RISE
International Short Film (Zimbabwe), 21 minutes 34 seconds
Nominee: International Short Film
Synopsis:
Set in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, RISE follows a charismatic six-year-old boy surviving alone on a sprawling rubbish dump, where fighting has become a necessary part of staying alive. After a brutal encounter with an older boy leaves him injured, Rise is rescued by Coach Tobius, a reclusive boxer who trains two young fighters in the bush. Captivated by Tobius and determined to become a boxer himself, Rise refuses to take no for an answer and slowly forces his way into the coach’s guarded life.
As Tobius begins to train him, an unexpected bond develops. Through boxing, discipline and their growing friendship, Rise experiences something unfamiliar: safety. Tobius teaches him that fear can make a person shrink, and that only when we feel safe are we free to dream.
When Rise travels with Tobius and the other boxers to a tournament in Harare, he must confront the fears he has spent his young life fighting to survive. Inspired by true events, RISE is an uplifting coming-of-age story about fear, dreams, belonging, and the transformative power of being seen and loved.
Jessica J. Rowlands
Bio:
Jessica J. Rowlands is an award-winning writer-director whose work combines emotionally charged, character-driven storytelling with kinetic visual filmmaking. Her short film RISE became the first Zimbabwean film - short or feature - to screen at the Tribeca Festival, where it had its world premiere in 2025. A two-time UCLA Screenwriting Award winner and winner of the Cannes Lions Young Director Award, Jessica is currently developing her debut feature with an Oscar-nominated producer and co-writing an animated feature with an Academy Award-winning writer-director. Her work is drawn to outsiders, unlikely relationships and stories of resilience, often told through the worlds of sport and action.