The 27th International Short Film Festival, held in Clermont-Ferrand from January 28 through February 5, 2005, showcased 175 films spread between three competitions (the International, Lab and National Competitions), numerous special programs, retrospectives and focus sections as well as a market bringing together some 3,000 accredited professionals this year, representing all sectors of the international short film scene. Always a strongly supported event, attendance levels this time around showed no sign of waning, with no less than 130,000 admissions registered in theaters.
The 2005 awards ceremony was held on the festival's closing night Saturday, February 5. The International Competition Grand Prize was awarded to the Mexican film, "El otro suñeo americano" and the Lab Grand Prize went to the French film, "Sometimes." In the French section, Laurent Achard returned from the capital of the Auvergne region with three awards, including the Grand Prize for "La Peur, petit chasseur." The director, who has since moved into feature filmmaking, had previously received the Clermont-Ferrand Special Jury Prize in 1994 for "Dimanche ou les fantômes."
This year's event was also marked by the launch of a new website, www.le-court.com, officially opened online Friday, February 4, by the Deputy General Director of the CNC (Centre National de la Cinématographie), Monique Barbaroux, at the festival headquarters at La Jetée. Jointly created by the festival's organizational association, "Sauve qui peut le court métrage" and the French Short Film Agency, www.le-court.com offers a vast database of French short films, professional guides and numerous services for the general public, teachers and audiovisual education professionals. This internet portal dedicated to French short films offers a mine of information, serving as an information and historical base, a meeting point and an exchange forum and introduces a new inter-associative cooperation facility aimed at expanding the distribution of films and promoting educational projects. So, be sure to check out this new site!
And finally, it was also at La Jetée that the French Minister for Culture and Communication, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, accompanied by Catherine Colonna, Director of the CNC, was present to reassure industry professionals of his support to the short film industry, announcing the setting up of an "emergency plan" to be finalized before the summer of 2005. The Minister pointed out, in particular, the necessity of "strengthening CNC subsidies to short film production, by instigating a major reevaluation of the average aid granted to films while maintaining the number of films subsidized." Mr. Donnedieu de Vabres also referred to an "improved monitoring of the sector" in terms of labor law.
French award-winners
1/ International Competition (Jury: Evguéni Galperine (French composer and musician), Dag Johan Haugerud (Norwegian writer and director), Bill Plympton (American animated filmmaker), Manuel Poirier (French director) and Keren Yedaya (Israeli director).
Press Award (presented by: Saad Hendawy (Al Ahram weekly, Egypt) Sabina Dogic (Ekran, Slovenia), Jean Zeid (Le Mouv’, France)
"La Peur, petit chasseur"
[France/2004/Fiction/35mm/9 mins.]
Director: Laurent Achard
2/ National Competition (Prizes awarded by the Official Jury, composed of the author and screenwriter Azouz Begag (France), the director and illustrator Stéphane Blanquet (France), Suzette Glénadel, Festival Director (France) and Martin Wheeler, composer (United Kingdom).
Grand Prize
"La Peur, petit chasseur"
[France/ 2004/Fiction/35mm/9 mins.]
Director: Laurent Achard
Special Jury Prize
"La Femme seule"
[France/2004/Experimental Documentary/Digital Betacam/23 mins.]
Director: Brahim Fritah
Award for Best Soundtrack Creation
"La Peur, petit chasseur"
[France/2004/Fiction/35mm/9 mins.]
Director: Laurent Achard
Audience Jury
Audience Award
"Signe d’appartenance"
[France/Belgique/2004/Fiction/35mm/33 mins.]
Director: Kamel Chérif
Other Juries
Youth Jury Prize
"Le Droit chemin"
[France/2004/Fiction/35mm/13 mins.]
Director: Mathias Gokalp
Canal + Award
"Nicole et Daniel"
[France/2004/Fiction/Digital Betacam/25 mins.]
Director: David Fauche
Best First Fiction Film (SACD)
"Disparu"
[France/2004/Fiction/Digital Beta/15 min]
Director: Frédéric Weigel
Best Animated Film
"Signes de vie"
[France, Belgium/2004/Animation/35mm/10 mins.]
Director: Arnaud Demuynck
Best Actress
Anne Coesens
in "Dans l’ombre" by Olivier Masset-Depasse
(France/Switzerland/Belgium)
Best Actor
Frank Sautrez
in "De Retour" by Jalil Lespert (France)
PROCIREP Prize for a Short Film Producer
"Les films sauvages"
(Jean-Christophe Soulageon)
"Attention Talent" FNAC Prize
"After Shave"
[France, Lebanon/2004/Fiction/35mm/27 mins.]
Director: Hany Tamba
Press Award
Presented by:
Dominique Widemann (L’Humanité, France)
Jacques Kermabon (Bref, France)
Mario Serenellini (La Repubblica, Italy)
"Céleste"
[France/2005/Fiction/35mm/45 mins.]
Director: Valérie Gaudissart
3/ Lab Competition (Prizes awarded by the Official Jury: Marc Caro (director, musician, actor…- France), Claire Cook (producer, distributor – United Kingdom) and Pierre Vinour (director, producer – France)
Grand Prize
"Sometimes"
[France/2003/Experimental Animation/Digital Beta/3 mins.]
Director: Pleix
Special National Jury Mention
"La Révolution des crabes"
[Arthur de Pins/France]
Special Mention from the National Youth Jury
"Amal"
[Ali Benkirane/France, Morocco]
