This year, in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the circulation of short films at international film festivals, Unifrance has decided to add an extra dimension to this 18th edition of the UniFrance Short Film Awards by including a wider selection of productions that will give additional impetus to films that have already attracted attention while also providing an opening for the discovery of new unreleased films that show promise for success at upcoming international festivals.
The aim of the UniFrance Short Film Awards is to shine a light on the bold creativity of up-and-coming directors and producers and boost their international visibility. Our mission at UniFrance is to work side-by-side with these emerging talents to ensure that their work is seen by audiences and industry professionals around the world, thus highlighting the constant renewal of creative talent in French cinema.
The 2020 Awards selection comprises 39 titles, including 178 first films and 12 films that have not yet been released, divided into six two-hour programs. These programs will showcase a rich palette of genres, formats, and themes, offering 24 fiction films, 10 animations, two documentaries, and three multi-genre films that reflect the dynamism of current French film production. Fantasy films sit side-by-side with dramas and comedies, with filmmakers often exploring the theme of human interactions and the perceptions we have of ourselves and others—41 productions that recount the stories of our world, past and present.
Program 1:
- Cultes by (LA) HORDE (Hirvi – TETRO – (LA) HORDE)
- First Goodbyes by Mathilde Profit (Apaches films)
- Pipo and Blind Love by Hugo Le Gourrierec (IKO)
- Ali's Circle by Antoine Beauvois-Boetti (H Rouge Productions – Lionceau Films)
- The Year of the Robot by Yves Gellie (upian.)
- Homeless Home by Alberto Vázquez (Autour de Minuit – uniko)
Program 2:
- Souvenir Souvenir by Bastien Dubois (Blast Production – Pictanovo – ARTE France)
- La Petite by Amira-Géhanne Khalfallah (Paraiso Production – Prolégomènes)
- Intermission by Anthony Lemaitre (Tripode Productions)
- Tender Age by Julien Gaspar-Oliveri (Melocoton Films)
- The Dream of B. Soares by Thibault Chollet (GASP! – TLM)
- Aïn by Colia Vranici (Barney Production – Mont Fleuri Production)
- Through Jann by Claire Juge (Novanima – Pictanovo)
Program 3:
- Empty Places by Geoffroy de Crécy (Autour de Minuit)
- Miss Chazelles by Thomas Vernay (Cumulus)
- Little Princess by Éric Forestier (La Ruche Productions)
- Smoky Mountain by Albert Oriol (Respiro Productions)
- Not a Word by Élodie Wallace (2.4.7. Films (247 Films) – Pictanovo)
- This Other Winter by Margo Brière Bordier (Punchline Cinéma)
- Season by Giovanna Lopalco (Insolence Productions)
Program 4:
- Normal by Julie Caty (Sacrebleu Productions)
- Les Tissus blancs by Moly Kane (Films Grand Huit – Babubu Films)
- Fleur de pavot by Baer Xiao (Nouvelle Toile)
- Freedom is Mine by Mahmoud Salameh (Orok Films)
- Dissonant Notes by Anne-Camille Charliat (Arts Premiers – La Sarraz Pictures)
- Turning to Dust by Hüseyin Aydin Gürsoy (Takami Productions)
- Beauty Boys by Florent Gouëlou (Yukunkun Productions
Program 5:
- Friend of a Friend by Zachary Zezima (Sacrebleu Productions)
- To the Bone by Sébastien Betbeder (Envie de Tempête Productions – Pictanovo)
- Box by Matthew Barton (Société Acéphale)
- The Departure by Saïd Hamich (Barney Production – Mont Fleuri Production)
- Genius Loci by Adrien Merigeau (Kazak Productions – Folimage)
- Tar by Vincent Fontano (We Film)
Program 6:
- The Shoreline by Sophie Racine (Am Stram Gram – Pictanovo – Le Fresnoy)
- Àpnoia by Simon Laisney (offshore)
- The Saverini Widow by Loïc Gaillard (Les Films du Cygne)
- Prague by Reda Mustafa (Takami Productions)
- À la mode by Jean Lecointre (2.4.7. Films – Schmuby Productions – Pictanovo)
- Haute Cuisine by Merryl Roche (Topshot Films)
Jury
- Guadalupe Arensburg Caellas – acquisitions Movistar Plus (Spain)
- Anne Bennet – civil administrator – Author
- Bénédicte Bourgois – acquisitions RTBF (Belgium)
- Holger Carlsson – program director HITFest (USA)
- Patrice Carré – journalist Le Film Français
- Michel Coulombe – journalist Radio-Canada (Canada)
- Ludovic du Clary – screenwriter
- Dyana Gaye – filmmaker
- Isabelle Gibbal-Hardy – manager of the Grand Action cinema
- India Hair – actor
- Simon Lelouch – filmmaker – producer
- Foued Mansour – filmmaker (winner of the 2019 UniFrance Awards Grand Prize)
- Regina Pessoa – filmmaker (Portugal)
- Gilles Reunis – acquisitions Be TV (Belgium)
- Marie-Elaine Riou – director REGARD - Saguena International Short Film Festival (Quebec)
- Reza Serkanian – filmmaker
- Hasan Ugur – program director Tübingen | Stuttgart International French-Language Film Festival (Germany)
The jury will meet at the end of August to elect the winners. The winners will be presented with their awards on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, during the UniFrance Day which will be held as part of the 21st Off-Courts Short Film Festival in Trouville.
Summer in French Shorts Operation, July 8 to August 19, 2020
Exceptional circumstances call for an innovative initiative: this year, in addition to the film selection and official Jury Prizes, UniFrance is offering a special "Summer in French Shorts" program, which is directed exclusively to foreign movie industry professionals (including festival program directors, distributors, and acquisitions directors for television networks and streaming platforms), as well as UniFrance members, who will have the chance to discover the complete selection of films in the UniFrance Short Film Gallery from July 8 to August 19. From among our members, UniFrance is also calling on 15 young industry professionals aged under 30, from France or any other country, to submit an application to join a Jury of Young Professionals, who will decide on their three favorite films from the selection. The director of the film that earns the largest number of votes will be awarded a prize, with the winner announced at Trouville on September 9.
UniFrance would like to give special thanks to Regina Pessoa, member of the UniFrance Awards jury, for her superb illustration that gives the visual identity to this 18th edition of the event.
We also wish to thank our partners in the UniFrance Short Film Awards: Titra Films, ShortFilmDepot, the AFCA, and Courant 3D.
