In the annals of cinema, the ascendancy of feature-length films in the early 20th century relegated short films to the periphery, often dismissed as mere curiosities or stepping stones for aspiring auteurs. To transcend this marginalisation, a short film had to possess extraordinary artistry or universal resonance. Albert Lamorisse’s *The Red Balloon* (1956), a 34-minute French fantasy, achieves precisely this, carv…







