SHORT FILMS
Seventeen new French short films will compete for this year’s 2025 TAFFF Awards. This exclusive selection of French shorts underlines the creativity of French production and spotlights new talent in Hollywood. Three of the films selected in 2024 were nominated for an Oscar. We wish all the shorts in competition that same fate!
The competition will take place in two parts, on mornings from Friday, October 31 through Monday, November 3. Each part will be screened twice. Free admission, on a first-come-first-served basis. Attendees may vote for the 2025 Audience Short Film Award, but must see the entire program to vote.
Don’t miss it! According to connoisseurs, attending The Free-access Short Film Competition is still the most thrilling way to start your day at the festival!
SHORT FILM COMPETITION PART I
Friday, October 31 – 11:00 am / Sunday, November 2 – 9:00 am • Truffaut Theater
VOICE OF THE ARENA / La Voix du stade
Drama • France, Morrocco • 2024 • 3’06
Written by: Alexandre Bougja & Ahmed Dendane
Directed by: Alexandre Bougja & Ahmed Dendane
Produced by: Pandapart Production
International Sales: Pandapart Production
In the vast jungle that is Casablanca, young Leila seeks to make her voice heard amidst the tumult. She is the first woman to lead the supporters’ soccer club, in an environment where power is exclusively in male hands.
COMO SI LA TIERRA SE LAS HUBIERA TRAGADO / Comme si la terre les avait avalées
Animation, Drama • France • 2024 • 14’08
Written and directed by: Natalia León
Produced by: Xbo Films
International sales: Miyu Distribution
Olivia, a young woman, returns to her hometown in Mexico in the hope of reconnecting with her past. But the violence she witnessed as a child has not abated and the journey rekindles memories that are impossible to reconcile.
THE LIFELINE / La Ligne de vie
Drama, History • France • 2025 • 22’40
Written and directed by: Hugo Becker
Produced by: Nouvelle Donne Productions, Paprika Films
International Sales: Nouvelle Donne Productions
France, December 24, 1916. Their mail truck stopped at a German checkpoint and riddled with bullets, leaving their companion dead, a man and a woman are arrested and questioned by French authorities.
JOUR DE VENT
Animation • France • 2024 • 6’32
Written and directed by: Camille Truding, Hugo Taillez, Chloé Lab, Ai Kim Crespin, Elise Golfouse
Produced by: Ecole des Nouvelles Images (ENSI)
International Sales: Miyu Distribution
Gusts of wind blow through a city park and people start flying away.
BLOOD TIES / Les Liens du sang
Comedy, Horror • France • 2024 • 18’51
Written and directed by: Hakim Atoui
Produced by: Yukunkun Productions, Avant la Nuit
International Sales: Manifest Pictures
Ali and Leila visit their mother, who’s just been discharged from the hospital, with some revelations to make. However, when the door opens, they’re shocked to discover that she’s now living with Elyo, a medical assistance robot.
DARE TO BE FABULOUS
Animation • France • 2024 • 6’04
Directed by: João Buosi, Carla Sampaio Da Silva, Xinxin Qin, Zhen Zhou
Written by: João Buosi, Yangjia Chen, Adam Meziane Philipps, Carla Sampaio Da Silva, Xinxin Qin, Zhen Zhou
Produced by: Gobelins
International Sales: Miyu Distribution
Desperate to prove himself to his father, who’s the biggest gangster in town, Alessandro decides to rob a bar, with his friend Joe as an accomplice. They get there, only to realize that the bar in question caters to drag queens.
MANGO
Drama, Horror • 2024 • 11’15
Written and directed by: Joan Lyiola
Produced by: Salaud Morisset, Apatan Productions
International Sales: Salaud Morisset
Freelance florist Zadie secretly suffers from fibroids but is determined to take her career to the next level. When her dream job appears, she seeks help to control her morphing body, but the unwanted growths threaten to take over.
DEATH OF AN ACTOR / Mort d’un acteur
Comedy • 2025 • 21’51
Written and directed by: Ambroise Rateau
Produced by: Punchline Cinéma
International Sales: Manifest Pictures
The death of French actor Philippe Rebbot is announced on the media and social networks. Problem #1: he’s fine. Problem #2: the rumor is gaining momentum, despite his attempts to deny it.
SHORT FILM COMPETITION PART II
Saturday, November 1 – 9:00 am / Monday, November 3 – 11:00 am • Truffaut Theater
OMNIBUS
Romance, Fantasy, Drama • France • 2024 • 2’21
Written and directed by: Hugo N. Robertson
Produced by: Mayar Production
International Sales: Mayar Production
Two strangers fleetingly brush against one another on a Paris bus, igniting a cascade of visions and instantaneous revelations that turn their worlds upside down.
CARTAGENE
Animation, Drama • France • 2024 • 6’36
Written and directed by: Léa Berbach, Fabien Bernard, Lou Buisson, Paola Couturier, Marine La Villa, Théo Nouare, Marie Pacreau, Abla Saigh
Produced by: École Supérieure des Métiers Artistiques (ESMA)
International sales: Yummy Films
In a flashback, thirty-year-old Paul reexperiences childhood memories of time spent with his grandfather.
A TIME TO CHERISH / Le Temps de s’adorer
Drama • France • 2025 • 24’55
Written & directed by: Fiorella Basdereff
Produced by: Topshot Films, Les Films du Crabe
International Sales: Manifest Pictures
A back injury abruptly nudges 85-year-old Suzanne, a whimsical woman brimming with energy, into old age. Her granddaughter, Charlotte, moves in to support her.
LITTLE MONSTERS / Les Petits monstres
Comedy, Drama • France • 2024 • 13’57
Written and directed by: Pablo Léridon
Produced by: Mauvaise Troupe Productions
International Sales: Eroïn Films
Visually impaired teen Erwan can’t wait to get to school to declare his love for Agathe. Unfortunately, he first has to share a ride with David, a wheelchair-bound suck-up.
L’AVANCE
Drama • France • 2024 • 18’24
Written and directed by: Djiby Kebe
Produced by: Chérubins Productions
International Sales: Manifest Pictures
Aliou, a promising art student in Paris, sells a painting of his deceased mother to a renowned collector. Yet delivering the artwork becomes an arduous journey, prompting him to feel the enormous weight of the money he’s just earned.
THE NIGHT BOOTS / Les Bottes de la nuit
Animation, Fantasy • France • 2024 • 12’25
Written and directed by: Pierre-Luc Granjon
Produced by: Am Stram Gram
International sales: Pentacle Productions
While his parents welcome friends, a child leaves home in the middle of the night and enters the undergrowth in a pair of rubber boots.
SUPER V
Comedy • France • 2024 • 2’20
Written and directed by: Franck Janin
Produced by: EFJI Films
International sales: EFJI Films
A man finds himself trapped behind the wheel of his broken-down car in the rainy, desolate countryside. Unable to restart the engine, he loses patience. Luckily, SUPER V is there!
SPACEDAN
Animation, Comedy, Drama • France • 2024 • 8’03
Written and directed by: Adrien Blanchard, Théophile Farant, Matéo Grossi, Pablo Jegado, Lucas Rougé
Produced by: MoPA – L’École de la 3D
International sales: Yummy Films
Dan, a space billionaire, is celebrating his birthday in his private space station, when a cake accident ruins the party. After aiming for the stars, it’s hard to come back down to earth.
THE QUIET GAME / Le Roi du silence
Drama • France • 2024 • 16’34
Written and directed by: Héloïse Martin
Produced by: Blue Face Films, Nolita Cinéma
International sales: Manifest Pictures
Camille, a victims’ services lawyer, specializes in cases of incest and violence. One day, she meets a divorced couple seeking ways to help their 10-year-old daughter, who has been the victim of incest perpetrated by her uncle.