“ALL the Crows in the World,” a 14-minute short film by Tang Yi, a New York University (NYU) film student from Hong Kong, claimed the top prize for short film at the Cannes.

The film follows an 18-year-old student, Shengnan (Chen Xuanyu), who gets invited to a mysterious party by her cousin. Much to her surprise, the party is filled with greasy middle-aged men. But one of them is different: Jianguo (Xue Baohe). As the night continues, the two form an unlikely bond.

Tang said the short film was inspired by her own experiences as a teenager. “I was often asked to sing and dance in front of everyone at dinner parties. I was very used to it so I was never uncomfortable about it,” she said.

However, at one party, she was forced to drink with every “uncle” at the table. Things got out of hand and she was asked by the host to go karaoke.

“Instead of recreating a long-gone traumatized memory, I try to make it more ‘cult’ as my reflection on the business dinner party culture and an observation of how marginalized people get connected,” she said.

(SD-Agencies)