One day, the statues come to life. They descend from their podiums and architectural shrines, and head in the same direction. This sculptural apocalypse makes people anxious and worried: where are they going? A little girl with a mushroom-like body looks on in admiration. The steps that the marble and stone statues take spark joy: how unusual!

You might describe this film as having a ghostly gothic sweetness. Barbara Rupik, who graduated from the Lodz Film School, has specialised in puppets and mixed media techniques. Her latest short film is a fable in the surrealist tradition and animist beliefs, which plays out in front of the people of the forest. A few years ago, the Polish director’s short film The Little Soul (2019) won the Cinéfondation prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Jury statement: In a truly original way, this film shows us how growing up in a particular cultural and religious environment shapes children. In turn, the people they become will change the environment itself and its social and moral customs. Through imaginative and otherworldly mixed media animation that nevertheless has a clear connection to reality, this film immerses us in an exquisite and unique viewing experience.