In the world of entertainment, short films often get overlooked in favor of star-studded movies or bingeworthy TV shows. French broadcaster Canal+, the main partner of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, decided to pay tribute to the medium by making a short film of its own. 

The Canal+ film, created by the brand’s longtime ad agency BETC Paris, traverses a wide landscape of emotions. At first, the story appears to be a tear-jerker, as it takes place in a hospital room where a family gathers to say goodbye to their dying grandfather. 

When the adult son arrives, his sister is already in the middle of a teary speech. She tells her unconscious father that they’re all at his side and that Antonin, the grandson, is going to play his favorite violin piece. 

As Antonin plays a mournful tune, the signal on the elderly man’s hospital monitor flatlines. “It’s over,” the son declares—but, miraculously, his heart starts again a moment later. 

The family rejoices, and the boy resumes playing, but their joy is fleeting. The monitor stops and starts, taking the characters—and the film’s viewers—on an emotional rollercoaster. 

Then, in a darkly comic twist, all the turmoil is brought to an abrupt end by the little girl, who has been sitting serenely at his bedside the whole time. 

Chrystel Jung, BETC Paris associate creative director and writer of the film, told Adweek that the project’s aim was to demonstrate the full breadth of emotions and storytelling that could be contained within a short format. 

“We all know the saying, ‘it’s not the size that counts,’” she said. “We wanted to show that it’s not the size of the film that counts but the emotions that we feel while watching it. Short films have the ability to keep us entertained and give us chills just as much as feature films do. We also like the idea of playing on the double entendre of ‘short format,’ which references both the little girl and the short film.” 

Last month, Canal+ released another ad that captured the sentiment of obsessed fans being disappointed by the end of a TV show. 

CREDITS:

Brand: CANAL+
Brand managers: Emilie Pietrini, Celine Pontygayot, Valerie Lubert
Agency: BETC Paris
Agency managers: Bertille Toledano, Mathilde Lancon, Adrien Bletton
Chief creative officer: Stephane Xiberras
Associate creative director: Chrystel Jung
Copywriters: Chrystel Jung, Dario Fau
Head of TV production: Karim Naceur
TV producer: Leslie Levy
Production company: Blue Paris
Director: Dario Fau
Producer: Julie Michelin
Production director: Margot Le Moel
Post production company: Mopart
Sound company: Hercules