SRFTI students' film A Doll Made Up of Clay made a world premiere Cannes Film Festival 2025

In a moment of pride for Indian cinema, A Doll Made Up of Clay, a student film by the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata, had a world premiere today in the prestigious La Cinef section at the 78th Festival de Cannes 2025. As the only Indian entry in this category, the film marks a significant milestone in India’s cinematic education journey.

A Doll Made Up of Clay creates history at Cannes Film Festival 2025

Driven by ambition, a young Nigerian athlete sells his father's land to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer in India. However, a career-ending injury leaves him disillusioned and stranded in an unfamiliar country. Through physical pain, emotional trauma, and an identity crisis, he reconnects with the spiritual traditions of his ancestors, finding redemption and meaning.

A Doll Made Up of Clay is a powerful exploration of displacement, loss, and cultural resilience. This 23-minute experimental film, produced under SRFTI’s Producing for Film and Television (PFT) department, showcases cross-border collaboration. Produced by Sahil Manoj Ingle, a PFT student, and directed by Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay, an Ethiopian student under the ICCR African Scholarship, the film underscores SRFTI’s dedication to global cinematic innovation. Receiving an invitation to compete in La Cinef at Cannes, the film highlights emerging talent from top global film schools.

Prof. Sukanta Majumdar (Dean, SRFTI) highlighted, “Any cinematic expressions of our students, when recognised on a prestigious global platform, make us feel reassured. This is a huge moment of pride for us, and we are very proud of our students. I wish them the very best for the competition.”

Kokob, who holds a degree in theatrical and visual arts form Addis Ababa University, who's currently pursuing direction and screenplay writing at SRFTI, adds, “I'm incredibly humbled and thrilled to share that short film A Doll Made of Clay has been officially selected for La Cinef at the 78th Festival De Cannes, one of the world's most prestigious platforms for emerging filmmakers.

"This film is deeply personal, inspired by the untold stories of African footballers living in India navigating dreams, struggles, and resilience far from home," adds he.

Written and directed by Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay from Ethiopia, the film sees Nigerian actor Ibrahim Ahmed as the lead, with Geeta Doshi and Rwitban Acharya as the co-actors. The film also sees Vinod Kumar as the DOP, Bangladesh's Haru – Mahmud Abu Naser as the editor, with sound designed by Soham Pal, and music composed by Himangshu Saikia.