The festival was created in 1977 by Henri Langlois, founder of the French Cinémathèque and co-founder of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). Initially, the festival took place in Tours, and in 1990 it moved to Poitiers.
Beside the quality competition selection showcasing the achievements of film school students from all around the world, the festival also hosts the Film Market, which offers an opportunity to discover films of all genres from over 220 schools worldwide. This year as many as three Polish films qualified for the main competition – apart from "Frozen Stories" already mentioned, "Sing me to Sleep” by Magnus Arnesen and "The Gallery" by Robert Proch were also selected.
On the festival’s last day, "Frozen Stories" received the Grand Prix and the Public’s Prize. The film is a grotesque tale about a young girl and a boy who together work at a supermarket. As the worst employees of the month, they have been given just two days to find a purpose of their existence and thus start a better, new life. All of a sudden a popular television show helps them to complete the task. The film is a perverse story set in the coolest corners of a supermarket’s scenery, and it portrays the two outsider’s profoud loneliness and their desperate struggle to change their lives. The film was produced by PWSFviT in Lodz and Easubusy.
Grzegorz Jaroszuk’s film is doing well on festival circuit. In January, it will be screened at three festivals – Prague Short Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, and the International Short Film Festival in Clermont-Ferrand.
The jury’s full verdict can be found at the festival’s official website