The Little Match Girl by Jacques Madvo

The Little Match Girl by Jacques Madvo is a graduation film from IDHEC, completed in 1954.

On New Year’s Eve, a young girl from a poor background tries to sell matches to passers-by, but they ignore her. She approaches a snow-covered window and watches a family preparing their New Year’s celebration. She then sits on the pavement and lights matches to keep warm. The first reveals a great fire, the second a festive meal, and the third her grandmother, whom she asks to take her to Heaven. The next morning, passers-by discover the girl’s lifeless body under the snow.