THE KING’S SACRIFICE best screenplay VMF 2025

The short film “The King’s Sacrifice“, justly awarded the Best Screenplay at the VerticalMovie Festival 2025, stands out as a brilliant example of narrative and concept, proving that the vertical format can be a powerful tool for metaphor.

The true genius of the short lies in the central idea of utilizing chess pieces as vertical, moving elements. From the imposing silhouettes of the King and Queen to the dynamism of the Bishop and Knight, right down to the march of the Pawns: every piece is represented and moves on the scene in perfect harmony with the 9:16 frame. This choice is not merely aesthetic, but structural.

What might at first glance appear to be a claustrophobic screenplay—a tight confrontation between an inmate and an inspector in a locked room—is revealed instead as the ultimate expression of the protagonist’s great mental openness. The encounter, centered around a harmless game of chess, is the perfect narrative device: a calculated move by the inmate to execute his plan and save himself from serious charges and inconvenient witnesses.

The plot is tense, full of sharp dialogue and unexpected twists. The direction is solid, and the acting by Thomas Kühl and Dragan Volic is impeccable, but the beating heart of the work is undoubtedly its text: well-written and masterfully scripted by Gwendolyn Harlacher and Carlo Morand, who also handles the cinematography, “The King’s Sacrifice” is a game of chess played with words, where every line of dialogue is a crucial move. An example of narrative intelligence in the vertical cinema landscape.