SRFTI students' film selected for La Cinef competitive section at 2025 Cannes Film Fest
"A Doll Made Up of Clay" is part of the 16 film lineup for the segment, which is dedicated to showcasing film school fiction or animated films.
The official X handle of the SRFTI shared the news on Friday.
"SRFTI is thrilled to announce that our short film 'A Doll Made Up of Clay', presented by the Department of Producing for Film & TV, has been OFFICIALLY SELECTED for the 78th Festival de Cannes 2025 in the prestigious La Cinef section! Huge congratulations to our talented students who made this achievement possible," the institute posted.
"A Doll Made Up of Clay" is written and directed by Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay, an Ethiopian student currently pursuing direction & screenplay writing course from SRFTI.
The film follows Oluwaseyi, a young Nigerian footballer, who after selling his father's land to chase a football career in India suffers a devastating injury that ends his dreams. Lost and desperate, he seeks escape through the healing power of his ancestral rituals, according to the official synopsis.
In a statement, posted on his Instagram page, Tesfay said the film was inspired by the untold stories of African footballers living in India — navigating dreams, struggles, and resilience far from home.
"Being selected as both writer and director, as an international student, is more than an achievement. It's a reflection of where I come from, the stories I carry, and the voices I strive to represent.. To everyone who stood beside me through the highs and the lows - thank you from the bottom of my heart," he said.
The film is produced by Sahil Ingle with cinematography by Vinod Kumar. Editing is handled by Haru and Mahmud Abu Naser, while sound design and mixing are crafted by Soham Pal. The music for the film is composed by Himangshu Saikia.
For the La Cinef segment, the organisers have selected 13 live-action and 3 animated films from 2,700 submissions by film schools worldwide.
The La Cinef jury is headed by German writer-director Maren Ade and also includes American filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green, French singer-actor Camelia Jordana, Spanish producer Jose Maria Prado Garcia and Croatian filmmaker Nebojsa Slijepcevic.
They will present the prizes during a ceremony preceding the screening of the winning films on May 22, at the Bunuel Theatre.
The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will run from May 13 to 24.
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