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Step into the river

  • Animation, Movies, Short Film
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An animation short by Weijia Ma

15 min | 2020 | France, China

Lu and Wei are two young girls living in a village nestled on the banks of a river where some families drown baby girls in the river in order to have boys. The two girls have a special bond with this river. Together, they will find a magical strength to overcome the traumas of the past.

Affiche Dans La Rivière

A Les Valseurs & Vilarejo Filmes production

Director : Weijia Ma
Script: Weijia Ma
Producers : Damien Megherbi, Justin Pechberty
Voices : Yifei Chen, Mingen Zhang, Guifen Zhang
Animation : Joseph Roth, Jihua Zhu, Mengshi Fang, Marion Chopin, Mathilde Poigniez, Thilbault Dumoulin, Kun Yu, Ziteng Qi, Juanjuan Chen, Samuel Boulitreau, Elsa Parent, Louise Petit
Editing : Jérôme Bréau
Sound: Didier Falk, Théo Serror, Benjamin Lecuyer
Music : Pablo Pico
Musician : Wei Wu, Knut Becker

Support : CNC (Aide au programme, Aide au développement), Régions Grand Est & Réunion, Mairie de Paris

  1. Chicago International Film Festival | Silver Hugo Award | USA (2020)
  2. Dok Leipzig, International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film | Audience Award | Germany (2020)
  3. Tricky women, tricky realities | Tricky Women/Tricky Realities Award | Austria (2021)
  4. Palm Springs Shorts Fest | Best Animated Short | USA (2021)
  5. Hexagon Film Festival | Best Animation | Italy (2021)
  6. Urbanworld Film Festival | Best Animation | USA (2021)
  7. Festival International de Courts Métrages de la Côte Bleue | Prix du Jury | France (2021)
  8. Festival International du Film de Nancy | Prix du Jury | France (2021)
  9. Drama International Short Film Festival | Special Mention | France (2021)
  10. Bengaluru International Short Film Festival | Runner Up Award | India (2021)
  11. Malatesta Short Film Festival | Best Animation | Italie (2021)
  12. Taichung International Animation Festival | Grand Prize | Taïwan (2021)
  13. Edinburgh Short Film Festival | Best Animation Award | Écosse (2021)
  14. BLASTOFF | Best Animated Short | USA (2021)
  15. INDIE SHORT FEST | Monthly Winner | USA (2021)
  16. Nowness 天才计划 | Artistic Award
    Audience Award | China (2021)
  17. Festival Internacional de Cine de Almería | Best Art Direction | Spain (2021)
  18. Malatesta Short Film Festiva l Best Animation | Italy (2021)
  19. Dreamachine International Film Festival | Best Animated Short | USA (2021)
  20. Jin He Jiang | Best Animated Short | China (2021)
  21. La Femme Short Film Festival | France (2021)
  22. Creation International Film Festival | Best Animated Short Creation International Film Festival | USA (2021)
  23. Creation International Film Festival | Best Produced Screenplay | USA (2021)
  1. Chicago International Film Festival | USA (2020)
  2. Dok Leipzig, International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film | Germany (2020)
  3. PÖFF Shorts (Black Nights Film Festival) | Estonie (2020)
  4. Festival international du film d’animation de Bruxelles | Belgique (2021)
  5. Tricky women, tricky realities | Austria (2021)
  6. Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) | Germany (2021)
  7. Tampere Film Festival | Finland (2021)
  8. San Francisco International Film Festival | USA (2021)
  9. Akbank Short Film Festival | Turkey (2021)
  10. Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS | Latvia (2021)
  11. International Short Film Festival Oberhausen | Germany (2021)
  12. Oblikon Film Festival | France (2021)
  13. ONE Country ONE Film International Festival | France (2021)
  14. Lago Film Fest | Italy (2021)
  15. La Guarimba International Short Film Festival | Italy (2021)
  16. Leiden Shorts | Pays-Bas (2021)
  17. Medina del Campo Film Festival | Spain (2021)
  18. Animafest Zagreb | Croatie (2021)
  19. Palm Springs Shortsfest | USA (2021)
  20. Athens International Film and Video Festival | USA (2021)
  21. Gangneung International Film Festival | South Korea (2021)
  22. Lago Film Festival | Italy (2021)
  23. Melbourne International Film Festival | Australia (2021)
  24. Minikino Film Week | Philippines (2021)
  25. Zabut International Film Festival | Italy (2021)
  26. Edinburgh International Film Festival | Écosse (2021)
  27. Insomnia open air international animated film festival | Italy (2021)
  28. FIRST International Film Festival | China (2021)
  29. DAS ALLGÄUER AUTORENFILMFESTIVAL | Germany (2021)
  30. Drama International Short Film Festival | Greece (2021)
  31. Taichung International Animation Festival | Taïwan (2021)
  32. APULIA FILM FEST | Italy (2021)
    Edinburgh Short Film Festival | Écosse (2021)
  33. Nashville Film Festival | USA (2021)
  34. FLICKERS’ Rhode Island International Film Festival | USA (2021)
  35. Urbanworld Film Festival | USA (2021)
  36. Calgary International Film Festival | Canada (2021)
  37. Court d’un Soir | Canada (2021)
  38. Bengaluru International Short Film Festival | India (2021)
  39. Hollyshorts | USA (2021)
  40. Norwich Film Festival | UK (2021)
  41. Hexagon Film Festival | Italy (2021)
  42. Strasbourg Fantastique Film Festival | France (2021)
  43. Filem’On-The International Filmfestival for young audiences | Belgique (2021)
  44. Animage Film Festival | Brazil (2021)
  45. Santa Fe Independent Film Festival | USA (2021)
  46. Chicago Children International Film Festival | USA (2021)
    Naples International Film Festival | USA (2021)
  47. Festival International de Courts Métrages de la Côte Bleue | France (2021)
  48. Festival International du Film de Nancy | France (2021)
  49. New York Shorts International Film Festival | USA (2021)
  50. Feinaki 2021 Beijing Animation Week | China (2021)
  51. Indie X | USA (2021)
  52. Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood | USA (2021)
  53. Cinemira TEEN film festival | Hungray (2021)
  54. SPARK ANIMATION | Canada (2021)
  55. FESTIVAL TOFUZI | Georgia (2021)
  56. BLASTOFF | USA (2021)
  57. INDIE SHORT FEST | USA (2021)
  58. Pittsburgh Shorts | USA (2021)
  59. Amarcort Film Festival | Italie (2021)
  60. La Femme Short Film Festival | Italie (2021)
  61. Tehran International Short Film Festival | Iran (2021)
  62. Festival Internacional de Cine de Almería | Spain (2021)
  63. Halo International Film Festival | Russia (2021)
  64. Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series | USA (2021)
  65. Malatesta Short Film Festival | Italie (2021)
  66. Black Movie Film Festival | Switzerland (2021)
  67. Nowness 天才计划 | China (2021)
  68. Dreamachine International Film Festival | USA (2021)
  69. Hi Shorts！Film Festival | China (2021)
  70. Jin He Jiang | China (2021)
  71. Les Capucines du Cinéma Français (CCF) | France (2021)
  72. La Femme Short Film Festival | France (2021)
  73. Creation International Film Festival | USA (2022)
  74. London Short Film Festival | UK (2022)
  75. Blue Danube Film Festival | Autriche (2022)
  76. Festival du film de femmes de Créteil | France (2022)
  77. Gosh Film Festival | France (2022)
  78. Rencontres du cinéma européen de Vannes | France (2022)
  79. Festival Ciné Junior | France (2022)
  80. Cinema for change | France (2023)