A massive thank you to everyone who participated in the Paris Lift-Off Film Festival 2022. It's been fantastic having so many filmmakers involved and seeing the global support for true indie film...
The judges' votes have been counted and added to the audience's feedback. Huge congratulations to the filmmakers who screened with us! A particular well done to the following films...
Season Award Nominations
The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event that celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films that have excelled in their respective category are nominated and invited to attend the prestigious Lift-Off Season Awards, culminating at the end of the Lift-Off season. Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.
THE FRAGILE KING
(Nominated for Best Feature Live Action Narrative)
Dir. Tristan Holmes
Synopsis: The Fragile King tells the story of an older white man, Gerald King, who is closer to death than life who gets dumped with his 15 -year-old grandson, when the child's mother dies in a drunken car crash. The boy, who barely knows this old man, is shocked into a new reality when he is dumped in Gerald’s flat in Durban by social services. The film pays homage to the filmmaker’s grandfather.
Kassandra
(Nominated for Best Cinematography)
Dir. Ivar Wigan
Synopsis: Five girls born to French families of the African diaspora are confronted with a murder. On an uninhabited island near Marseille the girls battle to find the truth and escape back to civilisation. Power dynamics within the group are tested and their mascot, partially sighted, Kassandra, could be the only one who can divine the crime and lead them back to safety.
Mamma
(Nominated for Best Screenplay)
Dir. Aslak Danbolt
Synopsis: It’s Christmas Eve, and Synnøve is searching for her drug-addicted daughter Michelle in an almost desolated city. (Synnøve and Michelle are mother and daughter in real life and play versions of themselves in a story that is very close to their own lives.)
Season Award Short Listed Films
The story of Lola ya Bonobo
Dir. Leon Haberkorn
Synopsis:"A short documentary about the world's only bonobo sanctuary ("Lola ya Bonobo" or "Paradise of the bonobos") fighting every day to save the lives of innocent orphan bonobos."
TINY LITTLE BREATH
Dir. Delphine Bouix
Synopsis: So as the piano competition which she has been preparing for the last several months approaches, Camille and her younger brother Sam must make the difficult decision to stop the artificial life support that's been keeping their mother Anna alive. And so as she leaves her life Camille and Sam can finally start theirs.
MIND DUST
Dir. Gunnar Tørnes
Synopsis: Through an interview, Sara looks back on her upbringing on a farm in rural Norway, together with her older brother, Tom, and their widowed father, Trond. We follow Sara through the winter of 1978. A winter in which her relationship with their father takes a drastic turn and her life on the farm changes forever.
Audience Choice
The Audience Choice award is given to the filmmakers whose film received the most votes during the festival. The filmmakers will be invited to join us on the Lift-Off YouTube channel for a directors commentary roundtable. Join in the conversation as we delve deeper into each film.
MIND DUST
Dir. Gunnar Tørnes
Synopsis: Through an interview, Sara looks back on her upbringing on a farm in rural Norway, together with her older brother, Tom, and their widowed father, Trond. We follow Sara through the winter of 1978. A winter in which her relationship with their father takes a drastic turn and her life on the farm changes forever.
BRUV
Dir. Leonid Leontev
Synopsis: The elder brother of a famous soccer player is left without a contract with the team and goes to Turkey for a preview. At the same time with his sports career he develops his brand, dedicated to his favorite game. Finally, the contract is signed, and he can relax and move to a new country, to a new city. The arrival of best friend and business partner acts as a litmus test, showing his true desires.
The Death and The Musician
Dir. Julie ducrocq
Synopsis: The death comes to visit a depressive musician. Adapted from the fable by Jean de La Fontaine "The death and the unfortunate"