Each year, the Competition for Belgian Student Shorts (powered by Amplo) shines a spotlight on emerging filmmaking talent from across the country. Open to students from accredited film schools in Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels, the competition has previously awarded talents such as Anthony Nti, Kato De Boeck, Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, and Lukas Dhont.
This year, the jury presented the Award for Best Belgian Student Short (powered by Amplo), worth €5,000, to Maman by Niko Wei. The poetic documentary takes the form of a letter from a son to his mother. What begins as an attempt to recount her story - from her childhood move from Likasi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Brussels to her lifelong dream of becoming a photographer - gradually transforms into something else. Built around a single, intimate voice recording of the mother reading the letter for the first time, Maman becomes a moving contemplation on memory, love, and the act of storytelling itself.
The jury praised the film, claiming to have chosen “a surprising, loving film that doesn’t reveal its protagonist until the very end. With small means, this film gives you a big space to wander and feel. Just when you think you were in a certain world the film changes and makes way for a very touching moment. Ultimately, it’s an ode to all mothers.”
The jury also awarded a Special Mention to Far From Beyrouth by Mon Dewulf. The film follows a young man in Brussels whose partner is living through war in Beirut. As he tends to his cat and empty apartment, he drifts between the comfort of distance and the unease of a conflict experienced only through messages, videos, and silence. The jury highlighted that the film “represents closeness over a long distance. It shows the intimate struggles of a long distance relationship with both a person and a city in a moment of extreme violence.”