La Jetée 2026 Call for Projects
ZERØ1 Festival
La Rochelle

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Download the full brief (PDF)

Email contact@festivalzero1.com

Call for projects

La Jetée short film/animation

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ZERØ1 Festival — RESET

As part of the ZERØ1 festival and its RESET theme, an evening will be dedicated to the cult film La Jetée by Chris Marker. The evening will feature a screening of the film, as well as a showcase of the works created for this call for projects.

Following the ZERØ1 festival, the projects will be screened again at FEMA (La Rochelle Film Festival).

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About La Jetée

An essay film directed in 1962 by Chris Marker, La Jetée holds a unique place in cinema history.
Composed almost exclusively of black and white photographs, it explores memory, time, catastrophe, love, and obsession through a post-apocalyptic sci-fi narrative.

The work questions:

• the return to the origin;
• the time loop;
• memory that freezes or transforms.

It is in this spirit that we invite young artists to propose their own creations, to explore the territories of time, image, and memory without fear.

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The call for projects

You are invited to create an animated short film of at least one minute, inspired by La Jetée.‍

Your proposal can draw upon:

• key themes of the film (time, memory, the apocalypse, vertigo, love, the fixation of memory, a dystopian future...);
• its technique or aesthetic (photographs, black and white, voice-over narration, text/image hybridization...);
• or freely depart from it, as long as the resonance with the film remains perceptible.

If you have already created a short film that meets the criteria above, you may also submit it.

Who is this for?

• For students, from all disciplines;
• For young artists, emerging or in training;
• For creators, with or without animation experience.

We encourage...

• experimentation;
• risk-taking;
• all styles: stop motion, 2D, 3D, rotoscoping, mixed media, photo-novel, collage, motion design, etc.

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Participation terms

The application period has been extended until January 30 inclusive.

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You can submit your application via this form:

Your application must include:

• a statement of intent;
• a storyboard draft;
• a moodboard;
• and any other document you deem relevant (tests, excerpts, visual research, etc.).

You may also include an existing short film if it aligns with the spirit of the call for projects.

Pre-selection

A selection committee including the ZERØ1 team and members of the FEMA programming team will meet to select the projects. Successful candidates will be contacted during the first few weeks of February.

Delivery - March 15

Selected participants must submit:

• a final short film of at least one minute in a horizontal (landscape) or square format;
• a descriptive card for the produced short film.

Upon receipt of all animated films, a final selection will be made by the FEMA selection committee. Final decisions will be sent out during the week of March 16, 2026.

ZERØ1 Festival (March 30 to April 6) and also included in the program for FEMA 2026, the La Rochelle Cinema Festival (June 26 to July 4).

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For more information, you can contact us at our email address: festivalzero1@gmail.com

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