The Cannes Film Festival has consistently welcomed a wide variety of writers, directors, and producers, praising their efforts and influence on the wider film industry. As part of the most recent festival, Cannes paired up with social media giant TikTok, creating the TikTok Short Film Festival. Influencers had the opportunity to submit their own short films for the chance to win a range of prizes and have their film presented to an audience at the Cannes Film Festival 2022. Netinfluencer has all you need to know about the winners of the TikTok Short Film Festival.

What is the TikTok Short Film Festival?

With Cannes celebrating its 75th anniversary, the festival decided to work alongside TikTok to help lesser-known short filmmakers make their mark on this lucrative industry. Previously, the festival had banned any sort of social media footage, highlighting just how important this collaboration is for modern filmmaking. 

TikTok launched a hashtag for the TikTok Short Film Festival, compiling a plethora of films from around the world. These films could be from 30 seconds to 3-minutes long and could be created around any topic or style. Users also had to complete a submission form to ensure that their video was compliant with standard formatting guidelines. The aim of the competition was to allow creators from around the world to gain access to high-profile contacts and show off their skills using all of TikTok’s features.

Despite allowing any creator to submit a film, TikTok was very adamant that the films had to be scripted. Plus, creators had to claim any music they used to avoid any type of copyright infringement. 

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What were the prizes at the TikTok Short Film Festival?

Alongside a wealth of visibility and acclamation, TikTok also released three top prizes for their film festival. There were three main prizes up for grabs known as the Grand Prix, Best Script, and Best Editing.

The winners of these awards also received a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, reimbursed by TikTok themselves. Plus, the winners also received tickets to various screenings across the festival including the TikTok Award Ceremony.

There were also cash prizes available. The Grand Prix prize was worth €10,000, whereas the Best Script and Best Editing were worth €5,000. The jury for these awards was made up of a collection of notable filmmakers and content creators such as Camille Ducellier and Khaby Lame.

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Grand Prix Winners

Unfortunately, TikTok’s presence at Cannes was shrouded in controversy after popular documentarian, Rithy Panh resigned from the judging panel. Panh stated that there was ‘a persistent disagreement over the independence and sovereignty of the jury.’  Because of this, the judges had no choice but to crown two Grand Prix winners to avoid any type of unfair criticism.

Kitte kitte iino?

Translated as Is it Okay To Cut Trees? Kitte Kitte inno is a stylized and inspiring short film from Lang Pictures. The film gives viewers an in-depth view of the traditional art of wood carving, a type of art seen throughout Japan’s history. The film uses a range of close-up shots to truly exemplify the creative nuances and skill of the craft. Although this craft is mesmerizing and beautiful, the filmmaker questions whether it can continue as the world quickly becomes depleted of natural resources. 

The winner, known also as Mabuta Motoki, is 34-years old and has managed to gain an impressive 118.4K followers with the short film amassing over 951,000 likes. He has also released a collection of behind-the-scenes videos to give more insight into how this award-winning film was produced. 

Love in Plane Sight

The second Grand Prix Winner was an entry from Slovenia, named Love in Plane Sight. The film was created by Matej Rimanic, better known as rimanic on TikTok. Love in Plane Sight tells a heart-wrenching love story in a noir art style, pulling on the heartstrings of every viewer.

The film presents two protagonists who communicate by playing a game of noughts and crosses, on a paper airplane that travels between them. Since the film has been released, rimanic has gained 58.6K followers. Although this film won on equal footing, its immersive cinematography does not hesitate to shine through. 

Best Editing

Zero Gravity

Created by Tim Hamilton from New Zealand, Zero Gravity layers the nostalgia of classic video games with a spectacular array of editing skills. This film follows a protagonist with a broken gaming keyboard, who accidentally sends his entire neighborhood into a floating dreamscape. As the chaos wreaks havoc, the protagonist pairs up with the local mailman to finally retrieve a new keyboard.

Tim Hamilton, otherwise known as tim.diddle, has only 119 followers and has posted just 9 videos. Yet, his dedication to filmmaking on the app has made him an overnight success. Hamilton uses TikTok to create a collection of short films, using vintage props and stop motion animation. 

Best Script

Princesse Moderne 

Princesse Moderne, translated as Modern Princess tells a harrowing story of a young woman’s battle against domestic violence. This film speaks for those who are unable to, shining a light on these harsh and unspeakable acts. Although the main character is silent throughout the film, the use of makeup and costuming helps to tell her story in full detail. 

The film was submitted by Claudia Cochet, a French filmmaker with nearly 251,000 followers. Cochet usually posts humorous sketches, highlighting her vast comedic abilities. She even posts a variety of short films on Youtube Shorts, where she has built a community of 1.25K subscribers. Her film has received over 3,000 likes, further showing her versatility in screenwriting and production. 

Although the Cannes x TikTok Short Film Festival was slightly tarnished by controversy, the talent seen at the festival seems to take over. As the first of its kind, the TikTok Short Film Festival highlights how creators can use the app’s intricate interface to produce films that have matched against award-winning producers. To discover more about how TikTok can help you create more engaging content, visit our website.