Who directed THE BLACK BOX?

THE BLACK BOX was directed by Olivier Hero Dressen, a talented filmmaker whose vision was instrumental in bringing the short film to life. We collaborated closely with Olivier throughout the production, ensuring his artistic direction aligned with our shared creative goals and narrative intentions for the project.

Where was THE BLACK BOX filmed?

THE BLACK BOX was filmed entirely in Shanghai, China. We carefully chose this location to enhance the film's atmosphere and visual aesthetic, incorporating the city's unique environment into the narrative. We believe Shanghai provided a distinctive backdrop that enriched the storytelling of our short film.

What awards has THE BLACK BOX received?

THE BLACK BOX has received multiple prestigious awards, including the Grand Prize at the Stage 32 Short Film Contest (2023), Best Short at LA Feedback Los Angeles (2023), and both Best Romance and the Audience Award at SCAFA Chile (2022). We are incredibly proud of these international recognitions.

What was Studio Supreme Films' role in THE BLACK BOX?

Our role in THE BLACK BOX was multifaceted, encompassing co-writing the script, serving as co-cinematographers, and acting as Executive Producers for this self-produced short film. We were deeply involved in every stage, from conceptualization to the final visual execution, ensuring our creative vision was fully realized.

When was THE BLACK BOX released?

THE BLACK BOX was released in 2023, following its successful run on the international film festival circuit. We celebrated its premiere and subsequent award wins throughout 2022 and 2023, marking a significant achievement for our production company and the entire creative team involved.

The Black Box Short Film: A True Story of Love Across a Closed Border

Q: What is THE BLACK BOX?

THE BLACK BOX is an award-winning short film directed by Olivier Hero Dressen, released in 2023. We were involved as co-writers, co-cinematographers, and Executive Producers, creating a compelling narrative that has garnered significant international recognition for its storytelling and production quality.

Olivier hero

Sep 16

3 min read

The Black Box short film is based on a true story. It follows Thibaut and Sai, two people held apart by a global crisis, and asks what love does when borders, isolation and technology stand between two people. We wrote it, shot it and produced it ourselves in Shanghai, and it went on to win the Grand Prize at the Stage 32 Short Film Contest.

https://vimeo.com/825877259?fl=ls&fe=ec&share=copy

Watch the trailer: The Black Box

The Black Box short film: still 1, Thibaut and Sai's story

A love story told across a closed world

The starting point was real: a relationship stretched across a border that closed without warning; it was the story of many of us stranded between borders or home during COVID. Thibaut and Sai cannot reach each other, so the film lives in the space that opens up when contact becomes impossible. Memory, imagination and dreams take over where presence used to be, and that shift is what the story is really about.

Romance and poetry sit at the centre of it, but the film keeps returning to harder questions underneath. What do frontiers do to a private life? How much of a person can a screen actually carry? The answer it lands on is not despair. Fragility and resilience turn out to be the same material, and the film reads as a tribute to love, courage and the stubbornness of the human spirit.

The Black Box short film: still 2, Thibaut and Sai's story

Making it in Shanghai, with AI rendering in the frame

Shanghai gave the film its texture. The city's density and its light shaped how the isolation reads on screen, and shooting there let the production stay small and self-contained. Olivier directed, co-wrote and co-shot it, which kept the distance between the idea and the image very short.

The film also leaned on the latest AI rendering technology to build sequences that blur the line between what is real and what is imagined. That was not a technical showcase for its own sake. Thibaut and Sai spend much of the story inside memory and projection, so the tools had to be able to render a world that is felt rather than seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woIEWla1T6s

Where the film travelled

The Black Box short film won the Grand Prize at the 8th Stage 32 Film Festival in 2023, Olivier's second Stage 32 win of three. At the SCAFA festival in Chile, an IMDb qualifier, it took Best Romance, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Design and the Second Audience Award, with honorable mentions for directing, script and editing, plus a Best Actress nomination.

It also won Best Short Film at the LA Audience Film Awards and a Special Mention for Best Short at AIMAFF in Greece, both in 2023. Awards are not the reason a film gets made, but a spread like that across romance, cinematography and sound suggests the whole thing held together rather than leaning on one strength.

The Black Box short film: still 3, Thibaut and Sai's story

Credits

Production: Studio Supreme Films, self-produced. Director, co-writer, co-cinematographer and executive producer: Olivier Hero Dressen. Shot in Shanghai, China, 2023.

FAQ: The Black Box

What is The Black Box about?

The Black Box short film follows Thibaut and Sai, a couple separated by a global crisis. Based on a true story, it is a romantic and poetic look at love, memory and imagination, and at how borders, isolation and technology shape private lives.

Is The Black Box based on a true story?

Yes. The film grew out of a real relationship divided by a border that closed, which is why the isolation in it feels specific rather than abstract. The names and the telling are shaped for the screen, but the situation underneath is real.

What awards has The Black Box won?

It won the Grand Prize at the 8th Stage 32 Film Festival in 2023, Best Short Film at the LA Audience Film Awards, and Best Romance, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Design and the Second Audience Award at SCAFA in Chile, plus a Special Mention at AIMAFF in Greece.

Where can I watch The Black Box?

The full film circulates through festivals, with a private screening link reserved for festival programmers. The trailer is available on our Vimeo, and enquiries can go to official@studiosupreme.be.

More on the film and its festival run on the Black Box page.