CANNES, France, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese short film, 12 Moments Before the Flag-raising Ceremony, directed by Qu Zhizheng of the Beijing Film Academy, has been awarded the Second Prize in the La Cinef section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.
The 16-minute film centers on a student at a Beijing secondary school who, though seen as a "model student" for his role as flag bearer during the school's weekly flag-raising ceremony, begins to question the significance of his position.
While the story appears to depict a routine moment in campus life, it probes deeper into the structures of the educational system, unpacking the psychological weight and institutional expectations surrounding such rituals.
The First Prize in the La Cinef section was awarded to the South Korean short film First Summer, while the Japanese short Ginger Boy and the Estonian short Winter in March shared the Third Prize.
All four winning films were screened following the award ceremony in Cannes, with a special screening scheduled to take place in Paris on June 6.
La Cinef, part of the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, is dedicated to showcasing and supporting student films -- whether fiction or animation -- that exhibit emerging talent and creative promise, according to the organizers.
This year's La Cinef section featured 16 student films, selected from 2,679 submissions representing 646 film schools around the world.
