Zsofi is a well-mannered and timid young girl who joins her new school’s award-wining choir to anchor herself to her new reality. But after the first rehearsal, the teacher tells her in private that she should stay silent and mime the lyrics. The explanation? Zsofi deserves to be a part of the choir’s success story, yet is not good enough to sing in it. The girl is heartbroken, but finds an unexpected ally in Liza, one of the most popular girls in school. This is Sing, Kristof Deák’s Academy Award-winning short film that speaks volumes about the world we live in today. Running only 25 minutes long and available to view for free on YouTube, it should be a mandatory viewing for parents and teachers alike.

Dariusz Kuźma: Sing is a powerful reminder of the ever-increasing necessity to educate people, both young and old, on how to prevent – or simply become more immune to – cases of social injustice. It is such an emotionally intense story that it seems like it was somehow personal. Was it?

Kristof Deák: Kind of. It started as a personal story that was recounted to me by my flatmate in London. She grew up in Sweden and lived through the situation you see in the film. Basically, the only thing I added was the part in which the kids stand up creatively against the teacher. I did that to have a narrative closure, and because, artistically, I believe it’s most effective to talk about such things when you invite the viewers to experience a range of emotions. I made Sing to ignite a discussion – but the ubiquity and universality of children encountering oppression in small ways still surprised me. They are innocently trying to assimilate the rules of the society they live in, and to an extent they learn the lies we all have to accept to live with each other and form a society. These are pivotal moments to most kids, and I think there should be a bigger discussion about this.