2018 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

A young girl is hoarding all kind of things around the house. A stuffed animal, a poster with a cute kitten on it, a fish? They're all collected and put in a room. It seems she's preparing for something, but what? A sound... the girl is seemingly thrilled and looks through the window. Her parents are home. But they're not alone. They brought someone along: a new sibling. It seems the girl made all those preparations to welcome her new baby brother/sister. Welcome home.

Execution

The direction of this film is all in favor of the journey the little girl makes. Through the movements of the camera the director wanted to depict a girl on a scavenger hunt in a big house. These camera movements are combined with close ups where she makes deliberate choices on what to take for her new sibling. Despite this chosen camera style, the director wanted to highlight the playfulness of the girl. This was done by letting the actress get into her own imagination, that was fueled by the director. The director used this imagination to let her surprise not only the director but herself as well through sudden noises, authentic looks and gasps. The houses used in this film should feel warm and comfy. The challenge was to make this real by combining several locations that should feel as one.