Rob Munday

Winner of the BAFTA Award for Best British Short Film in 2025, Franz Böhm’s NFTS graduation film Rock, Paper, Scissors thrusts its viewers onto the frontline of the war in Ukraine, following a young man desperate to help protect a makeshift hospital. A tense 20-minute short, driven by an outstanding performance from Oleksandr Rudynskyi, the film is not only a striking demonstration of Böhm’s burgeoning directorial talents, but also a timely reminder that this conflict continues to devastate lives.

Shot in London, which doubles for the bunker, and Wales for the external scenes, Böhm and his team went to considerable lengths to create an authentic depiction of the conflict. Yet the film’s success doesn’t ultimately depend on the accuracy with which it recreates the war – few of us would be able to judge that in any meaningful sense – but on its focus on people. By centring the story on this group of civilians sheltering in a bunker, Böhm reminds us of those forced to spend their daily lives trapped in a war zone, while Rudynskyi’s portrayal of Ivan gives a human face to those fighting to protect the lives of others. It’s this emphasis on character and human experience that gives Rock, Paper, Scissors its emotional weight.

The filmmaking itself is equally impressive. The cinematography and production design work in tandem to capture the bunker’s claustrophobic atmosphere, while Böhm’s decision not to rely too heavily on visual effects keeps the film grounded and avoids unnecessarily dramatising the conflict. The result is a slick yet gritty production that finds an effective balance between the horrors of war and the beauty of cinema. It’s no surprise Rock, Paper, Scissors resonated so strongly with the BAFTA voters. Since graduating from the NFTS, Böhm has turned his attention to his debut narrative feature, Keep Her Quiet, which he is co-directing with Suli Kurban.