This strange duo is Trash, a short film made by a team of eight ESMA Lyon students and presented in 2024 at the ESMA Graduation Show, where it won first prize.
The pitch? In a dark alleyway, a rat and a pigeon tear each other apart for a few crumbs. In their fierce struggle to survive, they become unwitting witnesses to the grotesque excesses of human opulence.
A six-minute animated short with an unstructured visual style, Trash follows the frantic race between a rat and a pigeon in an open-air arena that is as impressive as it is banal. Trash is a modern fable about the excesses of humanity. The film questions human hubris while leaving room for hope and beauty, even in the midst of chaos.
Thanks to an impressive level of execution and bold artistic choices, the film has won over audiences far beyond ESMA. With more than forty international selections and numerous awards and ceremonies, culminating in the BAFTA Student Award 2025, the film’s team – Gregory Bouzid, Maxime Crançon, Robin Delaporte, Matteo Durand, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral, Margaux Lutz and Fanny Vecchie – has received worldwide recognition.
We talked to them about their unforgettable experiences, from Los Angeles to Vancouver, via Melbourne, Gran Canaria and many other hot spots in the entertainment world.
Trash has won numerous awards and has been selected for a wide range of international festivals:
how do you feel about this recognition?
Romain Fleischer: Ever since the first prize we won at the ESMA Graduation Show 2024, every new award has been a pleasant surprise, especially as we didn’t expect it at all when we were making the film! Right from the start, we put all our energy and a lot of attention to detail into this creation, but we thought that our short film would remain, as is often the case with student short films, much more confidential. The success of our work at so many festivals and in so many countries, still a year and a half on, continues to surprise us. We’re very proud of it, and very grateful.
Among these selections and awards, is there one that has particularly touched you?
Romain Fleischer: I can think of three awards.
The first was the first prize at our school, ESMA, which marked the beginning of our journey and was the only one we were able to celebrate together. It’s a powerful memory, which also marked the end of our five years of study and a year and a half of hard work on this project.
The second was the SIGGRAPH Best in Show which, because of its international renown, really touched us. Especially as we won in the general category, not the student category, so we were eligible for the Oscars!
Finally, the BAFTA student award. It’s a major institution in the film industry, and to receive an award from this body meant a lot to us. For me, it confirmed the critical success we’ve had since the start of our career.
You’ve been invited to several of these festivals, what were your experiences like?
Maxime Crançon: For me, the trips to Los Angeles (BAFTA Student Awards) and Vancouver (SIGGRAPH) were the highlights. We’re used to seeing these kinds of ceremonies on television, so to be invited there was quite unreal. It was also very impressive to see the film recognised internationally, and by the professionals present.
Do you have a special memory or an anecdote to share?
Gregory Bouzid: Travelling with Trash has given us some wonderful memories. Whether it was being warmly congratulated at the end of a screening in Bristol by Peter Lord, co-founder of Aardman Studios and co-creator of Wallace and Gromit, or (between two karaoke sessions with our co-nominees) spending an evening in a pub in Tokyo with Japanese animation pundits and animators from Ghibli!
What I remember most is the opportunities we had to meet all the people who inspired us: At the Zagreb Animafest, I was able to meet Veljko Popovic, from the Primerender studio, for whom Bozo Balov works, the artist who inspired our artistic direction. Following this meeting, we were lucky enough to spend a few hours together in Annecy with him, and show him the film!
Speaking of meetings, were you able to make any new contacts at these events?
Gregory Bouzid: What I really enjoyed was meeting so many film-makers, not just technical and 3D professionals. These filmmakers really made us want to continue producing and writing films, so that we could relive the experience.
Maxime Crançon: We did indeed have the opportunity to talk to a lot of professionals, which was very enriching, particularly in terms of understanding what goes on behind the scenes in the industry. That said, the people I’ve kept in touch with most are other nominees. It was particularly nice to talk to other artists and directors who, like us, are taking their first steps in the industry.
How do you feel today, after this exceptional career?
Romain Fleischer: In a way, as everything calms down, it allows us to step back and reflect on how lucky we were to receive so much recognition for our film. Now we need to look ahead and get back to work on the next film, perhaps?
The experience of working together with the Trash team left a big impression on us, and today we’re still motivated to work together! In fact, we’re currently working on a new project. It’s still in the embryonic stage at the moment, but we hope to be able to present it to you soon!
Since winning the Esma Graduation Show 2024, the film Trash has been selected, nominated and/or awarded at the following festivals and ceremonies:
Tokyo Anime Awards Festival, Cinequest Film Festival (Award: Best Animated Short, qualifying for the Oscars), PIDS, SHORTS – Trinationales Filmfestival Offenburg, Wellington Animation Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, TAAFI Toronto Animation Arts Festival International, Festival Européen du court métrage de Bordeaux, Animafest Zagreb, Melbourne International Animation Festival (Award: Best of Fest), In the Palace International Film Festival, Animayo (Best Student Short Film), International Animation Festival Chilemonos, Norwegian Short Film Festival (Award: Honorable Mention), Lanzarote International Film Festival, DeadCenter Film Festival, Festival Alain Resnais, Andaras Traveling Film Festival, SIGGRAPH 2025 (Award: Best in Show, qualifying for the Oscars), BAFTA Students Awards (Award: Best Animated Short), Almagro International Film Festival, Cartoon Club Rimini, Encounters Film Festival, SAIRAI Sania Arts Festival, Edinburgh Short Film Festival, Tirana International Film Festival, New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival, Un festival c’est trop court!Piccolo Festival Dell’Animazione International Animated Film Festival, Kuandu International Animation Festival, Cortoons Festival Gandia 2025 (Award: Best International Animation School Graduation Short Film), Festival du film court de Villeurbanne, Xiamen International Animation Festival, Manchester Animation Festival, Anishort – International Short Animated Film Festival, Leuven International Short Film Festival, ICONA Animation Festival, CutOut Fest – International Animation and Digital Art Festival, Nahal International Student Short Film Festival, ANIMEX Awards, Festival International du film d’animation de Metz, Blue Water Film Festival, Annie Awards 2026.
To find out more about the film, watch the teaser: