Mauro, a truck driver, meets a strange group of young people at a roadside rest stop who lead him into the woods for a journey bordering life and death.

Jury Statement

A Long Night Ahead by Julien Bernard-Simmonds is a remarkable work that operates on the delicate cusp between realism and magical realism. Through an evocative atmosphere and hauntingly beautiful nightscapes, it draws the viewer into a liminal world, at the border of life and death. The film’s strength lies in its finely nuanced performances and its ability to immerse the audience so completely that questions of what is real become irrelevant. Its hypnotic rhythm, meticulously crafted cinematography, and evocative score all work in seamless harmony, displaying the director’s command of the medium. This is a film that lingers—not just for its narrative arc, but for the emotional and sensory landscape it constructs with such precision. For its bold vision, technical mastery, and the profound contemplative space it creates, A Long Night Ahead is awarded Best Short Film.

Ram Krishna Ranjan