Clermont-Ferrand IFF Review – Buda
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival
International Competition
Benjamin Franklin once famously wrote, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. Maybe he should have added ‘rubbish’ as well – because no matter what we do, we’ll always have to throw something away.
Like many great short films, Buda prompts us to think about something we know exists but rarely consider the mechanics behind it. Recypark Buda is a ‘junk removal service’ in Brussels, and its initial workings would seem painfully simple – people turn up, throw away their rubbish, and then leave. But Raphaël Kaddour’s Buda – recently put forward as an EFA Candidate for Nomination for Best Short after screening at Clermont-Ferrand – shows a rich ecosystem in which social strata are explored, government bureaucracy is rallied against, and hopes and dreams are reflected upon.
With little structure, the film follows the everyday machinations of the titular waste centre and throws up several little vignettes. One customer becomes angry that throwing away his waste will cost him a little over 3 Euros that threatens to turn into a screed against the Belgian government. Vans and lorries are turned away for being too big, some being more than a little annoyed. At the centre are our High-Vis wearing protagonists, the workers of Buda who listen to the rants and deal with the abuse with a quiet grace.
Part of the subtle power of the film is the disconnect between the vehemence of some reactions compared to the stakes of the situation. It would perhaps be more understandable if this were a medical centre and health was in the balance, or a bank and people were anxious about their finances. But this is a bunch of people who are working themselves in knots about not being able to throw away an old couch.
If this were perhaps an exercise in highlighting the excesses of human pettiness, Buda might feel too cynical to enjoy. But Kaddour also highlights the good customers, the people of good humour and those who find joy in even the most simple of human interactions. We find out more about the workers as well. Some are stuck in Buda with hopes and dreams of going somewhere else. Others are holding on to retirement. However, there’s a camaraderie and joy among those at Buda who are ready to face whatever the world throws – or should that be throws away – at them.
Short films are often excellent at showing the profundity of seemingly insignificant moments of life, and Buda is a wonderful example of this. Within a number of human interactions – often with a melting pot of cultures and ages (though the protagonists are almost overwhelmingly male) – it ends up being a curiously joyous celebration of the everyday.
Year: 2025
Country:Belgium
Runtime: 24 mins
Producer: Dreucci Julie (Institut des Arts de Diffusion – IAD)
Director – Raphaël Kaddour
Screenwriter – Raphaël Kaddour
Photography – Sébastien Moratto
Editing – Hugo Collard
Sound – Martin JEUNIAUX
Sound editing: Kolya Prignon
Sound mixing: Mélinda Dandois
Special effects: Basile de Bock
Production – Médiadiffusion – Iad, Bénédicte LESCALIER
Distribution: Dreucci Julie (Institut des Arts de Diffusion – IAD)
