That’s a Wrap for the International Sustainable Development Film Festival
The 5th edition of the Festival came to a close on Friday, June 5, with a vibrant ceremony on the TKO campus.
Launched in 2021 by Iv Charbonneau, a History, Geography, and Media teacher, the Festival has firmly established itself as a major platform for discussion and creativity around sustainable development. Its strength lies in its unique structure: a one-of-a-kind format driven by collaboration among diverse school communities, all united around a shared educational project. By making these films, students learn to work together, reflect, and take action—becoming true agents of change.
This year, 43 films—ranging from fiction and animation to documentaries and experimental works—were divided into 5 categories, each led by a partner French school and its own international jury (nearly 100 jurors worldwide): Jeunesse in Canton, Impact in Tokyo, Société in Santo Domingo, Paix in Hanoi, and Planète in Phnom Penh. This freedom of format gives everyone their own means of expression, following only basic technical guidelines.
These productions highlighted the diverse, bold, outraged, and concerned perspectives of young people from around the world (China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, France, the Dominican Republic). Most of these young filmmakers attend schools in the AEFE network (the Agency for French Education Abroad). They tackled powerful themes: climate change, gender identity, fast fashion, global conflicts, wildlife protection, and children's rights. This was a unique opportunity for students to put their creativity in service of values worth defending, and a chance for adults to see the world through their committed eyes.
A Prestigious and Lively Closing Ceremony
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, Festival Director. All praised the students' commitment and the excellence of education offered at FIS and within the AEFE network.
The Grand Jury—composed of Jérôme Diamant-Berger (director and producer), Arnaud Lanuque (audiovisual attaché and Hong Kong cinema specialist), 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 from the French School of Hanoi. Already the winner of the Société category, this moving film deals with the painful 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!" (Get to Work, Kids!), a film made by Ms. Alexandra Cabrit's Year 3 students at FIS. A major new feature of this edition: all the films were available to watch on the festival's new website, allowing the public to vote directly.
Hosted by Nina Martin (Year 11), the ceremony was energized by vibrant student performances from FIS: a breathtaking acrobatic dance performance by students from Ms. Cabrit's AES class, followed by musical performances from the middle school choir and orchestra under the direction of Mr. Xavier Costantini, and a dance performance by Ms. Cabrit's Year 3 class.
A Campus Celebration for the Festival Closing
Earlier in the day, the TKO campus had transformed into a large eco-responsible playground for this event organized as part of the French May. The program included creative workshops (making coffee ground skincare products or beeswax lip balms), a cyanotype introduction, a zero-waste cooking session with Mr. Boumediene, microscopic observation of plastic pollution with Mr. Barre, Living Books with Ms. Rensy, and a quiz hosted by the Climate Fresk. A fun course allowed students to get a card stamped at each workshop they visited, giving four of them tickets to Ocean Park.
The evening closed beautifully on the outdoor stage with an eco-designed fashion show, highlighting creations from the Art specialization students and then high school student Amelia Bresciani, before making way for the talents of FIS's pop/rock bands.
The resounding success of this exceptional day rests on the hard 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 to logistics, casting, and technical management, these students orchestrated everything masterfully. A huge congratulations to them!
Feel free to watch and rewatch all the films from this edition on the Festival website:https://sustainable-development-film-festival.base44.app/ and follow Festival news on Instagram: @isdfilmfestival
