That's a wrap for the International Sustainable Development Film Festival.
Updated: Sep 22
The 5th edition of the Festival ended on Friday, June 5th with a colorful ceremony on the TKO campus.
Created in 2021 by Iv Charbonneau, a history, geography, and audiovisual teacher, the Festival has established itself more than ever as a major platform for exchange and creation around sustainable development. Its strength lies in its original structure: a unique format driven by the collaboration of diverse school communities united around a common educational project. By making these films, students learn to collaborate, reflect, and act, thus becoming true agents of change.
This year, 43 films —fiction, animation, documentaries, or experimental works—were divided into 5 categories, each overseen by a partner French high school and its own international jury (nearly 100 jurors worldwide): Youth in Guangzhou, Impact in Tokyo, Society in Santo Domingo, Peace in Hanoi, and Planet in Phnom Penh . This freedom of format allows each filmmaker their own means of expression, subject only to basic technical guidelines.
These productions showcased the diverse, bold, indignant, and concerned perspectives of young people from various backgrounds (China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, France, and the Dominican Republic). Primarily enrolled in schools within the AEFE network, these young filmmakers tackled powerful themes: climate change, gender identity, fast fashion , global conflicts, wildlife conservation, and children's rights. This provided a unique opportunity for students to use their creativity to champion important values, and a chance for adults to see the world through their engaged eyes.
A prestigious and rhythmic closing
On Friday, the TKO auditorium hosted the closing ceremony in the presence of Ms. Christile Drulhe, Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, Mr. Bertrand Ferret, Head of School, and Mr. Iv Charbonneau, Director of the Festival. All praised the students' commitment and the excellence of the education offered at FIS and within the AEFE network.
The Grand Jury—comprised of Jérôme Diamant-Berger (director and producer), Arnaud Lanuque (audiovisual attaché and author specializing in Hong Kong cinema), Julia Liotard-Vogt (director of the Alliance Française), Rupert McCowan (director of the Royal Geographical Society of Hong Kong), Anne-Claire Poignard (senior reporter for France Télévisions), and Carmen Tsang (Crédit Agricole CIB and member of the Hong Kong SAR government's film censorship advisory committee)—awarded the Festival Prize to "Me Oi ," directed by Hoang My Le of the French Lycée in Hanoi . Already the winner in the Society category , this moving film addresses the difficult acceptance of homosexuality in Vietnam through the intimate story of a young girl.
The audience also awarded its highly coveted prize to "Au travail les enfants!" (Children, Get to Work!) , a film made by the third-grade students of Ms. Alexandra Cabrit (FIS) . A major new feature of this edition: all the films were available to view on the festival's new website, allowing for direct online voting.
Hosted by Nina Martin (Year 11), the ceremony was punctuated by vibrant artistic performances from the students of FIS: a breathtaking acrobatic dance performance by the students of Mrs. Cabrit's AES, followed by musical performances from the college choir and orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Xavier Costantini; and a dance performance from Mrs. Cabrit's CE2 class.
A campus celebrating the closing of the Festival
Earlier in the day, the TKO courtyard had been transformed into a vast playground focused on eco-responsibility for this event organized as part of French May. The program included creative workshops (making coffee grounds skincare products or beeswax lip balms), an introduction to cyanotype printing, zero-waste cooking with Mr. Boumediene, microscopic observation of plastic pollution with Mr. Barre, Living Books with Ms. Rensy, and a quiz led by the Climate Fresk. A fun trail allowed students to get a card stamped at each workshop they visited, with four lucky winners receiving tickets to Ocean Park.
The evening ended magnificently on the outdoor stage with an eco-designed fashion show, highlighting the creations of the students of Spé Arts and then of high school student Amelia Bresciani, before giving way to the talents of the pop/rock groups of FIS.
The resounding success of this exceptional day rests on the tireless work of a group of high school students: Nina Martin, Nil Charbonneau, Félicie Doumenc, Charlotte Legouge, Oriane Hong, Oxiane Martelly, Noémie Petitpierre, Amelia Bresciani, Korentine Bouillé, Myrtille Leung, and Zoé Zhong. From communication and logistics to casting and technical management, these students orchestrated everything masterfully. A huge congratulations to them!
Don't hesitate to watch and rewatch all the films from this edition on the Festival website: https://sustainable-development-film-festival.base44.app/ and follow the Festival news on Instagram: @isdfilmfestival
