Short Film Competition
38 films
Aferrado
dir. Esteban Azuela
anim2024
Joel roams the city on a motorbike like a character from the 1980s action film. All he wanted to do was to fix cars, but additionally, he cleans up the mess left by his bosses. The animation, pulsating with disco rhythms and set in a glitchy reality, shows a disintegrating man in a violent world.
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Aicha
dir. Sanaa El Alaoui
fab2025
Three ceremonies dedicated to the bond between mother and daughter. The first - intimate, in the bathroom at home. The second - loud, musical, ritualised. The third - silent, full of sadness. Do you know what the secret of life is? To experience the past, the present and the future as if they were the same moment.
Read moreAmelia Starlight
dir. Laura Thomassaint
fab2024
Adored by the media and the public, French star Amélia Starlight (Emmanuelle Béart) is terminally ill. She withdrew from public life a long time ago, but one day a journalist running a popular talk show receives an electrifying message from her – Amélia wants to appear on television for the last time.
Read moreA Quiet Storm
dir. Benjamin Nicolas
dok2025
For 14-year-old Maïto, dance is more than a passion – it is a way of expressing emotions that he is not able to put into words. Raised in a home where the needs of his disabled sister were always at the forefront, he had to find his own way to draw attention to himself.
Read moreBecoming a Film Director (Cheng Wei Dao Yan Zhi Qian)
dir. Rongfei Guo
dok2025
A story of two women for whom directing is more than art. The documentary follows their journey from an idea for a film to its making, asking questions about the meaning of creation and showing the difficulties of combining artistic activity with everyday struggles faced by the women.
Read moreBeyond Eden
dir. Al Johnstone
dok2025
In the 1970s, following the wave of radical social changes, a group of American lesbians decided to create a world without men, settling far away from big metropolises. After 50 years, some of them return to see what has remained of the place that was to become their new Eden.
Read moreBloodline
dir. Wojciech Węglarz
dok2024
The story of a bison, separated from its herd by the wall on the Polish-Belarusian border, which unintentionally becomes a witness to the dramatic events taking place on both sides. The drama of the animal symbolically resonates with the drama of the people separated from their loved ones.
Read moreCitizen-Inmate (Dar Band)
dir. Hesam Eslami
dok2025
In digitally supervised Tehran, the control system stops working as planned. Those who have been watched so far are taking over the gaze. Is it possible to regain power over one’s own life in the world full of cameras? A gripping documentary about rebellion in the age of surveillance.
Read moreCroak Show
dir. Suresh Eriyat
anim2024
As night falls over the marshes, a frog concert begins. Turtles, fish, snails and even a creeping snake pick up the rhythm of the music. Will the serpent, too, succumb to the magic of sound? A dynamic animation, full of anxiety as well as humour, which shows that one should not give up – even when things do not go as planned.
Read moreEarly Feelings (Erken Hissler)
dir. Nurlan Hasanli
fab2024
The life of an 11-year-old hero revolves around football – the pitch, stickers with football players, T-shirts with the name of his idol. The routine is interrupted by the death of a neighbour when the family from abroad turn up at the funeral. Among them, there is a girl, from whom the boy cannot take his eyes off. Have his mates noticed it, too?
Read moreElephant in the desert (Pil Ba'midbar)
dir. Yael Nivron
fab2025
He hides his tears behind the sound of water, she wakes up at night with panic attacks. Nadav and Rotem are planning a wedding, but there are topics they do not discuss. How do you help a loved one when they do not want to talk about the problem? Sometimes, it is easier to spot an elephant in the desert than in your own room.
Read moreHeartbeat
dir. Jay Rosenblatt, Stephanie Rapp
dok2025
Jay Rosenblatt, a master of avant-garde cinema with two Oscar nominations, once again turns the camera on himself. The footage shot 25 years ago is a raw record of a couple’s dialogue as they experience the crisis of upcoming parenthood.
Read moreHunting (Qui part à la chasse)
dir. Lea Favre
anim2024
A young girl goes on a hunt - not for animals but for a perfect documentary shot. She learns how to be alert, invisible, ready to capture that one special moment, such as a romantic kiss, a unique gesture or a glint in the eye. Just when Lea thinks she has got her frame, she becomes a victim herself.
Read moreIn 769 km, New York (Cherez 769 km, New York)
dir. Sofiia Buhrii
dok2025
A distance of 769 kilometres is what separates a bakery in Kyiv from New York, an occupied town in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. This is where bread baked by people with intellectual disabilities ends up. Although they struggle with their own difficulties, their work saves people in the east of the country.
Read moreIt’s All Because of Her (To wszystko przez nią)
dir. Daria Kopiec
fab2025
Maria raises her introverted son alone. Kostek ignores her attempts at contact and their relationship seems frozen. Resorting to mystification and lies, Maria finds a way to reach him, but it will cost her dearly. 18+
Read moreLast snows (Les dernières neiges)
dir. Sarah Henochsberg
fab2024
The holidays in the Alps were expected to be carefree, but there is palpable tension between the parents, while the younger sister is whining and saying things she should not. Ten-year-old Sacha knows that this is their last trip together, and she tries to take care of the atmosphere and the entire family.
Read moreLiving Stones (Élő Kövek)
dir. Jakob Ladányi Jancsó
fab2025
A young woman is staying at a rehabilitation centre and delving deeper and deeper into the darkest parts of her past. Under the supervision of a therapist, she slowly uncovers layers of trauma. Trust and intimacy are an essential but very fragile part of this process.
Read moreLook Homeward (Spójrz na dom swój)
dir. Artem Rachkelyuk
fab2025
When the war broke out in Ukraine, the parents sent Vlad and his sister to Poland to ensure their safety. They themselves remained in the conflict-torn country. Vlad is expected to look after his younger sister, but his thoughts constantly flee to his homeland and especially to his father, who has been called up to the army.
Read moreMama Micra
dir. Rebecca Blöcher
dok2024
Before she got married, the director’s mother had lived an unconventional life on the road. After returning to Germany and starting a family, she set off again. For 10 years she lived in her car, which meant she hardly ever saw her daughter. Freedom was everything to her, but it came at a high price.
Read moreMother's House (Dom matki)
dir. Changsoo Kim
anim2024
Young-soo leaves his mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, at a nursing home. On the way back, the man hits a strange pair of sheep with his car – a son and a mother, who look like people. As he tries to help the female sheep, he begins to understand what he has really lost. Will it be too late to make amends?
Read moreNice Girls Don't Ask
dir. Jan Krawitz
dok2025
The 1950s in America were the time when schools were flooded with educational films aiming to shape exemplary female behaviour. This story, composed of excerpts from such films, is not only a look at the past ideals of femininity but also a bitter reflection on their contemporary echoes.
Read morePaleontology Lesson
dir. Sergei Loznitsa
dok2025
More than a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war is still going on in the streets, but at Kyiv’s Museum of Natural History children can forget about it for a while. Under Sergei Loznitsa’s watchful eye, they are transported to the world from millions of years ago – free from the reality of war.
Read moreRadix
dir. Anne Breymann
anim2025
Two mysterious creatures meet on a tree branch. They look like birds, but they could just as well be fragments of a tree that have gained the freedom of movement. Although cautious at first, they get closer with time, start touching each other shyly and open up, both literally and metaphorically.
Read moreSammi, Who Can Detach His Body Parts
dir. Rein Maychaelson
fab2025
Sammy’s mother can’t get over the fact that her son has spent his entire life sharing his body with those in need. A hand, leg or eye – with his extraordinary ability to detach body parts, he has helped people in impossible situations. When there is nothing left to give away, the mother decides to get her son back.
Read moreStill Moving
dir. Rui Ting-JI
anim2025
A moving animation about a mother and daughter who travel in a removal van and try to make a fresh start after the divorce. However, the journey becomes more and more difficult: the rain becomes more intense, the windscreen wipers stop working, the windows steam up and the tension rises, not just on the road but also between the protagonists.
Read moreSweden (Schweden)
dir. Nik Azad
fab2024
A man walks into an office where bored clerks are poring over piles of paperwork. Unfortunately, he may need to have to stay there longer, because his documents lack the necessary identification number. A short film that could have been made by Wes Anderson based on a screenplay by Franz Kafka.
Read moreTears (Rozdarcia)
dir. Paulina Ziółkowska
anim2025
‘Tears’ is a collage animation in which countless possibilities intersect like tangled city streets. Different people, destinations, ideals of beauty – the protagonist has so many paths to choose from and so many decisions to make every day. She feels lost in the world full of questions waiting for her to answer.
Read moreThank You Dr. Farsi
dir. Samaneh Shojaei
anim2025
Mino, reassured by her doctor’s recommendations, begins to understand that mental problems affect everyone, not just herself. During her birthday party, she observes the emotional struggles of her guests, such as trauma, anxiety and depression. A psychedelic journey that draws the viewer into unexplored states of the human psyche.
Read moreThe Granny & Fishes (Poorzal)
dir. Maria Mavati, Ehsan Farokhi Fard, Ehsan Farokhifard
dok2024
An elderly woman lives in a desolate area ravaged by droughts near Lake Hamun in Iran. She is the only inhabitant of one of the villages evacuated due to the lack of water. Every day, she walks on the sun-cracked ground, collects dried fish and waits for life to return to the area.
Read moreThe last people (Die letzten Menschen)
dir. Nicolas Pindeus
fab2025
A sleepy town in the Austrian countryside. Lenz works in a kitchen and Carina is a waitress. Lenz likes Carina, but she is dating Fabian, who has a car and a hot temper. The young people kill the small-town boredom by going out to a local bar on Fridays. One such outing will have serious consequences.
Read moreThe Pool or Death of a Goldfish (Basen albo śmierć złotej rybki)
dir. Daria Kopiec
anim2025
A metaphorical animation about growing up and the right to have one’s own opinion. The protagonist is like a goldfish – she fulfils her parents’ wishes and does not express her own needs. However, accumulated emotions begin to overwhelm her like water in a swimming pool. Should she drown in her own tears and unexpressed feelings or fight for freedom?
Read moreThe Prince (El Príncep)
dir. Alex Sardà
fab2024
Arthur is a dancer and his dance company is to stage an important performance. He is also the younger son of a wealthy businessman, whose risky decisions could affect the future and well-being of the whole family. On the eve of the highly anticipated premiere, Arthur is faced with a moral dilemma.
Read moreThe Thief (Anngeerdardardor)
dir. Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakken
fab2025
Kaali notices that his beloved dog has disappeared and he is determined to find her. Has someone stolen or kidnapped her? A small town on the east coast of Greenland is an unremarkable setting for an odyssey - but it is here, while looking for his pet, that Kaali finds himself.
Read moreUrban Duo (Lóngchāng gōngyù)
dir. HongYu Yue
anim2024
A father and son, residents of bustling Shanghai, represent different approaches to everyday life in a city. The split-screen animation juxtaposes two worlds: digital, metropolitan modernity and traditional life in harmony with nature. The film poses the question whether progress always means a better life.
Read moreWassupkaylee
dir. Pepi Ginsberg
fab2025
First content, then lunch. Kaylee, a teenage prankster, ends up in a house of influencers, where the only things that matter are likes and advertising contracts. She finds it hard to fit in with a group of TikTokers, but unexpectedly, a chance for friendship presents itself. How far will Kaylee go to create the viral content she craves?
Read moreWhat Does The Mud Whisper (Ras Churchulebs Talaxi)
dir. Dea Tcholokava
dok2025
In the Georgian bathhouse of Akhtala, visitors from all over the country enjoy healthy mud baths. They are accompanied by five-year-old Tako, who watches her grandmother at work. Monotonous days become an excuse for the girl to create her own world based on the legends she has heard.
Read moreWhose Woods Are These
dir. Kate Nartker
anim2024
Stepping barefoot on the grass, picking berries and, as dusk approaches, listening to the hooting of an owl and the steps of a wolf – the viewer gets to know a woman who went into the forest but never came back from it. Inspired by the true story of a missing great-grandmother, the film is a poetic tale based on scraps of memory, complemented by imagination.
Read moreWorld at Stake
dir. Susanna Flock, Adrian Jonas Haim, Jona Kleinlein
anim2025
Employing the style of popular video games, such as FIFA, PGA Tour and Dirt Rally, this animation tackles issues that go far beyond sports arenas. Each of the protagonists struggles not only with their rivals but also emotions, expectations and spectators, who constantly judge the players. Is this game about scoring points only?
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