Kolkata-Based SRFTI Students' Short Film 'A Doll Made Up Of Clay' Selected For Cannes 2025

A short film created by students of Kolkata's Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) is garnering international acclaim - it is set to feature at the 78th Festival de Cannes in 2025.

Titled 'A Doll Made Up of Clay', the film has been selected for the prestigious La Cinef section, which highlights works by film school students from around the globe.

Photo Credit: x.com/srfti_official

The story follows 23-year-old Nigerian footballer Ahmed, who originally arrived in Kolkata to participate in seven-a-side football matches but eventually found himself in front of the camera as an actor.

The film was written and directed by Kokob Gebrehweria Tesfay, an Ethiopian student at SRFTI, and produced by Sahil Manoj Ingle.

Executive Producer Uma Kumari said, "Coming from Rewari, a small town in Haryana, and now having the chance to represent India on a global stage like Cannes feels like a dream. As a female Executive Producer, it's a proud moment - not only for me but for every young dreamer from places where cinema isn't often seen as a viable career. Carrying the spirit of Haryana and India with me, I'm thrilled to step onto the world stage and prove that no dream is too distant if you believe in it."

'A Doll Made Up of Clay' was made under the institute's zero-budget programme.

"SRFTI provides us with the shooting locations and studios. I had to source all other resources either within or outside the institute. That was the real challenge we had to master. It is an immense honour that a film made under such circumstances will be screened at Cannes," said producer Sahil Manoj Ingle, as quoted by the Times of India.

Kokob, who comes from Zalambessa in Ethiopia's Tigray region, studied theatrical arts at Addis Ababa University before coming to India on a scholarship awarded by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

He enrolled in SRFTI's direction and screenplay writing course and brought his documentary-making experience into this fictional project.

"I made a documentary on African footballers in Kolkata. As an African filmmaker, this story is very close to my heart. The film is inspired by the real-life experiences of these young men-a story of hope, identity, transformation, and survival. I was fortunate to be mentored by Putul Mahmood, Mehdi Jaan, and Siladitya Sanyal throughout this project," he shared.

The lead role is portrayed by Ahmed, a non-professional actor from Nigeria's Yoruba ethnic group.

"Many African players come to Kolkata to participate in seven-a-side or five-a-side games. We earn per match, and that is what draws us here. I acted in school plays when I was younger but had never faced the camera before. When I was asked to act, I simply played myself in front of the camera," Ahmed said.

'A Doll Made Up of Clay' features a blend of Yoruba and Bengali languages and delves into the life of a young Nigerian player who sells his father's land to pursue a football dream in India - only for that dream to be shattered by a serious injury.

Heartbroken and adrift, he reconnects with his roots and ancestral rituals to heal and find a new sense of self.