A tale of two foolhardy boys goofing around in the Quebec wilderness, Jeremy Comte’s captivating short film Fauve soon takes a dramatic turn that sees its young protagonists pitted against nature. Shocking and unflinching, this deserved winner of the Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2018 provokes strong visceral emotions in audiences, and its expert juxtaposition of the mundane and the horrific leaves an indelible mark on all who encounter it. Fauve is a personal film for Comte, with the writer/director/editor putting a lot of himself into his production beyond the obvious blood, sweat, and tears. As a child, growing up in the countryside, Comte had a recurring nightmare about the exact sort of scenario depicted in the film’s most tense moments. A few years ago, an unexpected flashback of those memories prompted him to explore elements of his childhood in his storytelling and this echo from the past soon turned into the inspiration for Fauve. Alongside picking up an award at Sundance, Fauve has had (and continues to have) an incredible festival run ahead of its online release today. After premiering at the Utah festival in January, Fauve has been traveling all over the world, qualifying for Academy Award consideration (more than once) and was even selected by Barry Jenkins as part of his curation for Telluride.