Uitreiking VAF Wildcards op Kortfilmfestival Leuven

At the Leuven Short Film Festival, the VAF Wildcards, the annual awards for the best final projects at Flemish film schools, were presented for the 21st time. Graduating students from KASK & Conservatorium Eleni Aerts, Charlotte Jodogne, Kumail Syed, Raouf Moussa and Helle Monne Huisman each took home an award.

Over the past year, many wonderful films by former students with a VAF Wildcard have been completed, such as Loynes by Dorian Jespers, Mouth Of Fire by Giada Cicchetti and Henry Is A Girl Who Likes to Sleep by Marthe Peters.

The VAF Wildcard Animation goes to Cold Bathroom by Eleni Aerts, a master's film from KASK & Conservatorium.

In Cold Bathroom, a woman wages a peculiar battle in a cold bathroom. She has a frog inside her that is taking up more and more space.

The jury for the VAF Wildcard Animation consisted of Timothée Crabbé, Yiuloon Lee and Karin Vandenrydt.

The VAF Wildcard Documentary goes to Comme une histoire by Charlotte Jodogne, a master's film from KASK & Conservatorium.

Seven years have passed since Charlotte was in an abusive relationship that left behind a disturbing video. There is also a seven-year age difference between Charlotte and her eighteen-year-old sister. During a weekend, the two sisters come together to look back on the moments that shaped their sexuality, in an attempt to regain control of their own stories.

In addition to the winning film, the jury awarded a Booster Card in the Documentary category to Les enfants ont des oreilles by Kumail Syed, also a film from KASK & Conservatorium.

The jury for the VAF Wildcard Documentary consisted of Emmy Oost, Anouk Torbeyns and Kinshuk Surjan.

The VAF Wildcard Filmlab goes to As Far As We Imagine by Raouf Moussa, a master's film from KASK & Conservatorium.

As Far As We Imagine is a journey and meditation on placelessness, image formation, perspective and the silent politics of how we relate to our environment. Floating between the real and the imagined, a filmmaker follows their fragmented sense of place. Using maps, projections and digital simulations, the maker explores how our way of looking determines how we feel at home somewhere. A search for a position that is never fixed, but always experienced in relation to something else.

For Filmlab, the jury awards a Booster Card to Hemelsbreed by Helle Monne Huisman, also a film from KASK & Conservatorium.

The jury for the VAF Wildcard Filmlab consisted of Việt Vũ (Quang Trung Pham), Camille Orso Caël and Tim Roerig.