
Shadows by Rand Beiruty

Special Programs

Find The Boy by Paulin.e Goasmat
Human stuff by Quentin Montant
The Great Annual party of the Creatures of the Moon by Francis Desharnais
The Path Of Sounds by Tom Raijasse and David Nguyen
Reven by Hugo Barbey, Victor Barreaud, Line Bossard, Chloé Hurard, Coralie Monnier, Mathilde Morin, Lèna Ripoche, and Tanguy Salaün
Karatéka by Florence Fauquet
Les Petits Monstres by Pablo Léridon
Ya Hanouni by Lyna Tadount and Sofian Chouaib

Joe Weiland and Finn Constantine won the Global Spotlight Award for their film Marion.

Marion

Alice Gervat attended the festival to present her film Someone Special. A journey that resonated with her film:

🗣️ “I'm delighted to have taken part in this event, which has enabled my graduation film to travel and meet a whole new audience. Japanese animation is one of the great inspirations for my work, so I'm more than delighted with this kind of return to my roots. It's an experience that has enriched me and, I hope, enriched the audience just as much, thanks in particular to the Q&A session but also through the discussions I was able to have throughout the festival. Through my film, I hope to open up discussion on certain subjects, notably LGBT rights, which are far from being a given in Japan, and that also means positive LGBT representation – in my case in animation – at festivals of this scale.”