Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 1
The first of four programmes in our major international competition for short films, with selections from China, France, Italy, Nepal and Philippines.
The opening programme of our international short film competition, named after Louis le Prince who made the world’s first moving images in Leeds in 1888, is a powerful social commentary on autonomy, loss, compliance, memory and identity. The Witness Tree and Nostalgia convey measured and compassionate observations of cultural norms, generational trauma, malady, and societal conventions while eschewing melodrama. L'Avance and Vox Humana challenge us to examine our participation in cultural erosion, the cognitive dissonance of classicism, and nuances of oppression that global majority peoples often encounter. Uroboro consider the profound impact of tragedy, collective grief, and shared humanity in our capacity for compassion.
L'avance
In a student atelier, Beaux-Arts student Aliou sells one of his works — a painting of his deceased mother — to a persistent collector. As he travels to her residence to deliver the piece, he encounters friends, family, and strangers, who force him to reckon with the value of his art, his mother's memory, and more.
Djiby Kebe | France | 2024 | 18 mins | No Premiere
The Witness Tree
.jpg)
As Sridhar prepares for his coming-of-age ritual in a rural Nepalese village, his grandfather unveils a long-held family secret. Torn between honesty and shielding her son from pain, his mother Sabitri is forced to confront the tree that bears the weight of grief and tragedy.
Niranjan Raj Bhetwal | Nepal | 2023 | 15 mins | UK Premiere
Uroboro
Old and tired fisherman Salvatore (Tò) sleeps restlessly since the death of his wife. One morning, by the sea, Tò finds the body of a newborn floating in the water: a haunting discovery that will force him to cope with the mystical circularity of life and death.
Federico Cappabianca | Italy | 2024 | 14 mins | World Premiere
Nostalgia
After a quarantine, Xiaoxue returns to her long-lost hometown, where urbanisation starkly contrasts the remnants of her grandmother’s old neighbourhood. There each cherished fragment evokes bittersweet nostalgia, guiding her on a poignant journey to rediscover comforting glimpses of her past while confronting the inevitability of letting go.
Boyuan Li | China | 2023 | 18 mins | World Premiere
Vox Humana
In the aftermath of an earthquake, authorities grapple with the notion that a man found in the woods may be the cause of natural disasters devestating a small mountain town. A singular, striking vision blending magical realism, folklore and science-fiction to examine cultural erosion, ecological collapse, and the might of language.
Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan | Philippines | 2024 | 22 mins | UK Premiere
Content Guidance
Contains themes of suicide and scenes of child loss.