Kortfilmfestival Leuven 2025 Catalogue

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FILMS DIE JE NIET LOSLATEN

Welcome!

Growing Platform for New Talent

Welcome to the 31st edition of Leuven International Short Film Festival, my 10th as festival director. Just as when it was established in 1995, the festival remains first and foremost an exciting talent hunt. A search for promising new filmmakers who are eager to share their work with the world. And that is also the second major goal of the festival: to bring filmmakers in touch with the public and with each other.

The presence of international filmmakers at the festival has grown significantly in recent years, resulting in Q&A's in almost all competition programmes. But the festival has also grown in scope. Two years ago, for example, the European Competition expanded, resulting in the inclusion of documentary and animated films; eight years ago, the Flemish Competition for Documentaries was revived.

Sounding Board for the World

Short films have the ability to respond quickly to contemporary issues, making the festival a reflection of what goes on in the world and what young filmmakers are concerned about. The programme on militant archival cinema and the Palestinian anthology film From Ground Zero show how important this unique medium can be. Short films allow rarely heard communities to make their voices heard and allows them to revolt. In that regard, there are also programmes on Female Gaze and Restorative Justice in this year’s programme.

The keyword of the festival remains variety. After all, the possibilities in terms of themes, but also in terms of genres, length or style are endless. And that is reflected in the festival. Each edition is different and even within each compilation there is something for everyone. This year, there is also an extensive focus on the Netherlands, with its characteristic “snack wall” providing the inspiration for this edition's campaign image, and the light-hearted series Kitchen Chaos, which zooms in on the mini-universe of a restaurant kitchen. Festival favourites such as Animation Nations, Labo and Short Films for Children, are, of course, also returning to the festival.

As always: welcome to Leuven!

Vincent Langouche Festival Director Kortfilmfestival Leuven

Competition & Award Ceremony

A whole range of prizes are awarded at Kortfilmfestival Leuven. Most of the films in the Flemish and European Competitions are eligible for both an audience and a jury award. Both the Jury Award for Best European Short Film and the Jury Award for Best Flemish Short Film are Academy Award® Qualifying and thus deserve a place on the Oscars' longlist. Thanks to the encompassing jury prize for Best Flemish Short Film, both Flemish live action fiction and short Flemish documentaries as well as animated films are eligible. In addition, the festival jury nominates a film from the European competition for the European Film Awards, and British films are automatically eligible for the BAFTAs.

The Peer Award is back for the sixth time: filmmakers once again have the opportunity to watch and judge each other's films. The winner earns a place on the jury for the next edition of the festival.

This year, for the first time, the Award for Best Screenplay will be presented, a collaboration between the Screenwriters' Guild and the Directors' Union, made possible by deAuteurs and Sabam. In addition to the jury and audience awards for best short film and the brand new screenplay award, the Flemish Competition also has a whole range of other awards in store: best cinematography, best debut, best acting performance, the Humo Award and the press award presented by the UBFP and UFK.

Finally, Leuven International Short Film Festival hosts the annual presentation of the Pitch Your Script award in collaboration with the Screenwriters' Guild, and - last but not least - the highly coveted VAF Wildcards and VAF Booster Cards are awarded at the festival. The VAF Next Generation Ceremony takes place during the first weekend of the festival, so that the winners' work can be screened afterwards. The other prizes are awarded during the closing night on 6 December.

FLEMISH COMPETITION

JURY AWARD FOR BEST FLEMISH SHORT FILM

Qualification for the Academy Awards®

AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

€1.000, gifted by Camalux

AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY

€2.000, awarded by Scenaristengilde and de Unie van Regisseurs, gifted by deAuteurs and Sabam.

FLEMISH COMPETITION: FICTION

JURY AWARD

Facilities gifted by Camalux, worth €12.500

AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT

€1.500, gifted by Sabam

AWARD FOR BEST ACTING

€1.000, gifted by PlayRight

AUDIENCE AWARD

VRT CANVAS purchase prize worth €2.000 euro + facilities gifted by Sondr and A Sound worth €5.000

FLEMISH COMPETITION: ANIMATION

JURY AWARD

Dalton Distribution purchase prize worth €1.000

AUDIENCE AWARD

VRT CANVAS purchase prize worth €2.000

FLEMISH COMPETITION: DOCUMENTARY

JURY AWARD

Facilities gifted by Camalux worth €7.500

EUROPEAN COMPETITION

JURY AWARD

€1.000 gifted by Kortfilmfestival Leuven European Film Award nomination Academy Award® qualification

PEER AWARD

Filmmakers from the European Competition choose their favourite film, the winner is awarded a spot on the jury of Kortfilmfestival Leuven 2026

AUDIENCE AWARD

Dalton Distribution purchase prize worth €1.000

PITCH YOUR SCRIPT AWARD

2 x €5.000 facilities gifted by Camalux

PRESS AWARD

Awarded by UBFP and UFK

European Competition 2025: Members of the Jury

Victoria Warmerdam

Oscar winner Victoria Warmerdam is a Dutch film director and screenwriter. She graduated from the Utrecht School of the Arts in 2014 with the film Gelukkig ben ik Gelukkig (Luckily I Am Happy), which won awards at numerous festivals. Her short film Ik ben geen robot (I Am Not a Robot) won her the Oscar for Best Short Film in 2025. She combines dry humour with existential themes. Her characters embody an intriguing mix of sadness, alienation and wit.

Douwe Dijkstra

Douwe Dijkstra is a filmmaker and visual artist. He studied illustration at the ArtEZ University of the Arts. His work is a mix of video, animation and visual effects and can be described as both humorous and socially engaged. His projects range from short films and documentaries to video installations and theatre performances.

Lun Sevnik

Lun Sevnik is a director and screenwriter from Slovenia. After studying philosophy and Bohemistics at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, he went to Prague to study film. He recently completed a master’s degree in film directing at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU). His graduation film, The Sea in Between was pitched at Euro Connection 2021 and won the Peer Award at Kortfilmfestival Leuven 2024. He is currently developing his first feature film.

Flemish Competition 2025: Members of the Jury

Mathieu Janssen

Mathieu Janssen is the artistic leader of Go Short - International Short Film Festival. Born from his love for films, in 2013 he co-founded the screening collective Deep End Film, and in 2018 Mathieu started his work at Go Short. As a driving force in the programming department he is responsible for the competitive sections, part of the selection committee and out-of-competition programmes. With Go Short he co-initiated the collaborative international platform This Is Short.

Karin Vandenrydt

After working for several years at various film production companies, Karin Vandenrydt joined Folioscope, organiser of the Brussels Anima Festival, in 2000. She developed the Dutch-language section, was a member of the selection committee and contributed to the programming. From 2020 to 2025, she was co-director of the festival, together with Dominique Seutin. She also taught several courses in the Animated Film department of LUCA School of Arts.

Julie Bovendaerde

After graduating from the RITCS writing programme in 2019, Julie started as a dialogue writer in the writers' room of the soap opera Familie. She later co-wrote the scripts for various young adult series such as 2DEZIT, the most recent wtFOCK series, Meisjes and Blur. She is currently developing a series at Eyeworks, together with Willem Wallyn.

European Competition

The European Competition is an intriguing mix of live action fiction, animation and documentary. Out of more than 3,000 entries, seven programmes remained. The winner of this category automatically makes it to the longlist of the Oscars, the European Film Awards and for British candidates: the BAFTAs. Equally important: viewers also get a vote, thanks to the audience award.

Programme 1

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (22:00), Thu 04/12 (16:30)

Klas

Rumi Kaul • The Netherlands • 2024 • 27 min.

After an incident, a class at a primary school is split up. The pupils are divided into separate groups in the hope of bringing back some peace and quiet. Ilias, a new trainee teacher, wants to make a difference, but nothing seems to work. Meanwhile, one of his pupils starts a revolution.

Producer: Sebastian Martens

Good Night Monster

Emilia Hernesniemi • Finland • 2025 • 18 min.

Vilma, 22, prepares for the Theatre Academy entry exams, like she did last Spring. Striving for her place in the world, she finds herself in a limbo. It is a Monster, that is stuck fast within her. Despite the scary Monster, she is getting ready for the exams.

Producer: Venla Hellstedt

Mother Is a Natural Sinner

Hoda Taheri, Boris Hadzija • Germany, Iran • 2024 • 15 min.

Hoda, an Iranian refugee, lives in exile in Germany with her boyfriend, Hadi. Due to an unexpected pregnancy, Hoda starts to examine common beliefs regarding gender roles in a relationship and openly challenges the current patriarchal social norms surrounding feminine bodies and motherhood.

Producer: Maximilian Feldkamp • Production company: Deutsche Film - und Fernsehakademie Berlin • Cinematography: Selma von Polheim • Editing: Boris Hadzija • Cast: Hadi Khanjanpour, Hoda Taheri

3XMina

Nans Laborde-Jourdàa • France • 2025 • 26 min.

Mina is in Cannes to perform for three nights during the Festival. She drifts from glittery clubs to hotel rooms, from lovers' arms to those of friends. There's Mina the performer, Mina the lover but also Mina the Italian singer from the 70's, whom she evokes on stage every night.

Producer: Caroline Bonmarchand • Cinematography: Pauline Doméjean • Editing: Clément Pinteaux • Sound: Paul Guilloteau

Retirement Plan

John Kelly • Ireland • 2024 • 7 min.

Ray isn't retired yet, but he's already dreaming about it. He thinks about all the things he'd love to do when in retirement, when he finally has the “time”.

Producer: Andrew Freedman, Julie Murnaghan • Cast: Domhnall Gleeson

European Competition

Programme 2

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (22:00), Thu 04/12 (19:30)

Rouge

Zoé Arene • France, Belgium • 2025 • 16 min.

In this adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood, nothing goes as expected: "Hoodie" boldly asserts her desires without fear or shame, the Wolf is far from a predator, and Grandmother is losing her mind. And the narrator might not get the last word…

Producer: Benoît Roland, Robin Robles • Cinematography: Alex Cabanne • Editing: Léo Parmentier • Cast: Annette Baussart, Epona Guillaume, François Neycken, Jean-Michel Vovk, Tom Adjibi

Skin on Skin

Simon Schneckenburger • Germany • 2025 • 30 min.

In an industrial slaughterhouse in Germany, Jakob works as a security guard while Boris from Bosnia slaughters pigs. Amidst the cold brutality of their surroundings, the two men form a quiet, unspoken bond. When Jakob helps Boris retrieve his confiscated passport, they find themselves caught in a dangerous spiral of power and helplessness.

Producer: Leon Döhner, Gerd Scherrmann

Driving Lessons

Anastasiya Gruba • Ukraine • 2024 • 18 min.

It's wartime in Kiev, Ukraine. A father is teaching his daughter how to drive. They're each other's only family and have a strong bond, but they often disagree. The driving lesson takes an unexpected turn when the dad gets a summons at a checkpoint.

Producer: Valeria Sochyvets, Viktor Shevchenko, Denys Satanovskyi, Mira Oyetoro, Sabina Asadova • Cinematography: Oleksandra Pletenetska • Editing: Philip Sotnychenko • Sound: Yelisei Zolotov • Cast: Angelina Samchyk, Kostyantyn Danylyuk

Bumblebee

Fon Cortizo • Spain • 2024 • 19 min.

Alex works as a film audio describer for visually impaired people. He struggles with his place in the world, his masculinity and his role in caregiving. And he tries to discover which sounds disturb his hundred-yearold grandfather's dreams. Lucía has been blind since birth. She helps Alex.

Cast: Cory Mañá, Machi Salgado, Xan Cortizo

Arguments in Favor of Love

Gabriel Abrantes • Portugal • 2025 • 10 min.

Two ghosts argue in a deserted world ravaged by floods and fires. They discuss genetic testing, grief and lost love. The disputes of a couple, taken from real life, portrayed by ghosts.

Producer: Margarida Lucas, Gabriel Abrantes • Production company: Artificial Humors • Cinematography: Ivo Francisco, José André, Luis Martins • Editing: Margarida Lucas • Cast: Inês Castel-Branco, Jack Haven • Sales: Portugal Film

European Competition

Programme 3

Screenings: Mon 01/12 (22:00), Fri 05/12 (15:15)

Gaza Bride 17

Waseem Khair • Estonia, Palestine, State of, United Kingdom • 2025 • 20 min.

A fisherman from Gaza is trapped in his haunting memories. After losing his only child, he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder that leads him on a psychological journey, reliving his tragedy in a different reality.

Producer: Mariam Basha, Waseem Khair • Cinematography: Ashraf Dowani • Editing: Abdallah Sada • Sound: Israel Bañuelos • Cast: Angham Khalil, Saleh Bakri • Sales: Radiator IP Sales

The Spectacle

Bálint Kenyeres • Hungary, France • 2025 • 17 min.

In Hungary, in a neglected neighbourhood, the Roma teenager Vilmos lives with his grandmother. A film crew comes to their home to make a documentary about Vilmos' remarkable talent.

Producer: Anna Bartók, Jeremy Zelnik • Cinematography: Thimios Bakatakis • Editing: Anna Vághy • Cast: Vilmos Jónás • Sales: Salaud Morisset

Whatever City

Tobias Klemeyer Smith • Norway • 2024 • 28 min.

Ida bumps into her old music teacher from elementary school. This unexpected meeting sets off a journey through a city where many people speak, but few manage to express anything worthwhile.

Producer: Kine Storflor Grøtt • Cinematography: Mikkel Lyng-Jørgensen • Editing: Mariel Melø Hansen • Music: Aksel Rønning • Sound: Sebastian Raft • Cast: Brita Gram Økland

Because of (U)

Tohé Commaret • France • 2025 • 13 min.

Laura is stuck in a toxic relationship with a famous rapper. After a fierce argument, he dumps her and she goes looking for her friends. Her reality starts to warp, walking the line between dream and reality.

Producer: Jen Miola, Alexia Wallemacq, Eliott Brunet • Cinematography: Nicolas Jardin • Editing: Rafael Torres Calderon, Tohé Commaret • Music: Alexandre Tellier • Sound: Anne Devillaire • Cast: Bastien Domergues, Emma Gonzales-Commaret • Sales: Shortcuts Distribution

The Joy of Being

Emma Bruun Ruus • Denmark • 2025 • 10 min.

Balder is one year old as he discovers the world. With his curious, carefree gaze, everyday moments become a poetic journey of discovery, in which every sound, every shadow and every touch is full of wonder. And every now and then, the world suddenly becomes too big, too close and too overwhelming.

Producer: Emma Lind • Editing: Louis Emil Ramm Seeberg • Music: Andreas K. Westmark • Sound: Mathias Schmidt • Cast: Balder

European Competition

Programme 4

Screenings: Tue 02/12 (22:00), Fri 05/12 (17:30)

Majonezë

Giulia Grandinetti • Italy • 2024 • 23 min.

Elyria lives in a remote mountain village in Albania in a family ruled by her strict father. Trapped in this oppressive environment, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to hide her growing anger. One day, her desire to rebel takes over.

Producer: Giulia Grandinetti, Riccardo Neri, Vincenzo Filippo • Cinematography: Ilya Sapeha • Editing: Niccolò Notario • Music: Mario Russo • Cast: Alessandro Egger, Caterina Bagnulo, Julian Jashar, Sean Cubito

A Game for Two

Theodor Solin • Sweden • 2025 • 14 min.

Sex, power, and mischief intertwine as Kira and Nico, two restless caregivers, seek meaning through power games at a nursing home. Their actions blur the lines between playful challenges and abuse, tainting the world they inhabit.

Producer: Daniel Sandberg • Cinematography: Pontus Norberg • Cast: Jussi Nikkilä, Sara Soltani Boljak

Can You Hear Me?

Anastazja Naumenko • Poland • 2025 • 15 min.

Nastia, who has been living abroad for a long time, has a Zoom call with her Ukrainian mother, who is not very tech-savvy. Her struggle with modern communication technology reflects the complicated communication process between mother and daughter.

Producer: Grzegorz Wacławek, Piotr Szczepanowicz, Maks Piłasiewicz • Editing: Aleksandra Rosset-Żak • Music: Flavien Berger • Sales: Square Eyes

They Will Love Me Now

Nikulás Tumi Hlynsson • Czech Republic, Iceland • 2025 • 21 min.

Tomas is a loser. After an unsuccsessful night out he gets robbed and punched. Humiliated, he returns to the bar where, to his surprise, he receives more affection than he has had in years. He quickly realizes that his way up the social ladder is to show up like he just got beaten up.

Cinematography: Haichao Gu • Editing: Nikulás Tumi Hlynsson • Music: Hlynur Aðils Vilmarsson • Sound: Derek Bui • Cast: Hubert Ludwig, Petr Matyáš Cibulka

Rumors

Rastislav Kupšo • Slovakia • 2024 • 18 min.

The majestic cross of the savior towers above the village, casting a shadow on the quirky neighbourhood in preparation for the funeral. Vladimír is about to bury his wife and impatiently awaits his son Dušan, from whom he has long been estranged.

Producer: Natália Uhrinová • Cast: Alexandra Rosina, Eugen Schreiber, Mário Mačičák, Peter Čižmár

European Competition

Programme 5

Screenings: Wed 03/12 (21:30), Fri 05/12 (19:45)

Duty Free

Hilke Rönnfeldt • Denmark, Germany, Sweden • 2024 • 17 min.

On a docked duty-free ferry, a shop manager and her staff have built a small world of tenderness and warmth. One evening, she cuts the ropes that connect the boat to the cold outside world.

Producer: Caroline Drab, Sebastian Weyland, Hilke Rönnfeldt, Giulia Triolo, Virginia Martin • Cast: Arash Marandi, Clara Dessau, David Bredin, Malin Levanon, Yandeh Sallah

Set Crush

Carl-Johan Westregård • Sweden • 2025 • 25 min.

It's a quiet summer's day in a small Swedish town. As the alarm goes off on a young woman’s phone, it sets off a series of events that she’s been planning for a long, long time.

Producer: Carl-Johan Westregård • Cast: Amanda Öström, Thomasine Boris-Möller

Amarelo Banana

Alexandre Sousa • Portugal • 2025 • 13 min.

After another night of insomnia, a socially frustrated man comes across an eerie community that lives in his building. As a way of breaking the boredom, he decides to pay them a visit, which quickly turns into a bizarre experience that will make him question if what’s happening is real.

Producer: Bálint Gelley, Bella Szederkényi, Jonas César, Natália Andrade, Tiago Ribeiro

Purebred

Caleb J. Roberts • Ireland, United Kingdom • 2025 • 15 min.

During a heatwave in Belfast, transgender man Owen returns to the flat of his on-offagain lover Seán after taking a pregnancy test.

Producer: Callum Harrison, Jon Beer • Cinematography: Eoin McLoughlin • Editing: Stephanie McCutcheon • Cast: Diarmuid Noyes, Pete MacHale

The Swimming Pool

Pablo Manchado Cascón, Santiago Cardelús Ruiz-Alberdi • Spain • 2025 • 23 min.

In Madrid, the stifling heat drives Miguel to dream of having his own pool. The arrival of Edu, a troublesome neighbour, disrupts his tranquility. Two opposing personalities share the rooftop, where the pool becomes a symbol of their conflicts.

Producer: Eduardo B. Muñoz, Nacho Pérez de Guzmán, Pablo Manchado Cascón, Santiago Cardelús Ruiz-Alberdi • Cast: Ángel López Silva, Santiago Cardelús Ruiz-Alberdi, Urko Olazábal

European Competition

Programme 6

Screenings: Thu 04/12 (22:00), Fri 05/12 (13:15)

In a not-too-distant future ravaged by climate crisis, a team of scientists analyse the archival footage of farmers from the past, in an attempt to understand their connection to the land.

Producer: Marina Gumzi • Cinematography: Gregor Božič • Editing: Gregor Božič, Lukas Miheljak • Music: Hekla Magnúsdóttir, Tim Gowdy • Sound: Julij Zornik • Cast: Dora Ciccone, Jerneja Prinčič, Jože Krečič, Marijan Jug, Mario, Toby Matthews • Sales: Florian Fernandez

Alike

Adas Burkšaitis • Lithuania • 2025 • 15 min.

After landing a role, a young actress faces an unusual request from the director that blurs the line between art and submission. If a performance has no audience, is it still acting?

Producer: Greta Akcijonaite, Kotryna Ramanauskaitė, Aurimas Pukevicius, Ramojus Petrauskas • Production company: Magic Film • Cinematography: Narvydas Naujalis • Editing: Mikas Žukauskas • Music: Mindaugas Lapinskis • Sound: Iveta Macevičiūtė • Cast: Darius Meskauskas, Gabija Bargailaite

Magid / Zafar

Luis Hindman • United Kingdom • 2025 • 19 min.

It is extremely busy at the Pakistani takeaway restaurant where Magid works. Later that evening, there is a celebration to mark his upcoming wedding. Magid tries to ignore Zafar's messages, but then Zafar arrives at the restaurant.

Producer: Aidan Robert Brooks • Cast: Eben Figueiredo, Gurjeet Singh, Kulvinder Ghir, Ravin J. Ganatra

Pirateland

Stavros Petropoulos • Greece, Norway, Slovenia, France • 2025 • 28 min.

The tourist season is coming to an end in Crete. A local family unexpectedly welcomes tourists to their small bed and breakfast when a Norwegian family requests a tour of the area's pirate history. The relationship between Manos and his son Tassos is put to the test as they do their best to meet the increasingly challenging demands of the tourists.

Producer: Leonidas Konstantarakos• Cast: Asterios Rimagmos, Kostas Koroneos

Dieu est timide

Jocelyn Charles • France • 2025 • 16 min.

During a train ride, Ariel and Paul pass the time sketching their deepest fears. Their game takes an unexpected turn when Gilda, a mysterious passenger, intrudes on their exchange. Yet, her relationship with fear seems far less innocent than their playful drawings.

Common Pear

Gregor Božic • Slovenia • 2025 • 15 min. ˇ

European Competition Programme 7

Screenings: Thu 04/12 (14:15), Fri 05/12 (22:00)

Ne me quitte pas

Karim Huu Do • Spain • 2025 • 19 min.

1962. Matthias, a former soldier stationed in the Belgian Congo, goes into exile on an island in the Mediterranean Sea with his beloved Awa, a young Congolese woman he met during his deployment in Africa. Awa dreams of a better life, a life free from persecution. Matthias hopes to escape his past and, maybe, build a future.

Producer: Zico Judge • Cast: David Kammenos, Fatima Fay, Kevin Janssens

Feu fantôme

Morgane Ambre • France • 2024 • 29 min.

Seven years ago, director Morgane Ambre was raped by a boy she really liked. Three years ago, he wrote her a letter to take responsibility for his actions. Now, they meet for an in-depth conversation around a campfire.

Producer: Adrien Lioure, Matthieu Dubois

Their Eyes

Nicolas Gourault • France • 2025 • 23 min.

How does a machine learn to read the world? Apparently, it does not happen automatically, but involves a huge group of underpaid labourers in the Global South whose job it is to feed the AI of self-driving cars. Their hands and eyes determine the “intelligence” of self-driving vehicles on the other side of the world.

Night of Passage

Reza Rasouli • Austria • 2024 • 20 min.

Three refugees from Iran are dropped off by their smuggler near the Austrian border. They have to spend the night in the Slovakian forest until the next truck comes to pick them up. During the night, they are confronted with an extremely difficult dilemma.

Producer: Ivet Castelo, Maximilian Demets • Cinematography: Konstantin Johann • Editing: Sarah Kučera • Sound: Ramin Abusedgh • Cast: Ali Tavakol, Arshia Pakdel, Moné Sharifi

Marleen

Jop Leuven • The Netherlands • 2024 • 7 min.

In group therapy sessions, Lena talks about the three relationships that have been important to her: with her father, with her first boyfriend, and finally with Marleen, who looks at Lena in a completely different way than she was used to.

Producer: Justine Knijn • Cast: Laura Bakker

Producer: Yannick Beauquis, Quentin Brayer • Camera: Yvon, Oliver, Jonel • Editing: Félix Rehm, Lucas Azémar, Nicolas Gourault • Sound: Étienne André • Sales: Square Eyes

January 2026 November 202

2026

Best of European Film Awards

Europe has her very own Academy handing out awards. Every year, the European Film Academy presents the Vimeo Award to the best European short film, during the European Film Awards. Some leading film festivals decide which short films are eligible for an EFA, including Kortfilmfestival Leuven. Last year the festival nominated L'avance by Djiby Kebe. Find out on 17 january if the winner of the European Competition will become an EFA winner as well. During the festival you can visit no less than two EFA programmes: the first programme highlights L'avance and the four other nominated films, while the second features the remainder of the candidates on the shortlist.

Programme 1: Nominees

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (17:15), Sat 06/12 (20:30)

L'avance

Djiby Kebe • France • 2024 • 18 min.

Aliou, a rising student at the Beaux-Arts in Paris, sells a painting of his deceased mother for 3,000 euros to a renowned collector. The delivery of the painting turns into a journey in which he begins to understand the impact of the sale.

Producer: Chérubins Productions • Cinematography: Tara-Jay Bangalter • Editing: Maxence Tasserit • Cast: Julia Faure, Juliette Speck, Saabo Balde

The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing

Theo Panagopoulos • United Kingdom • 2024 • 17 min.

A Scotland-based Palestinian filmmaker discovers hidden footage of his homeland's wildflowers. Inspired by this rare archive, he embarks on a journey to recover and preserve this precious visual heritage.

Producer: Marissa Keating

Being John Smith

John Smith • United Kingdom • 2024 • 26 min.

After enduring many decades of embarrassment and discomfort, filmmaker John Smith finally admits that possessing the most common name in the English-speaking world has had a profound impact on his psyche.

City of Poets

Sara Rajaei • The Netherlands • 2024 • 21 min.

In a small, semi-utopian city, all the streets are named after poets. When war begins, new neighbourhoods emerge to accommodate the refugees. Soon, the citizens find themselves lost amid the memories of the forgotten poets.

Producer: Manon Bovenkerk

Man Number 4

Miranda Pennell • United Kingdom • 2024 • 18 min.

Gaza, December 2023. A confrontation with a disturbing photograph on social media triggers questions about what it means to be an spectator.

Best of European Film Awards

Programme 2

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (11:15), Sat 06/12 (10:15)

ORúnar Rúnarsson • Iceland, Sweden • 2024 • 20 min.

A fragile man grapples with his personal demons while trying to achieve a simple task. In the simplicity, a profound human struggle is unveiled, where the main obstacle is within himself.

Producer: Heather Millard, Rúnar Rúnarsson • Cinematography: Sophia Olsson • Music: Kjartan Sveinsson • Sound: Jesper Miller • Cast: Ingvar Sigurðsson • Sales: The Party Film Sales

How Are You?

Caroline Poggi • France • 2025 • 31 min.

A group of animals lives on a remote, rugged coastline. They try to leave behind the ills of the modern world and to heal the scars it has left behind. A kind of rehab.

Looking She Said I Forget

Naomi Pacifique • The Netherlands • 2024 • 25 min.

Having just moved to Amsterdam, Lou prepares her new apartment that she will share with her partner, Joel. For now though, Joel is on a trip with an intimate other. Confronted with the complexities of her non-monogamous relationship, Lou shifts her gaze to the rhythms of her new city.

Producer: Yan Decoppet, Albert Kuhn, Gabriela Bussman, Naomi Pacifique, Rafael Manuel • Cinematography: Xenia Patricia • Editing: Lucia Martinez Garcia, Naomi Pacifique • Music: Ella van der Woude • Sound: Clara Alloing • Cast: Gaël Kamilindi, Juliet Darremont, Tom de Ronde

I Believe the Portrait Saved Me

Alban Muja • The Netherlands, Kosovo • 2025 • 10 min.

Twenty-five years after his detainment during the Kosovo war, the painter Skender Muja tells an incredible survival story. In the final months of the war, countless fugitive Albanian civilians were caught and imprisoned. Muja experiences anxiety, uncertainty, but above all the resistance art can offer.

Producer: Edon Rizvanolli

World at Stake

Adrian Jonas Haim, Susanna Flock, Jona Kleinlein • Austria • 2025 • 18 min.

A golfer fails to strike, a soccer team plays against itself, a rally co-driver faces an identity crisis and the audience is unable to act. Images from sports video games reverse the principles of victory and defeat, and illustrate feelings of political powerlessness.

Producer: Total Refusal • Cinematography: Adrian Jonas Haim, Jona Kleinlein, Susanna Flock • Editing: Adrian Jonas Haim, Jona Kleinlein, Susanna Flock • Music: Adrian Jonas Haim • Sound: Bernhard Zorzi

Best of Peer Award

Festivals are not only a meeting place for filmmakers and their audiences, but also a place where filmmakers themselves come together. Directors get to know each other's work, and thanks to the Peer Award, that work is also rewarded. The participating directors vote for each others' films. Both the nominated films for the Peer Award 2024 and those nominated in the current edition will be screened at the festival. You can admire this year’s nominations at a one-off screening on the final day of the festival. The 2025 winner will be revealed during the closing night on 6 December.

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (11:30), Thu 04/12 (12:30)

Pena´s Special Hauling

Anssi Kasitonni • Finland • 2024 • 12 min.

Pena has been a truck driver for 50 years and has no intention of retiring anytime soon. His slight memory problem is just a small bump in life’s highway.

Producer: anssi kasitonni

The Ghosts You Draw on My Back

Teenager Sara travels to a small village to attend her grandmother's memorial service. The normally quiet village is under the spell of the construction of the new railway line. While fighting her anxiety, Sara finds solace with a worker at the construction site.

Producer: Čarna Vučinić, Luka Nestorović • Cast: Admir Šehović, Anita Ognjanović, Jelena Stupljanin

The One Who Knows

Ūla is an introverted and anxious teenager who loves to swim. One ordinary morning at swimming practice, she is taken on an unexpected adventure, that helps her grow up, learn to accept herself and see her body in a different light.

Sorry I'm Late (But I Brought a Choir)

Håkon Anton Olavsen • Norway • 2024 • 10 min.

The evening is still young when Stian stumbles upon a drunken choir on the tram. When he takes the choir to a housewarming, it turns out not everybody loves uninvited guests. Will Nina let them into her party or not? And is it even a party?

Producer: Tøri Gjendal • Camera: Kristoffer Engholm Aabo • Editing: Håkon Anton Olavsen • Sound: Jakob Bechmann, Ylva Gulpinar • Cast: Agnia Græsli, Andreas Lübker, Anna Ladegaard, Arturo Scotti, Benjamin Lien, Ingrid Anna Ørstavik Dissen, Karoline Dons, Kyrre Vanebo, Magnus Gabriel Aase, Mari-Elene Gudahl, Mikael Ulrichsen, Nina Elisabeth Gjerstad, Simen Glømmen Bostad, Steffen Lund, Vetle Bergan

The Sea in Between

Lun Sevnik • Slovenia, Czech Republic, Croatia • 2024 • 15 min.

While helping his father with the family business, a disgruntled teenage boy is stuck on a small boat with an older tourist. As the boy anxiously waits for his father to return with the daily catch, the tourist starts making lewd suggestions.

Morphes

Konstantinos Doxiadis • Greece • 2024 • 12 min.

A dying man tries to reconnect with his past before he can finally let it go. His house, figures from his past, and fragments of faded memories, all merge together to create a mosaic of the life he has led.

Producer: Konstantinos Doxiadis, Panos Kougias • Cast: Dimitris Katalifos, Filippos Eleftheropoulos

Detlev

Ferdinand Ehrhardt • Germany • 2024 • 13 min.

A man in his forties who is constantly cold drives to a lonely petrol station every evening to order a Toast Hawaii from the microwave. Detlev sticks to this bizarre ritual because it is the only thing that keeps him warm in his daily life. Everything changes when one night he is observed by a stranger.

Producer: Rok Biček • Cinematography: Krystof Melka • Editing: Jana Vlcková • Sound: Anna Jesenská • Cast: Bruno Mihanovic, Leon Lucev, Martin Pechlát • Sales: Flavio Armone

Producer: Ferdinand Ehrhardt, Saskia Stirn • Cast: David Gordon Smith, Konrad Wipp, Peter Schneider, Sebastian Ganschow

Egle Davidavice • Lithuania • 2024 • 12 min. ˇ

Nikola Stojanovic • Serbia • 2023 • 15 min. ´

Flemish Competition: Fiction

For years, the Flemish Fiction Competition has been predicting which names will fill Belgian screens in the very near future. Earlier this year, Kato De Boeck and Flo Van Deuren received rave reviews for the second season of Roomies, following well-received short films at the festival in 2018. Cato Kusters came to Leuven back in 2022 with Finn’s heel and recently sent her moving feature-length debut Julian into theatres. The perfect occasion for a master talk at the festival. However, the Flemish fiction programmes are more than just an appetizer. They take visual risks and delve into both seemingly banal discussions and the major themes of our time. From friends in a swimming pool, to mothers in the mud and a boy in chain mail, this year even the sci-fi lovers will be pleased.

Programme 1

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (20:00), Thu 04/12 (14:00), Fri 05/12 (11:45)

The Distortion of a World

Rick Van Oss • Belgium • 2025 • 13 min.

Oscar works at a company that designs mental simulations, technologies that expose the crumbling inner worlds of patients. What begins as observation soon draws him deeper into these fragile realities, until the line between watching and living dissolves.

Cinematography: Patrick Nishimwe • Editing: Rick Van Oss • Sound: Rick Van Oss • Cast: Glenn Tordeurs, Joris Bultynk, KimLien Charuhas, Mathieu Carpentier

Sehnsucht in Strofen

Gwen Guldix • Belgium • 2025 • 18 min.

At a desolate golf club, three people become entangled in their drive for control and perfection. When their paths cross, an unexpected opportunity for change arises.

Producer: Benthe De Wee, Flo Dejonghe • Cinematography: Junot Maes • Editing: Lena Omloop • Cast: Aimé Claeys, Dennis Van Soom, Jan Bijvoet, Samantha Fadahunsi • Sound: Hendrika Seghers

Loynes

Dorian Jespers • France, Belgium, North Macedonia, United Kingdom • 2025 • 25 min.

In a courtroom in 19th-century Liverpool, an extraordinary trial is being held against a corpse with no name or past. Dozens of people have gathered for the absurd ceremony – and perhaps to deliver justice.

Producer: Jules Reinartz, Clyde Gates, Dorian Jespers • Camera: Arnaud Alberola • Editing: Ariane Boukerche, Charles Dhondt, Liyo Gong, Omar Guzman • Sound: Raf Enckels, Thomas Becka, Zakhar Semirkhanov

Stadsduif

Rube Vandebril • Belgium • 2025 • 12 min.

One evening, a young couple stops at an exit with a sign that simply says “Home”. He sees the fog rolling in, she observes how he gets lost in the idea of home. The longer he looks, the less he recognises. Returning feels increasingly strange, as if his home is slowly creeping further away.

Cinematography: Liam Emmerechts • Cast: Felix Breackman, Ilhan Alademir, Michelle Van Neste

Corps étranger

Mathieu Mortelmans, Cécile Delberghe • Belgium • 2025 • 17 min.

In the middle of the night, police inspector June is called to a crime scene in a monastery on a remote island. Left alone to examine the body, she realizes that it may not be human...

Producer: Mathieu Mortelmans, Cécile Delberghe, Giuseppe Conti • Cast: Christelle Delbrouck, Laura Sépul, Mehdi Zekhnini

Flemish Competition: Fiction

Programme 2

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (20:00), Wed 03/12 (15:30), Fri 05/12 (13:30)

Woest

Jan Pepermans, Stefanie Vanhecke • Belgium • 2025 • 21 min.

A mother cannot accept that her teenage daughter is terminally ill. In her despair, she clings to a story about “healing earth”. Determined to force a breakthrough, she retreats to a forest to dig up the miracle solution that promises the impossible.

Producer: Rosa Galguera Ortega • Cinematography: Hans Bruch Jr. • Editing: Arnaud Bellemans • Music: Brecht Ameel • Cast: Ariane van Vliet, Pieter Embrechts, Roos De Graeve

A Soil a Culture a River a People

Viv Li • Germany, Belgium, China • 2025 • 14 min.

In a dystopian future where borders between countries are indefinitely closed, a replica of Hannover city in China remains the only way to experience Western culture. Citizen Yu roams around this nostalgic yet eerie town built by the authorities.

Producer: Marc Goyens, Julian Schwandner, Viv Li • Cast: Zezhi Long

Found at Sea

Dimana Markovska • Bulgaria, Belgium • 2025 • 20 min.

During a train ride to her hometown Pomorie, Keti recalls the summer she met Ezgi, a Turkish tourist. Through faded memories, Keti looks back on a friendship that may have meant more than the two girls dared to admit at the time.

Producer: Denitsa Ganeva, Esmerelda Uka • Cinematography: Ishan Idris Kromah • Editing: Fien Bergmans • Music: David Kops • Cast: Bilyana Kazakova, Galya Kinoko, Mihaila Zarkova, Sena Bekar

Glory Box

Pieter Crauwels • Belgium • 2025 • 15 min.

Every day, Felix dresses up as a knight to walk through the streets of Brussels. Slowly, he becomes a social icon, both in public and online, where he livestreams himself. Lucy, his neighbour, sees more than a man in armour. Unaware that she is the final step in his ritual, she follows him home, as thousands watch.

Producer: Pieter Crauwels, LUCA School of Arts • Cinematography: Ewout Dewaelheyns • Camera: Laura Vandevijvere, Natan Houbrechts • Editing: Pieter Crauwels • Music: Naas Decoster • Sound: Miguel Colimão Ferreira • Cast: Felix Heremans, Nell Geeraerd

De essentie

Wouter De Paepe • Belgium • 2025 • 15 min.

A film student struggles with heartbreak and writes a screenplay, in which he takes centre stage, to process his break-up.

Producer: Wouter De Paepe • Camera: Zeno Willaert • Editing: Wouter De Paepe • Cast: Dorelia Schraven, Melanie Barelds, Pieter Van Dijk, Xenia Borremans

Flemish Competition: Fiction

Programme 3

Screenings: Mon 01/12 (20:00), Tue 02/12 (17:30), Fri 05/12 (15:30)

Burning Water

Elisa De Block Coupez • Belgium • 2025 • 13 min.

Léa is a young farmer. Both she and her land are suffering from the scorching sun and the accompanying drought, a consequence of climate change. Meanwhile, three motocross riders race through the arid landscape, like horsemen of the apocalypse.

Producer: Elisa De Block Coupez, Katrien Coupez, Ruth Keygnaert • Cinematography: Elf Godefroy • Editing: Elisa De Block Coupez • Music: Vincent Leclair • Sound: Elisa De Block Coupez, Vincent Leclair • Cast: Violet Braeckman

Shutterspeed

Jasper De Maeseneer • Belgium • 2025 • 25 min.

Fifteen-year-old Cas poses for his school’s trainee teacher and amateur photographer Jard. When he becomes painfully aware of the power imbalance between them, he seeks to reverse their dynamic.

Producer: Victor Longin • Cinematography: Arthur Moelants • Editing: Arthur Moelants, Arthur Nelissen • Music: David Martijn • Cast: Chinyere Brown, Elliot Lafontaine, Joke Emmers, Lou Goossens, Matthijs Meertens, Peter Gorissen, Sueli Besson, Willem Herbots • Sales: Victor Longin

Tussen ons

Berit De Sutter • Belgium • 2025 • 20 min.

After a near-fatal incident during her artistic swimming training, Ro loses trust in the water that had always felt like a second home. Together with Billie, a quiet lifeguard, she sets out to rediscover her lost love for underwater swimming.

Producer: Berit De Sutter • Cinematography: Lukas Gevaert • Editing: Berit De Sutter, Camilla Petralia • Music: Krankk • Cast: Amélie Haest, Saar Rogiers

Onbewoond eiland

Greet Verhaert • Belgium • 2025 • 22 min.

Katrien, an employee at Innotector, fears she is about to get fired by crisis manager Ronald. Their meeting takes an unexpected turn... Will Ronald fire her or not? Secretary Minoes, along with a ticking clock, witnesses the verdict.

Producer: Mieke Vanhoucke • Cast: Lisah Adeaga, Roeland Fernhout, Sara De Bosschere

Love Machine

Tresor Katalay • Belgium • 2025 • 6 min.

Excited to try out a new technology, Mia welcomes her first sexbot, a sleek symbol of modern intimacy. But what begins as curiosity quickly spirals out of control when the machine malfunctions.

Producer: Reza Boerhanoeddin • Cast: Edson Pedro, Mégane Danton

Flemish Competition: Fiction

Programme 4

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (11:00), Thu 04/12 (20:00), Fri 05/12 (17:45)

Between Us

Marie De Hert, Ellen Pollard • Belgium • 2025 • 15 min.

During the last days of her pregnancy, young Maya is faced with a devastating decision for the sake of her own wellbeing and her baby’s future.

Producer: Ilse Schooneknaep • Cast: Lucie Plasschaert

In een ander vaderland

Maša Božić • Belgium • 2025 • 11 min.

Deep underground, a miner and his young assistant make a discovery that slowly changes their relationship. What was buried comes to light, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Producer: Laura Somers • Cinematography: Laura Vande Vijvere • Editing: Foebe Hempen • Sound: Cis Vermandel • Cast: Felix Heremans, Gustav Koenigs

J'ai perdu mes clés

Audrey Bruyninckx • Belgium • 2025 • 19 min.

During a sleepless night, Chloé cycles through Brussels after losing her keys –whether by accident or design. In a feverish search for connection, she has a series of absurd and awkward interactions while an undercurrent of despair slowly takes hold.

Producer: LUCA School of Arts • Cinematography: Romain Torbeyns • Editing: Amélie Mouton • Cast: Sarah Ber

Moineau

Jan Maes, Michel Van Daele • Belgium • 2025 • 23 min.

Three childhood friends travel to the Provence region to party, drink, and climb the Mont Ventoux. What was meant to bring them closer together instead reveals their inability to talk about an incident that still weighs heavily on them.

Producer: Michel Van Daele, Jan Maes • Production company: Michel Van Daele • Cinematography: Maxime Lahousse • Editing: Nico Poedts • Music: James Vervenne • Sound: Francis Bral • Cast: Bartel Busschaert, Lars Himpe, Thibaud Dooms

Nieuwe stad

Sebald van der Waal • The Netherlands, Belgium • 2025 • 20 min.

Documentary maker Johan returns to Amsterdam to make a film about how the city has changed since his youth. But conversations with family and friends force him to confront himself and his loneliness.

Cinematography: Wietger Mosch • Editing: Dries Marchal, Sebald van der Waal • Music: Boris de Klerk • Sound: Boris de Klerk • Cast: Antoinette Jelgersma, Carine Van Bruggen, Lucas van der Vegt, Pieter Van Dijk

Flemish Competition: Fiction

Programme 5

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (11:00), Thu 04/12 (16:00), Fri 05/12 (20:00)

Housekeeper

Aaron Denolf • Belgium • 2025 • 19 min.

Hector, Anna and their 10-year-old daughter Luna have to live in a simple hotel room for a while. Hector tries to make the anonymous room feel like home.

Producer: Jules Mathôt, Lisa Coene • Cinematography: Grimm Vandekerckhove • Music: Thibault Goudket • Cast: Jeroen Van der Ven, Jozefien Mombaerts, Lou Van Rafelghem

Tussen dag en dauw

Lore Loyens • The Netherlands, Belgium • 2025 • 14 min.

Summer feels endless as Marthe travels through the Ardennes with her friends in the late nineties. While they laugh, drink, and drift through the long days, her thoughts are with her sick sister at home, whose health is getting worse by the day.

Producer: Lieselotte Belon • Production company: Le Bon Film • Camera: Lukas Gevaert • Editing: Noor Eva De Heer •

Jordan Paul Rousseau • Cast: Brenda

Koffie in Lourdes

Kyoko Scholiers • Belgium • 2025 • 20 min.

After having lost contact for forty years, Sol meets his old friend Dicky to clear an incident from the past. Time is precious, as Dicky's death is scheduled for the following day.

Producer: Dries Phlypo, Stephen Vandingenen • Production company: A Private View • Cinematography: Dries Delputte • Editing: Alain Dessauvage • Music: Bjorn Eriksson • Sound: Senjan Jansen • Cast: Jan Bijvoet, Junior Mthombeni, Sofie Decleir

Solstice

Azra Sterckx • Belgium • 2025 • 12 min.

Two sisters are travelling in the car with their dad, going from their dad's house to their mum's house. In the intimacy of the car, the sisters bridge the distance that has emerged between their parents.

Producer: Azra Sterckx • Camera: Gaspard Renier

Wachten op Cupido

Jonas Hollevoet • Belgium • 2025 • 19 min.

After yet another painful rejection, a young man takes to the road. With no clear destination, he drives through the night, the hum of the engine drowning out the echo of disappointment. His journey seems directionless until he encounters a sick crooner stranded by the roadside.

Producer: Jonas Hollevoet • Cast: Bernadette Damman, Bram Verrecas, David Galle, Gunther Lamoot, Ineke Nijsen, Jeroen Van der Ven, Lotte Coysman, Lucie Plasschaert, Patricia Kargbo, Thomas Janssens, Wim Coppers

Music:

Corijn, Nathan Naenen, Omar Ouali, Sanne Brockhoff, Stanislas Bruynseels

The Short Film Conference has been in existence since 1970 as a non-profit association for the promotion of the short film. We are the only international organization in the world seeking to unite the global short film community.

SFC currently has over 70 official members, coming from over 40 different countries all over the world.

Flemish Competition: Animation

No, ‘Frogs in the bathroom’, ‘Frankie becomes a planet’ and ‘Mister Cucumber departs on a journey’ aren’t Beatles lyrics, but brief summaries of some short films in the Flemish Animation Competition. No lack of imagination, clearly. On a visual level, this line-up is more than satisfying as well. The analogue trend of the previous edition continues this year: the Flemish Animation Competition is a colourful mix of 2D, stop-motion, hand drawn films and occasional 3D work.

Programme

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (17:00), Wed 03/12 (21:45) in STUK Soetezaal, Thu 04/12 (12:00)

Klein verhaal

Mirjam Plettinx • Belgium • 2025 • 14 min.

Ant is on her way to work by bus, carrying a small red egg with her. After her job in an office cafeteria, she goes to her second job as a cleaner in a fast food restaurant. As the fragile egg grows larger every day, taking care of it becomes increasingly difficult.

Producer: Dries Phlypo, Stephen Vandingenen • Sales: Bear With Me Distribution

Photograph of an Insane Woman to Show the Condition of Her Hair

Arwen Aznag • Belgium • 2025 • 7 min.

A young woman with unruly hair walks down the street. She is holding a bouquet of flowers. Where did she get those flowers? Are they a gift, an apology, or a sign of unwanted attention? Men shout after her. Her head begins to itch and swell.

Music: Beau Ramsey • Sound: Thijs Louis

Calyx

Liese Minjauw • Belgium • 2025 • 8 min.

A special creature travels through a desolate and polluted world in search of a safe place where a precious flower can be planted to restore nature. Along the way, the flower must be protected from dangerous creatures and forces.

Producer: Liese Minjauw • Music: Gwenaël Mario Grisi, Michel Duprez • Sound: Gwenaël Mario Grisi, Michel Duprez

Cold Bathroom

Eleni Aerts • Belgium • 2025 • 6 min.

In a cold bathroom, a woman is fighting a peculiar battle. She has a frog inside her, and it is demanding more and more space.

Music: Frédérique Le Duc - Moreau

Ziggurat

Pieter Samyn • Belgium • 2025 • 14 min.

At an art fair, a corpse with four stab wounds is found. Inspector Ziggurat and Lieutenant Le Bon investigate, with the help of a mechanical agent who points them towards the suspect. An ambush involving a conceptual art manifesto sets a chase in motion.

Producer: Geert Van Goethem, Linda Sterckx

Flemish Competition: Animation

Lange wapper

Roel Soetewey • Belgium • 2025 • 6 min.

In Antwerp, the legendary Lange Wapper only comes out between midnight and 6 in the morning to keep the drunken rabble in the 18th-century city under control.

Producer: Roel Soetewey • Cast: Gene Bervoets, Jos Smos, Thomas Cordie

Bloody Patches

Karolien Brughmans • Belgium • 2025 • 5 min.

Mother, a blood-addicted vampire, and Mr. Cucumber, her adopted cat, are travelling by car when they discover they have run out of patches to control Mother's bloodlust.

Music: Finn Vreven, Lore Borrremans • Sound: Frédéric Furnelle

Fruitfly Paradise

Remco Ardui • Belgium • 2025 • 12 min.

Rumor persists of an oasis, somehow digitally archived, maintained in quiet ritual. From time to time, signals are cast out into space, beckoning passersby. Some say it’s instinct, an echo of being forgotten. Others, a trap.

Producer: Remco

•

Ce que je vois

Mai Calon • Belgium • 2025 • 9 min.

What if you really look at a tree? Not superficially, like an outsider passing by. How does it feel to really take the time to penetrate the essence of the tree and become one with nature?

Producer: Sarah D'hanens • Camera: Jeroen Ceulebrouck • Sound: Arzu Saglam

•

Klonter

Levi Stoops • Belgium • 2025 • 14 min.

Frankie believes he is about to die with no one to say goodbye to. On his way to the stars, he accidentally turns into a planet and an explosion of life occurs on his body, including some creatures that look a lot like him.

Producer: Annemie Degryse • Production company: Melat Ollevier • Music: Wiet Lengeler • Sound: Paulo Rietjens

Ardui

Editing: Remco Ardui • Music: Remco Ardui

Cast: Guru, Remco Ardui, Uwase Rutayisire

Flemish Competition: Documentary

Wheelies, dinosaurs and dancers. You rarely find them together, except in the Flemish Documentary Competition. The short documentaries welcome you into pingpong-studios, let you participate in intimate conversations and introduce you to the inhabitants of a Brussels pole dancing studio. Two programmes for any viewer who is ready to be moved as well as fascinated.

Programme 1

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (14:00), Wed 03/12 (17:30), Thu 04/12 (10:00)

Marieke twijfelt

Maura De Troyer • Belgium • 2025 • 23 min.

Marieke graduated in philosophy, and has started living her "real" life. Now, she doubts herself eight hours a day, preferably in bed.

Cinematography: Jitte Gheysen, Zoë Tibergijn • Editing: Mauro De Groeve • Sound: Niels Valgaeren

Ping Pong

Tianji Yu • China • 2025 • 15 min.

A ping-pong paddle rekindles memories of Tianji's college friend. Just before reaching out, he discovers through social media who his friend voted for. Rather than revealing answers, a conversation with an AI voice assistant pulls him into memories where friendship and politics blur together.

Camera: Yifan Wen • Sound: Victor Carvalho

Ik zou je graag zien

Zaïde Bil, Petronella Van der Hallen, Sébastien Segers • Belgium • 2025 • 12 min.

Four children bring us to the visitors' room of a prison, where they reunite with their mom or dad twice a week. They end up in a world that isn’t built with them in mind, and a situation they never chose.

Producer: Dokma Film • Editing: Ezra Verbist • Sound: Gillis Van Der Wee

Just Jools

Ezra Verbist • Belgium • 2025 • 17 min.

Twelve-year-old Jools dreams of dancing confidently on stage. But how do you find that freedom when you feel that people only see your weaknesses? Jools' world is turned upside down when she meets Yorrith, a choreographer who learned to move again after a stroke.

The Jezebels

Thanasis Tsimpinis • Belgium • 2025 • 21 min.

Jezebel Studio is a queer pole dancing collective that aims to redefine movement as avant-garde art. The three founders of the collective live together and have proudly built the Jezebel universe. Between splits and slut drops, they unabashedly reveal their secrets.

Producer: Thanasis Tsimpinis • Cast: Spring Showers, Thilde Cominotto, Zora The Hooker

Flemish Competition: Documentary

Programme 2

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (17:30), Thu 04/12 (18:00), Fri 05/12 (10:00)

On

naît, on meurt

Sarah Lederman • Belgium • 2025 • 15 min.

When Sarah’s father receives a terminal diagnosis, she hides behind her camera to preserve his presence forever. What begins as a desperate attempt to hold on to what is slipping away slowly unfolds into a tender portrait of their bond and a vulnerable reflection on her grieving process.

Producer: Elisa Heene • Production company: Mirage Films • Cast: Gilbert Lederman z"l, Sarah Lederman, Veronika Wuyts

Tilapia

Crispin Yanisi • Belgium • 2025 • 18 min.

A boy tries to connect with his culture through a certain fish, but he is confronted with the fact that he does not speak his mother’s tongue. The journey of the fish – from the water to the pan – reveals the weight of what has been lost and the deep desire to belong.

Producer: Lender Vandevelde • Cinematography: Wietger Mosch

Wheelie Boys

Aisha Adepoju • Belgium • 2025 • 15 min.

A summer filled with friendship and wheelie tricks. Driven by their shared passion for wheelies – cycling with one wheel in the air – three young teenagers do everything they can to secure their friendship.

Producer: Nina Payrhuber, Nina Landau • Production company: Associate Directors • Camera: Jaan Stevens • Editing: Amber Van Acker • Music: Lars Overstijns, Thomas Vanelslander • Sound: Lars Overstijns

Tantalum

Matthias De Groof • Belgium, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo • 2025 • 16 min.

A chunk of tantalum - commonly known as coltan, mined in eastern Congo - travels in military materials to a Ghanaian dumpsite, and finally to space. Along the way we discover the connections to mythology, children, technology and colonisation in a critical reflection on political and economic systems.

Producer: Daniel de Valck, Petna Ndaliko Katondolo • Camera: Dries Vanderaerden, Jobson Katondolo • Editing: Joost Prins • Music: Thomas Walravens

De

dag dat het zonlicht niet meer scheen

Frederik Stuut, Maria Stuut • Belgium • 2025 • 28 min.

The demise of the dinosaurs fuels our imagination. Dinosaurs are as mythical as dragons, but they were also real. After a meteor strike, dust prevented any sunlight from reaching the Earth. A team of scientists examines a single fine line in the rock bed that contains minute-by-minute knowledge of that disastrous day 66 million years ago.

Producer: Nina Payrhuber, Mark Daems • Cast: Cem Berk Şenel, Johan Vellekoop, Pim Kaskes

Supporting your talent

Maak je films, animaties, podcasts of videoclips? Bij Sabam krijg je méér dan je auteursrechten. Wij staan je bij met juridisch advies, persoonlijke begeleiding, opleidingen én beurzen. Zo kan jij doen waar je goed in bent: jouw publiek raken met nieuwe verhalen, én blijven groeien. Sabam – Voor jou, met jou.

Master Talk: Cato Kusters

Tue 2/12 18:00 in Cinema ZED STUK

In 2022 Cato Kusters left a mark at the short film festival with Finn’s heel and in September she became the youngest Belgian director to ever be selected for the Canadian TIFF with Julian. “Promising” is an understatement for the 27 year old maker whose feature opened Film Fest Gent this year - an impressive debut according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sufficient reason for a Master Talk at this edition of Kortfilmfestival Leuven, where she’ll share her journey from Finn’s heel to Julian and elaborate on her inspirations.

© Wouter Maeckelberghe

De wekelijkse top 100 van populairste Belgische muziek, gebaseerd op officiële streaming- en airplaycijfers in Vlaanderen en Franstalig België.

Ontdek lokaal talent – in alle genres! Luister nu op www.playrighttop100.be!

PlayRight is de collectieve beheersvennootschap die de naburige rechten van uitvoerende kunstenaars in België int, beheert en verdeelt. Onze socio-culturele en educatieve afdeling biedt financiële ondersteuning en opleiding aan uitvoerende kunstenaars en behartigt hun belangen in de sector.

VAF Next Generation

With VAF Next Generation, the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF) focuses on new film talent. Every year, promising work by master's students from Flemish film schools is highlighted in each category, and a specialised jury awards the prizes. The VAF Wildcards provide a substantial budget and personal coaching for a first extracurricular project, while the Booster Cards offer advice and coaching. The Wildcard winners not only get a place on stage at the festival, their films also get their own programme.

VAF WILDCARDS WINNERS

Which master's student will take home a VAF Wildcard or Booster Card? On Sunday 30 November, the winners will be crowned in the categories Fiction, Documentary, Animation and FilmLab. The winning films will also be screened in their own programme at the festival.

Sun 30/11 (20:15) at Cinema ZED STUK, Wed 03/12 (19:30) at STUK Labozaal, zo 07/12 (10:00) at Cinema ZED STUK

VAF NEXT GENERATION AWARD CEREMONY

The presentation of the VAF Wildcards and Booster Cards is an absolute highlight of the festival. For past winners, a VAF Wildcard has often meant an important step in their career. That also goes for former winner Dorian Jespers. In 2019, he received the VAF Wildcard for Sun Dog, which earned him an EFA nomination and made him the winner of Short of the Year. With the prize money from his VAF Wildcard, he created Loynes, which premiered in Cannes this year. The film will be screened at the VAF Next Generation award ceremony, and in the Flemish fiction competition.

Sun 30/11 16:30 at Cinema ZED STUK

Oscar Shorts

Kortfilmfestival Leuven was well represented at this year's Academy Awards ceremony. Two festival films contended in the animation competition: both Beautiful Men by Nicolas Keppens and Wander to Wonder by Nina Gantz were nominated for Best Animated Short Film. The prize for Best Live Action Short Film also went to a familiar face at the festival. I’m Not a Robot by Victoria Warmerdam won the audience award in the European competition in December 2023, and took home the coveted statuette at the beginning of this year. You can admire a real-life Oscar during her master talk. During the two Oscar Shorts programmes, you can get to know the nominated films in the animation and fiction competition.

Programme: Live Action

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (14:00), Tue 02/12 (17:30) in STUK Soetezaal, Sat 06/12 (10:30)

A Lien

David Cutler-Kreutz, Sam Cutler-Kreutz • United States • 2023 • 15 min.

Oscar and Victoria are huddled together with their daughter in a taxi, navigating through the chaotic New York traffic on their way to an important appointment. They absolutely cannot be late, because Oscar's green card is at stake.

Producer: Rebecca Eskrels, Tara Sheffer, David Cutler-Kreutz, Sam Cutler-Kreutz

Ik ben geen robot

Victoria Warmerdam • The Netherlands, Belgium • 2023 • 22 min.

After several unsuccessful attempts to complete a Captcha, Lara sets out to answer the disturbing question of whether she's a robot.

Producer: Trent -, Henry Gillet • Cinematography: Martijn van Broekhuizen • Editing: Michiel Boesveldt • Music: Merlijn Snitker • Sound: Evelien van der Molen • Cast: Ellen Parren, Henry van Loon, Thekla Reuten

The Last Ranger

Cindy Lee • South Africa • 2024 • 28 min.

When young Litha is introduced to the magic of a game reserve by the last remaining ranger, they are ambushed by poachers. In the ensuing battle to save the rhinos, Litha discovers a terrible secret.

Producer: Darwin Shaw, Will Hawkes

Anuja

Adam J. Graves • India, United States • 2024 • 22 min.

When a bright 9-year-old girl, who works in a garment factory, is offered a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to attend school, she must make a heart-wrenching decision that will determine her fate and that of her sister.

Producer: Suchitra Mattai, Mindy Kaling, Guneet Monga Kapoor, Krushan Naik, Michael Graves, Aaron Kopp, Ksheetij Saini, Alexandra Blaney

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Nebojša Slijepcevic • Croatia, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia • 2024 • 14 min.

1993, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A passenger train is stopped by paramilitary forces in an ethnic cleansing operation. As they haul off innocent civilians, only one man out of 500 passengers dares to stand up to them.

Producer: Katarina Prpić, Katya Trichkova, Noelle Levenez, Boštjan Virc • Production company: Les films Norfolk • Cinematography: Boštjan Virc, Danijel Pek, Gregor Božič, Katya Trichkova, Noelle Levenez • Editing: Tomislav Stojanović • Cast: Alexis Manenti, Dragan Micanovic, Goran Bogdan, Silvio Mumelaš • Sales: Manifest

Programme: Animation

Screenings: Mon 01/12 (17:30), Thu 04/12 (13:00)

Beautiful Men

Nicolas Keppens • Belgium • 2023 • 19 min.

Three balding brothers travel to Istanbul to get a hair transplant. Stuck with each other in a hotel far from home, their insecurities grow faster than their hair.

Producer: Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron, Brecht Van Elslande • Production company: Animal Tank, Ka-Ching Cartoons, Miyu, NEF animation • Cinematography: Maxim Hectors • Editing: Nicolas Keppens • Music: Nicolas Snyder • Sound: Nicolas Snyder

In the Shadow of the Cypress

Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani • Iran • 2023 • 20 min.

A former captain, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, lives with his daughter in a humble house located by the sea. Together, they live an isolated life and have to confront the challenges of a harsh life. One morning, their lives change forever when an unforeseen event occurs.

Magic Candies

Daisuke Nishio • Japan • 2024 • 21 min.

The other kids never ask Dong-Dong to play, but he's fine just playing marbles on his own. Until one day, he buys a bag of colourful candies and begins to discover new voices and perspectives.

Producer: Takashi Washio, Kazuhiro Nishikawa

Wander to Wonder

Nina Gantz • The Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, France • 2023 • 14 min.

Mary, Billybud and Fumbleton are three miniature actors in a 1980s children's series. After the series' creator dies, they are left alone in the studio. With their slowly decaying costumes and growing hunger, they continue to create increasingly strange episodes for their fans.

Producer: Beast Animation, Stienette Bosklopper, Blink Industries, Les Productions de Milou, Maarten SAWRT, Pictanovo images en Hauts-de-France, Annemie Degryse, Ben Tesseur, Steven De Beul, Bart Yates, James Stevenson Bretton, Lisette Kelder, Lisette Kelder • Cinematography: Christophe Gautry • Editing: Joseph Comar

Yuck!

Loïc Espuche • France • 2023 • 13 min.

Yuck! Couples kissing on the mouth are gross. Little Léo laughs at them, just like all the kids at the summer camp. But he has a secret he won’t tell his friends.

Producer: Manon Messiant, Juliette Marquet

Oscar Shorts

CINEMA

Big Names, Short Films

One Battle After Another, Sinners and Sentimental Value: they all made a splash on the silver screen the past months. In Big Names, Short Films you discover the shorts of filmmakers who left a big impression on audiences the past year. Their short films often function as a blueprint for their later feature-length films: before Boogie Nights’ Dirk Diggler made his first appearance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Dirk Diggler Story, and animals on the run sparked Gints Zilbalodis' interest long before Flow went home with the Oscar statue.

Programme

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (18:00), Tue 02/12 (19:45), Fri 05/12 (22:00)

The Dirk Diggler Story

Paul Thomas Anderson • United States • 1988 • 31 min.

The rise and inevitable fall of porn star Dirk Diggler in the 1970s and 1980s, narrated in the style of a mockumentary featuring excellent deadpan humour.

Procter

Joachim Trier • Norway, United Kingdom • 2002 • 18 min.

Charles Procter discovers a burning car in the garage where he has parked his car. A video camera has filmed the entire incident...

Producer: Marie Farquashan, The national Film and Tv school • Production company: Norwegian Film Institute • Cinematography: Jakob Ihre • Editing: Helle Le Fevre • Music: Graham Slack • Cast: John Joyce, Michael Huchs

Locks

Ryan Coogler • United States • 2009 • 6 min.

A young man in Oakland, California, wakes with a heavy heart and decides to take a walk through the neighbourhood to the local barbershop. Along the way, his encounters serve as a reminder to not let preconceived notions guide us.

Swimmer

Lynne Ramsay • United Kingdom • 2012 • 18 min.

A young man swims across the rivers and lakes of Britain to a soundtrack of trailblazing British music. As he passes people on the river banks, he hears their thoughts and conversations.

Production company: Harriet Williams

Priorities

Gints Zilbalodis • Latvia • 2014 • 9 min.

After his plane crashes on a small uninhabited island, a young man and his dog try to find their way home. They face tough obstacles and emotional dilemmas.

Focus on the Netherlands

This year’s Country in Focus is the Netherlands. Familiar face at the festival and brand-new Oscar winner Victoria Warmerdam hosts a master talk and Douwe Dijkstra makes his big comeback to the festival, including a masterclass and an open-air installation. The Dutch festival Go Short will also present two remarkable programmes full of promising Dutch talent. Go Short Docs explores love that unintentionally remained online, the untold stories of a family album, and the impact of geopolitical injustice on ordinary people. Go Short Youth is a mix of animation and live action fiction, about growing up and being young, about love in a juvenile detention centre, and procrastination that leads to desserts.

Go Short Docs

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (18:00), Sat 06/12 (18:30)

This Is (Not) Your Ocean

Jordi Wijnalda • The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, United States • 2024 • 14 min.

A poetic video letter to a queer love that existed only in a digital realm and could not last, because one of the two passed away. A loving ode to longing bodies that never touched and loves that perished before collective memories could be made.

Producer: Jordi Wijnalda • Production company: VINT—i—TRES • Camera: Jordi Wijnalda • Editing: Jordi Wijnalda • Music: Roger Neill • Sound: Brandon Grötzinger

In Flow of Words

Eliane Esther Bots • The Netherlands • 2021 • 22 min.

Three interpreters from the (former) Yugoslavia Tribunal look back on their experience of translating extremely shocking testimonies. During the trial, they had to suppress their own feelings and emotions, but now their voices and experiences take centre stage.

Producer: Manon Bovenkerk • Camera: Daniel Donato • Editing: Eliane Esther Bots • Sound: Sergio González Cuervo

The Sniper of Kobani

Reber Dosky • The Netherlands • 2015 • 12 min.

Haron, a Kurdish fighter, came to the Syrian city of Kobani to end the occupation by ISIS. He works as a sniper among the enormous ruins of the city. In his hideout, he reflects on his hopes and fears.

Producer: Jos de Putter • Camera: Nina Badoux • Editing: Stefan Hickert • Music: Wouter van Bemmel

Between Delicate and Violent

Hands are repositories of memory that can store and pass on memories. Can we see a painter's aggression in his brushstrokes? Can embroidery reveal the desire of its creator? A creative and personal journey that reveals what a family album normally leaves out of the picture.

Producer: Şirin Bahar Demirel • Music: Onur Kahraman

I Want to Go Higher

Amanda van Hesteren • The Netherlands, Belgium • 2023 • 23 min.

Four male models - on the brink of adulthood - go on a retreat in Thailand. The idea is to work on themselves and their bodies, because they are all struggling with doubts and insecurities. But the group dynamics of “cool guys hanging out” quickly take over.

Producer: Amanda van Hesteren

Sirin Bahar Demirel • The Netherlands, Turkey • 2023 • 15 min. ¸

Focus on the Netherlands

Go Short Youth

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (16:45), Fri 05/12 (17:30)

En route

Marit Weerheijm • The Netherlands • 2019 • 10 min.

When Inay and her little brother have to join their father on a special trip through the city, she tries everything to cause a delay. She knows that if they arrive late at their destination, she will be rewarded with loads of sweet desserts.

Producer: Loes Komen, Eva Verweij • Camera: Martijn Melis • Editing: Fatih Tura • Sound: Tom Jansen

Fernweh

Ena Sendijarevic • The Netherlands • 2014 • 14 min.

A young girl explores the unknown world of her new foster family and cautiously tries to make this new place her home. However, she seems to keep longing for something else.

Producer: Zinzy Nimako, Jonne Roos • Camera: Aafke Beernink • Editing: Jorien Voogt • Music: Ella van der Woude • Sound: Robin Berk

Vlekkeloos

Emma Branderhorst • The Netherlands • 2021 • 16 min.

When 15 year old Ruby gets her period, she doesn't want to ask her mum to buy her period products. Not because she is embarrassed, but because she knows their financial situation doesn't really allow it. She sets out to solve the problem herself.

Producer: Zoë Niezen, Nicky Onstenk, Marc Bary • Cinematography: Myrthe Mosterman • Editing: Tessel Flora de Vries

Yulia & Juliet

Zara Dwinger • The Netherlands • 2018 • 12 min.

In a juvenile delinquent centre, two girls find comfort in love for each other. Once one of them gets released, they don't know how to deal with the changed circumstances and both seek for a solution, with tragic consequences.

Magma

Luca Meisters • The Netherlands • 2023 • 15 min.

Esra's world has been turned upside down. Because her father became disabled after a motorcycle accident, they had to move. What's more, he is struggling with his limitations and is no longer the dad she used to know. At her new school, she tells a lie, the consequences of which she cannot foresee.

Producer: Marc Bary, Nicky Onstenk, Zoë Niezen • Cast: Erwin Boschmans, Joya Kloppenborg, Leah Fischer, Mustafa Duygulu, Nadia Amin

Bloeistraat 11

Nienke Deutz • The Netherlands, Belgium • 2018 • 10 min.

Two inseparable best friends are experiencing the last summer of their childhood. Almost imperceptibly, puberty is bringing about changes that are putting their friendship to the test.

Producer: Annemie Degryse, Géraldine Sprimont, Annemiek Van der Hell, Esther Bannenberg, Ben Tesseur, Steven De Beul • Production company: Lunanime • Cast: Eva Schram

Focus on the Netherlands

Master Talk: Victoria Warmerdam

Screenings: Sat 06/12 (17:00)

Korte kuitspier

Victoria Warmerdam • The Netherlands • 2019 • 13 min.

Anders is a perfectly normal man, or so he thinks. Until he notices that people around him are teasing him.

Producer: Trent • Production company: OAK Motion Pictures • Cinematography: Joris Bulstra • Editing: Elisabeth Kasteel • Music: Matthijs Kieboom • Cast: Henry van Loon, Beppie Melissen, Raymonde de Kuyper, Sieger Sloot, Wieger Windhorst, Bert Hana, Rogier Schippers, Bart Klever, Rein Mulder, Loes Schnepper, Michiel Kerbosch

Snorrie

Victoria Warmerdam • The Netherlands • 2021 • 11 min.

Freek is a man in his thirties who returns to his childhood bedroom. He is packing everything up when he suddenly encounters an old acquaintance. It is his best friend from childhood, Snorrie.

Producer: Trent - • Cinematography: Robbie van Brussel • Editing: Elsbeth Kasteel • Music: Merlijn Snitker • Cast: Henry van Loon, Wim Willaert, Sieger Sloot

Ik ben geen robot

Victoria Warmerdam • The Netherlands, Belgium • 2023 • 22 min.

After several unsuccessful attempts to complete a Captcha, Lara sets out to answer the disturbing question of whether she might really be a robot.

Producer: Trent -, Henry Gillet • Cinematography: Martijn van Broekhuizen • Editing: Michiel Boesveldt • Music: Merlijn Snitker • Sound: Evelien van der Molen • Cast: Ellen Parren, Henry van Loon, Thekla Reuten

Focus on the Netherlands

Artist in Focus: Douwe Dijkstra

Screenings: Thu 04/12 (21:45), Sat 06/12 (10:00)

Démontable

Douwe Dijkstra • The Netherlands • 2013 • 12 min.

War rages on the kitchen table while a man drinks his cup of coffee. The world is on fire. Helicopters shred his newspaper, a drone shoots at a plate of broccoli. A playful look at the absurd relationship between our daily lives and world news.

Producer: Douwe Dijkstra • Music: Rob Peters • Cast: Douwe Dijkstra

Green Screen Gringo

Douwe Dijkstra • The Netherlands, Brazil • 2016 • 16 min.

Along with a green screen, someone travels across the enchanting – and turbulent –Brazil. The streets are a stage for politics, art and love. The result is a mixtape-portrait of modern-day Brazil seen through the eyes of a visitor.

Producer: Douwe Dijkstra • Cinematography: Douwe Dijkstra • Editing: Douwe Dijkstra • Sound: Rob Peters

Eine Sekunde in Fränkli

Douwe Dijkstra • The Netherlands, Switzerland • 2022 • 11 min.

While staying in Switzerland, a Dutch director becomes fascinated by the one-franc coin. This coin, which has hardly changed over decades, bears national symbols. He starts an investigation into the meaning of these obscure symbols.

Voor film

Douwe Dijkstra • The Netherlands • 2015 • 11 min.

From the perspective of ten viewers from different backgrounds, the unique ritual of watching films is thoroughly examined. How do people with sensory impairments, strong religious beliefs or heartbreak experience this medium?

Producer: Bart Jansen

Buurman Abdi

Douwe Dijkstra • The Netherlands • 2022 • 29 min.

How can you understand a violent past? Somali-born Abdi is a furniture designer and social worker. With the help of his neighbour, filmmaker Douwe, he re-enacts his life through playful reconstructions in a special effects studio.

Producer: Richard Valk • Cinematography: Douwe Dijkstra • Editing: Douwe Dijkstra • Music: Rob Peters • Sound: Rob Peters • Cast: Abdiwahab Ali

Kitchen Chaos

No laid back Nigella Lawson vibes, or rustic images of Shepherd's pie. In Kitchen Chaos, you'll discover four different micro societies where culinary excellence, social awkwardness and insensitive jokes get things heated. For fans of The Bear or Boiling Point this humorous short film compilation is one to really savour.

Programme

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (20:15), Wed 03/12 (17:15), Sat 06/12 (20:15)

Sous vide

Misja Overberg • The Netherlands • 2024 • 15 min.

Emil, the head chef of a high-end restaurant in the Dutch province Zeeland, is struggling to connect with his younger kitchen staff. When an ambitious sous chef is suddenly appointed without his knowledge, he seems to bring some fresh energy to the kitchen. Emil feels his position and authority crumbling.

Producer: Sam Vroom • Camera: Thomas Weber • Editing: Sammie Seuren • Music: Amplifeye • Cast: Thomas van Luin, Tim Haars

Glute

Victor Ruprich-Robert • Belgium • 2024 • 25 min.

In the kitchen of a restaurant, a paranoid and peculiar waiter decides to steal a colleague's joke in order to be accepted by the team. The evening takes a nightmarish turn when he realises how inappropriate the joke is.

Salmon

Heurlin • Denmark • 2023 • 23 min.

August, a young chef with big dreams, gets an opportunity at a top tier Nordic Michelin restaurant. The uncompromising excentric chef, André, pushes him to the limit throughout the evening to see if he can perform under tremendous pressure.

Producer: Karoline Jørgensen, Pelle Axel von Schantz Iversen

Beau Monde

Hans Vannetelbosch • Belgium • 2020 • 27 min.

During an evening at a high-class restaurant, tension runs high and both staff and guests show their true faces. A story about two social classes both having to deal with secrets and façades.

Bea Catteeuw •

Mattis

Producer: David Lévy • Cast: Brune Bazin, Colin Doucet, Edson Anibal, Maxi Delmelle, Nell Geeraerd

Producer:

Cinematography: Lino De Koninck • Editing: Joris Vertenten • Music: Naïma Joris • Cast: Maaike Cafmeyer, Koen De Graeve, Line Pillet, Tom Vermeir, Marijke Pinoy, Hans Royaards, Evgenia Brendes, Lucas Tavernier, Tine Roggeman, Nora Alberdi

Labo

Collective fainting and absurd murder scenarios not only find each other in a good horror book, but also in the Labo programme. Forget traditional narrative structures and let go of your expectations. Even in times of war a couple quarrels about pillows, and trees have memories too. Labo is synonymous with narrative surprise, visual experimentation and poetic reflection.

Programme 1

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (20:30), Sat 06/12 (22:15)

How Now, House?

Tess Martin • The Netherlands • 2025 • 13 min.

Time, memory, and ownership converge in a single house in Rotterdam. Archives and personal stories jump between multiple lives and eras like the shuffling of a deck of cards. Can a space ever really belong to one person or time period?

Producer: Tess Martin • Cinematography: Matija Pekic • Editing: Tess Martin • Music: Ruben Van Asselt • Sound: Ruben Van Asselt • Cast: Bianca Casaburi • Sales: Vanja Andrijevic

The Voice of All Things

Daniel Pérez Silva • Spain • 2025 • 21 min.

Four jazz musicians play in a club in the city. The streets are deserted, the final night buses are leaving, the shops are closing, the garbage trucks rumble, the waves crash against the rocks, the lighthouse light flickers. By the next morning, the sounds will gleam in the bright daylight.

Producer: Daniel Pérez Silva • Cinematography: David Suárez • Music: Seada Quartet • Sound: Juan Carlos Blancas

What Remains

Zoë Demoustier, Jonathan Van Hemelrijck, Michiel Venmans • Belgium • 2025 • 12 min.

A man wants to escape his memories, which slowly take over his bitter reality. Where does youth begin and old age end? What do we pass on and what do we leave behind?

An exploration of loss and mortality.

Producer: Jonathan Van Hemelrijck

Toward a Fundamental Theory of Physics

Victor Van Rossem • Belgium • 2025 • 13 min.

A tangible exploration of time and light, shot on 16mm-film using a handcrafted Time-Slice camera. This visual journey brings along a brand new confrontation with light, resulting in shiny images.

Editing: Victor Van Rossem • Music: Thijs Troch

A Round of Applause for Death

Stephen Irwin • United Kingdom • 2024 • 5 min.

In a series of abstract murder scenarios, Death takes centre stage and faceless spectators applaud as the inevitable conclusion of these murderous dreams takes place. Cast: Mimi Gainsbourg

Her Five Lives

Saodat Ismailova • Uzbekistan • 2022 • 13 min.

How were women portrayed in Uzbek cinema over the past century? An essayistic insight into the changing role of female archetypes in Uzbek film history, linked to the broader context of social and political changes.

Programme 2

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (21:30), Thu 04/12 (17:30)

A Dying Tree

Vincent René-Lortie • Canada • 2025 • 17 min.

As the day ends for a 45-year-old office worker, he encounters the mysterious gaze of a chimpanzee, sparking a silent exchange that prompts him to make an irreversible decision.

Lights, Haze

Tata Managadze • Georgia • 2024 • 8 min.

A poetic reflection on the ambivalence of memory, with sharp, flickering lights as a central symbolic element. An exploration based on real locations on the outskirts of Tbilisi, with 2D animations that add experimental and dreamlike qualities to the narrative.

Producer: RE:ANIMA • Music: Jose Salgado • Sound: Irakli Margishvili, Jose Salgado

Some of You Fucked Eva

Lilith Grasmug • Austria, France • 2025 • 15 min.

2002, North Carolina. A group of high school cheerleaders faint simultaneously. Eva seems to know something about the mysterious condition. The enigmatic events unfold in fragmentary internet images and fictional voices.

Producer: Lilith Grasmug

This Is Not Your Garden

Angélica Restrepo, Carlos Velandia • Colombia • 2025 • 13 min.

Rooted in wetlands and centennial forests at the verge of disappearing, memories and a speculated future collide. 500 years of exploitation and resilience are nourished by a collective pain and a desire to crack through it all.

Producer: EXPERIMENTA • Cast: Espeletia grandiflora, Eucalyptus globulus, Hypotrachyna laevigata, Quercus humboldtii, Taraxacum officinale, Usnea sp.

SKRFF

Corrie Francis Parks, Daniel Nuderscher • Austria • 2024 • 7 min.

A 40-year old graffiti wall becomes an archaeological site and a sgraffito sculpture as long-gone layers of paint are uncovered and explosions of colour and shape emerge. A street art metaphor in an attempt to understand the past and the present in times of toxic ideologies.

Producer: SKRFF ology • Sound: Sandro Nicolussi

Additional Scenes

Roman Khimei, Yarema Malashchuk • Ukraine • 2024 • 17 min.

On Day 377 of the Russian-Ukrainian War, in Kyiv, a man debates with his wife about the pillows - which one is for sleeping and which one is not. These everyday scenes reveal how war permeates the lives of ordinary citizens.

Producer: Viktor Shevchenko, Bjorn Geldhof, Yarema Malashchuk, Roman Khimei • Cinematography: Roman Khimei, Yarema Malashchuk • Editing: Roman Khimei, Yarema Malashchuk • Sound: Andrii Nidzelskyi • Cast: Dmytro Rasskazov, Halyna Melnyk, Lyudmyla Bayeva, Markiian Matsiiovskyi, Mykhailo Romanov, Pavlo Aldoshyn, Sana Shahmuradova, Viacheslav Vasilyuk

Labo

Female Gaze

If you are to believe film history, women mostly function as plot devices, lust objects or support for strong male protagonists. It took a while before film caught up to reality, but in the two short film compilations themed around the female gaze, nothing remains of this outdated worldview. The filmmakers peel back the layers of a groundbreaking orange, rewrite familiar red-hooded fairy tales, and dig deep beneath the archeological surface. In the context of Europalia España there is an aditional Female Gaze programme featuring Spanish makers. Expect a programme that thoroughly challenges the average film's perspective.

Programme 1

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (19:30), Sat 06/12 (22:00)

The Eating of an Orange

May Kindred-Boothby • United Kingdom • 2024 • 7 min.

In a large country house, everyone lives according to exactly the same pattern. One woman looks identical to the other residents; they eat the same food and move in the same way. Until she receives an orange from an old woman who lives outside the country house. The orange opens up a new world for her.

Out of the Blue

Morgane Frund • Switzerland • 2023 • 15 min.

In 2013, an auteur film causes a scandal because of its sex scenes. Filmmaker Morgane Frund was sixteen and one of the angry viewers. Ten years later, they are ready to settle the score with this film in the form of a video essay.

Sales: Morgane Frund

Nos panthéons

Rosalie Charrier • France • 2025 • 11 min.

An archaeologist is at work, digging steadily and meticulously. Behind her, passers-by stop, laughing, watching, judging, like distant echoes. But she continues, digging deeper. Beyond the noise. Beyond their gaze. She is no longer just unearthing the past; she is searching for answers buried in her own present.

Producer: Romain Dumont, Khalid Tahhar • Cinematography: Paloma Pineda • Editing: Alexandre Sellem, Vincent Fleishmann • Cast: Fotinì Peluso

Rouge

Zoé Arene • France, Belgium • 2025 • 16 min.

In this adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood, nothing goes as expected: "Hoodie" boldly asserts her desires without fear or shame, the Wolf is far from a predator, and Grandmother is losing her mind. And the narrator might not get the last word...

Producer: Benoît Roland, Robin Robles • Cinematography: Alex Cabanne • Editing: Léo Parmentier • Cast: Annette Baussart, Epona Guillaume, François Neycken, Jean-Michel Vovk, Tom Adjibi

Because Today Is Saturday

Alice Eça Guimarães • Portugal, Spain, France • 2025 • 12 min.

It's the weekend! Finally time to leave the daily grind behind and get creative. Or maybe not, because even on Saturdays, the children and the household demand all your attention.

Producer: Bruno Simões, Nuno Amorim, Vanessa Ventura, Carlota Pou, Claire Beffa, Sidonie Garnier • Editing: Alice Eça Guimarães • Music: Gisela Fullà Silvestre

Juck

Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira • Sweden • 2018 • 18 min.

What is femininity? Juck is a Swedish dance group that broke through in 2013 with a viral video in which they pushed the boundaries of how the female body can express itself and make a statement. They provoke, inspire and break norms.

Programme 2

Screenings: Wed 03/12 (19:15), Fri 05/12 (13:30)

Boys

Anna Martí Domingo • Spain • 2024 • 15 min.

Teo and his friends are boys who believe they are far from the most toxic forms of masculinity. Still, any game is an excuse to compete and measure their strength. One summer day, they take the game too far.

Producer: Laura Rubirola Sala • Cinematography: Núria Gascón • Editing: Tomás Longato • Cast: Eloi Rubinart, Jan Vilalta, Lluís Català, Pablo Scapigliatti, Paulí Casals

30’ 70 60’ 120

Marta Valverde • Spain • 2022 • 11 min.

A seemingly normal house. The walls are painted pink and various objects fill the rooms: bath gels, shampoos, lubricant, wipes. Twenty-six-year-old Marina works as a sex worker to pay for her studies. She is surrounded by people who support each other in a profession where stigma is omnipresent.

Cinematography: Arancha Brandón

Cura

Sana

Lucía G. Romero • Spain • 2024 • 18 min.

Jessica and Alma are two sisters who are victims of domestic violence. They often vent out that violence to each other, but that changes during one of their routine outings for food stamps during San Juan night.

Producer: Borja Nández, Ruth Porro • Cast: Rasvely Lissette Restituyo, Roser Rendon Ena • Sales: François Morisset

Watermelon Juice

Irene Moray • Spain • 2019 • 22 min.

Barbara and Pol spend a few days on holiday with a group of friends in a house surrounded by nature. With the support of Pol, in the midst of nature, between tears and laughter, Barbara will heal old wounds and redefine her sexuality.

Producer: Miriam Porté • Cinematography: Irene Moray • Editing: Ana Pfaff • Music: Nico Roig • Cast: Elena Martín, Max Grosse Majench

Gaps

Sofía Esteve Santonja, Marina Freixa Roca, Isa Luengo • Spain • 2024 • 20 min.

In 1969, seventeen-year-old Mariona was arrested and imprisoned in a reformatory governed by the Women's Welfare Agency, which was dedicated to "regenerating fallen women" during the Francoist dictatorship. In 2023, Mariona and her daughter look back in an effort to piece together her story.

Cinematography: Isa Luengo, Marina Freixa Roca, Sofía Esteve Santonja • Editing: Isa Luengo, Marina Freixa Roca, Sofía Esteve Santonja • Cast: Marina Freixa Roca, Mariona Roca Tort

Female Gaze

Animation Nations

Sometimes (auto)biographical, sometimes completely unhinged; content-wise the films of Animation Nations have little in common. From talking mattresses to sausages fighting for justice, but also: a poetic display of the love between two black boys and the true story of a pregnant teenager on the run. Expect vulnerable personal stories and total absurdity in the form of picturesque films, handmade animations and very little digital work.

Programme 1

Screenings: Mon 01/12 (21:30), Wed 03/12 (17:15), Fri 05/12 (15:30)

Speeding, of Course

Anni Sairio, Joonatan Turkki • Finland • 2025 • 4 min.

70-year-old Timo has been enjoying his short cycle ride to work for years. For him, it is a blissful moment of freedom and speed. Even if the journey ends in a ditch, he still enjoys the adrenaline rush.

Producer: Ella Ruohonen • Cast: Timo Turkki

Two Black Boys in Paradise

Baz Sells • United Kingdom • 2025 • 9 min.

Based on Dean Atta's eponymous poem, two black boys find paradise in their love for each other. In a society plagued by homophobia and racism, they refuse to hide their love and rediscover a sense of connection in their own paradise.

Producer: Ben Jackson • Cinematography: Baz Sells, Jonathan Garvey, Kevin Paul Lawrence • Editing: Sam Hodge • Music: Adam Grigg, Jasper Dent, Picturesonix • Sound: Adam Grigg, Jasper Dent, Picturesonix

Karies

Aline Höchli • Switzerland • 2025 • 10 min.

Eager to create a monumental work of art, a shaman remains blissfully unaware that she is painting her murals inside a cavity in the tooth of a weatherman who is preparing for his weather forecast on television.

Producer: Aline Höchli, Stefan Holaus • Production company: KOLOSS • Editing: Aline Höchli • Sales: Vanja Andrijevic

Wish You Were Ear

Mirjana Balogh • Hungary • 2025 • 10 min.

In a world where ex-partners must exchange a chosen body part after every break-up, a man feels incomplete and deformed. He longs for his original, complete form, until he unexpectedly sees his former ear on someone else.

Producer: József Fülöp

Autokar

Sylwia Szkiładz • France, Belgium • 2025 • 17 min. ´ ¿

In the '90s, a little girl leaves Poland for Belgium. Anxious about her journey alone, she writes a letter to her father to pass the time. But then she accidentally drops her pencil and loses it on the bus.

Producer: Jérémie Mazurek, Christophe Beaujean, Mathieu Rolin, Viviane Vanfleteren, Marc Faye • Music: Barbara Drazkov

Toti

Maëlle Chevallier • Switzerland • 2024 • 6 min.

Two small cells grow up together and explore the organism in which they live, until an accident separates them. When they finally find each other again, they have changed so much that they are no longer compatible.

Producer: Nicolas Burlet, Zoltán Horváth • Production company: Nadasdy Film

No Vacancy

Miguel Rodrick • Colombia • 2024 • 7 min.

Jack runs a shabby motel. During the chaotic nights, he is plagued not only by mysterious phone calls, but more importantly, by the inescapable weight of his past mistakes.

Producer: Miguel Rodrick • Music: Miguel Rodrick

Longue distance

Iulia Voitova, Aristote Douroudakis • France • 2025 • 9 min.

An astronaut prepares for a flight into space, and a diver descends into the depths of the ocean. The further apart they are, the closer they get.

Producer: Valentin Maupin

Ovary-Acting

Ida Melum • Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom • 2025 • 12 min.

At her pregnant sister's baby shower, 34-year-old Eva is constantly asked when she will start having children. The stress gives her abdominal pain and, to her surprise, she gives birth to Ovy, her reproductive organs. Ovy also wants to convince her that it is high time to have a baby.

Producer: Kjersti Sofie Greger, Michelle Brøndum, Johan Edström, Kjersti Greger • Cast: Synnøve Karlsen

Animation Nations

Programme 2

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (18:45), Tue 02/12 (21:30), Thu 04/12 (15:00)

Signal

Emma Carré, Mathilde Parquet • France, Belgium • 2025 • 17 min.

Claudie is absolutely passionate about her rather unusual job: scanning the cosmos for signs of extraterrestrial life, hoping to make contact. Completely absorbed in her mission, she gradually loses touch with those around her.

Producer: Jean-François Le Corre, Annemie Degryse, Aurélie Angebault, Stéphanie Launay • Cast: Constant Bankoué, Dominique Quesnel, Emma Carré, Pauline Collin

Dollhouse Elephant

Jenny Jokela • Finland • 2025 • 11 min.

In a flat, you live close to others. A group of neighbours, each with their own desires and expectations, must learn to communicate and be considerate of each other. Because small everyday actions can have unexpected consequences.

Producer: Jani Lehto • Production company: Böhle Studios • Editing: Jenny Jokela • Sound: Jani Lehto • Sales: Vanja Andrijevic

Circle

Joung Yumi • South Korea • 2024 • 7 min.

A girl finds a stick and uses it to draw a circle on the ground. One by one, passersby are drawn to the circle, they step into it and stay within its boundaries. The circle quickly begins to get crowded.

Producer: Kihyun KIM

Shadows

Rand Beiruty • France • 2024 • 12 min.

Fourteen-year-old Ahlam stands alone in an overcrowded airport. She is a runaway teenage mum, fighting against the looming shadows that want to steal her only dream: to escape and be free.

Producer: Louise Gonin-neveu, Raphael Loock

Psychonauts

Niko Radas • Croatia • 2025 • 8 min.

What happens when mental disorders leave a patient? In a bizarre world constructed from pill boxes and accompanied by a soundtrack of listed medication side effects, mental disorders float around in search of new places of refuge.

Producer: Filip Gašparović Melis • Sound: Luka Gamulin • Cast: Patients of University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče

Trash

Alexis Le Ral, Fanny Vecchie, Gregory Bouzid, Margaux Lutz Mattéo Durand, Maxime Crançon, Robin Delaporte, Romain Fleischer • France • 2024 • 7 min.

In a dark alley, a scrawny rat has no choice but to fight with a pigeon for a small slice of pizza. Without a second thought they throw themselves in a vertiginous chase from the top to the bottom of the street.

De afvalligen

Wiep Teeuwisse • The Netherlands • 2024 • 3 min.

There is a pile of abandoned junk around two rubbish bins. An old mattress begins to talk with sadness: ‘They say I'm dirty...’ Other pieces of rubbish join in and explain why they were thrown away. Until an old newspaper inspires them to look on the bright side.

Producer: Nienke Deutz • Music: Marta Arpini

Charbon de terre

Bastien Dupriez • France • 2024 • 13 min.

In the countryside of yesteryear, hay is being cut, grain gets harvested and the fields are being ploughed. In the coal mines and factories, labourers are hard at work. Perhaps they have more in common than imagined?

Vegan Mayo

Luca Toth • Hungary • 2024 • 5 min.

She is all that: a super empath, a justice warrior and your favourite confidence queen... but then again, maybe she’s just a sausage.

Producer: Richard Van Den Boom • Production company: Emmanuel Renaud • Music: Pierre Caillet, Yan Volsy • Sound: Pierre Caillet, Yan Volsy

Militant Cinema

Militant Cinema combines the anthology film From Ground Zero and the programme Reclaiming Archives, a collaboration with Kortfilm.be. From Ground Zero is a mix of fiction, documentary and animation and shows the perspectives of various filmmakers on the current reality in Gaza. Reclaiming Archives, on the other hand, uses archival material as cinematic resistance. In both programmes, filmmakers demand to be heard and refuse to be forgotten.

From Ground Zero

Screenings: Mon 01/12 (17:15), Sat 06/12 (17:45)

Various directors • Palestine • 2024 • 113 min.

22 short films made by filmmakers from Gaza, each with their own perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project From Ground Zero, launched by renowned filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, the challenges and tragedies, but also moments of resilience. This compilation of fiction, documentary and animation captures an intimate and powerful portrait of the daily life and determination of the Palestinian people.

Producer: Rashid Masharawi

All ticket proceeds from From Ground Zero and Reclaiming Archives will go to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). That is an independent Palestinian organisation that provides humanitarian aid, healthcare and social services to Palestinians in Palestine and the Palestinian diaspora.

Reclaiming Archives compile short films by makers with roots in Iran, Syria, Iraq and Palestine. Politicalhistorical images, Google Maps and Palestinian flowers become devices for resistance in film. How a handshake between world leaders destroys countless lives and a manipulated video of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei drafts an alternative reality: filmmakers rewrite their history, and claim a different future.

Militant Cinema

Reclaiming Archives

Screenings: Tue 02/12 (20:15)

20 Handshakes for Peace

Mahdi Fleifel • Germany, Palestine • 2014 • 5 min.

A son remembers how his father obsessively replayed the historical Oslo handshake on the TV, furious at Yasser Arafat's agreement with Yitzhak Rabin and Bill Clinton. Personal memory and political disillusionment, combined with the images of the handshake and the last interview with Edward Said.

The Motherfucker's Birthday

Saif Alsaegh • Iraq • 2024 • 7 min.

Through dancing, the film shows the horror people endure under dictatorial rule. When it is Saddam's birthday, there must be dancing. Torture and terror cause people to dance contortedly in pain, while Bush dances and declares war with a grin. Everyone becomes a dancer; what choice do the Iraqi people have but to join in?

The

Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing

Theo Panagopoulos • United Kingdom • 2024 • 17 min.

A Scotland-based Palestinian filmmaker discovers forgotten footage of his homeland's wildflowers. Inspired by this rare archive, he embarks on a journey to recover and preserve this precious visual heritage.

Producer: Marissa Keating

9 Days – From My Window in Aleppo

Thomas Vroege, Issa Touma, Floor van der Meulen • The Netherlands, Syria • 2015 • 13 min.

The renowned Syrian photographer Issa Touma sees young men lugging sandbags into his street - the start of the Syrian uprising in Aleppo. With his camera he spends nine days holed up in his apartment recording the war.

Your Father Was Born 100 Years Old, and So Was the Nakba

Razan Al Salah • Palestine, Lebanon • 2017 • 7 min.

For someone who is not a digital native, the wonders of Google Street View can be overwhelming. A stroll through the streets of Haifa, Oum Amin's hometown, immerses the elderly Palestinian woman in vivid memories from her past.

And

How

Miserable Is the Home of Evil

Saleh Kashefi • Switzerland, Iran • 2023 • 7 min.

An emotional portrait of a possible near future for Iran based on the archive of Khamenei's website. The Ayatollah seeks refuge in a mosque, surrounded by his followers, while the protests outside become increasingly violent and intense.

Producer: Jos de Putter • Camera: Issa Touma • Editing: Floor van der Meulen, Thomas Vroege • Sound: Tom Jansen

Virtual Reality

A look into the world of a woman with dementia, a reflection on forced migration, but also West-Flemish geraniums wanting to escape their window sill. Walk through the art in Ito Meikyu and experience stories from the inside. The VR selection takes your breath away and makes you want to repot your plants.

Programme

Screenings at various moments. Book your tickets via www.kortfilmfestival.be.

A Long Goodbye

Kate Voet, Victor Maes • Belgium • 2025 • 30 min.

Experience a day through the eyes of Ida, an elderly pianist with early-stage dementia. In the intimacy of her apartment, you wander through a poetic memory puzzle of everyday objects: photographs, sounds and images connect the past and the present.

Producer: An Oost • Production company: Cassette for timescapes • Music: Joep Beving • Sales: Astrea

Less than 5gr of Saffron

Négar Motevalymeidanshah • France • 2025 • 7 min.

Golnaz is a young Iranian immigrant trying to adjust to her new life in Germany. An empty refrigerator draws her towards the supermarket, where she encounters their newest product: saffron. An improvised meal takes her back to traumatic events.

Producer: Gwenaëlle Clauwaert • Production company: Ten2Ten • Sound: Laurent Vang • Sales: ASTREA Immersive

The Great Escape

Joren Vandenbroucke • Luxembourg, Belgium • 2025 • 25 min.

Three moody geraniums take control over their fate and plan their escape from Patrick’s living room. From the windowsill, they attempt to contact the outside world, and soon enough they explore new territories. It turns out, the outside is less glamorous than they hoped.

Producer: Sven Spur, Brecht Van Elslande • Production company: Animal Tank • Music: Annelies Van Hijfte, Nele De Gussem • Sound: Greg Scheirlinckx, Raphaël Hoffman

Ito Meikyu

Boris Labbé • France, Luxembourg • 2024 • 15 min.

Japanese art history and literature unfold like a fresco of drawn, animated and auditory scenes. How do you wander through this virtual world, and what do you get to see? Play hide and seek in a universe where the spectator is at the centre.

Production company: Les Films Fauves, Parangon, Sacrebleu Productions

Concert: Nele De Gussem

Thu 4/12 (21:00) at STUKcafé

Mystical pop, a divine voice, trippy visuals: Ghent-based vocalist-producer Nele De Gussem presents her new audiovisual show. Her album comes into its own even more when performed live, with visuals by Victor Verhelst - the graphic artist who fell into a colourful cauldron of magic potion as a child. Sounds are transformed into colours; 90s games come alive, and patterns dance to the rhythm of the music. The result is an immersive experience in an almost otherworldly set design by the Belgian visual collective Spacemakers. Completely free at the festival café, thanks to a collaboration between STUK and Kortfilmfestival Leuven.

Short Film History

70 years of film history in 86 minutes: it's possible. From Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant, via the French Riviera with Agnès Varda, to the Belgian Dardennes. This compilation is a crash course in short film canon that takes you through some of the biggest names in cinema of the past century.

Programme

Screenings: Thu 04/12 (19:45)

The Immigrant

Charlie Chaplin • United States • 1917 • 24 min.

The tramp travels to America by ship. On board, he experiences both comical and moving moments, including an encounter with a young woman in distress. Once he arrives in the New World, he struggles with poverty, but continues to find his way with charm and humour.

Du côté de la côte

Agnès Varda • France • 1958

A colourful film in which Agnès Varda depicts tourism on the Côte d’Azur in the 1950s: clear skies, blazing sun and playful parasols - a tourist trip through the exoticism of the French Riviera, immersing viewers in an atmosphere of carefree nostalgia.

Two

A rich boy is playing alone on the second floor of his parents' house, with his enormous collection of expensive toys. When he looks out of the window, he sees poor boy on the street who is also playing alone.

Talk About Work

Young people talk candidly about their first experiences with work. Their conversations reveal their dreams, expectations and the harsh reality of the labour market. Ken Loach soberly exposes the gap between youthful idealism and social circumstances.

Il court, il court le monde

Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne • Belgium • 1987

Television producer John is torn between his work and his relationship with Sophie. He attempts to juggle the sometimes unsustainable tension between personal feelings and professional pressure.

Ken Loach • United Kingdom • 1971

Satyajit Ray • India • 1964

SBC Rookies

The SBC Rookies are young cinematographers who are part of a new generation within SBC, the Belgian Society of Cinematographers. They are professionally active and keen to present their work to a wider audience. The designated rookies are Ilona Vanouplines & Stefan Van Diest (Kassa-Kassa), Toon Persyn (Golden Sand, Tissue of Lies) and Alana Stoefs (Les racines de l'eau).

Programme

Screenings: Mon 01/12 (19:00)

Kassa-Kassa

Jevon Lambrechts, Tom Lenaerts • Belgium • 2025 • 28 min.

The eighth episode of the tragicomic series about the Stans brothers, whose neighbourhood supermarket is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Cinematography: Ilona Vanouplines, Stefan van Diest

Golden Sand

Jonas Govaerts • Belgium • 2025 • 4 min.

Music video 'Golden Sand' by Happy Nightmare, the alter ego of Aldo Struyf from Millionaire and the Mark Lanegan Band.

Cinematography: Toon Persyn

Tissue of Lies

Jonas Govaerts • Belgium • 2024 • 5 min.

Music video ‘Tissue of Lies’ by Adam Wiltzie, who co-composed the score for The Theory of Everything and Arrival.

Cinematography: Toon Persyn

Les racines de l’eau

Sarah Lederman • Belgium • 2021 • 19 min.

Two young Jewish women meet each other and happen to have the same quest. Both are looking for their Jewish identity, and they do so through the use of ancient rituals.

Cinematography: Alana Stoefs • Editing: Ezra Verbist

Short Films for Children

From 2 to 102: short films are for everyone. Thanks to the four children’s programmes, kids can enjoy the finest animation: hedgehogs missing a spine, storytelling fish and roosters without a voice, the children’s series are full of original stories, adventure and humour. Hungry for a snack after the movie? The pie party is ready for you. For children aged 8 and up, there’s also a workshop: time travel in stop-motion.

Catch me if You Can! (3+)

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (14:30), Sun 30/11 (14:30), Wed 03/12 (15:00), Sat 06/12 (13:30)

Kukeleku

Jelle Janssen • The Netherlands, United Kingdom • 2024 • 3 min.

Nugget is a rooster without a voice and, therefore, unable to sing. When he discovers a squeaky toy, he thinks he’s found the solution - but will it fix his problem forever?

Bobel's Kitchen

Fiona Rolland • Belgium • 2024 • 10 min.

Mushroom Bobel dreams of becoming a chef and tries to sell the tastiest snacks at a food stall in the market. Unfortunately, no one dares to try anything from his stall because Bobel is a poisonous mushroom.

Mojappi -It's Mine!

Nijitaro • Japan • 2024 • 3 min.

A trio of naughty kids who live in the forest just love playing pranks. One day, after spotting their friends making pancakes, they pull every trick in the book to snatch the delicious pancakes away somehow.

A Pain in the Butt

Elena Walf • Germany • 2025 • 6 min.

Hedgehog is just about to go into hibernation when he notices that one of his spines is missing. It's stuck in Lena's dog's bottom, of all places. Getting it back won't be easy...

Producer: Thomas Meyer-Hermann • Production company: Bianca Just

Pingu & Bär

Kai-Anne Oppermann • Germany • 2025 • 3 min.

Two polar pals embark on an adventurous journey full of ups and downs. Despite the obstacles and differences they face, they persevere and dream of one day flying through the air.

Once Upon a Time in Dragonville

Marika Herz • France, Switzerland • 2024 • 9 min.

Samson, a dragon bullied by the other inhabitants of Dragonville, is forced to enter Humanville. There he meets Simon, a little boy who helps him to face all the difficulties. Samson discovers a new world and, above all, a taste of friendship.

Producer: Nicolas Burlet, Reginald De Guillebon

Nutissimo

Nicolas Bianco • France, Switzerland • 2024 • 3 min.

At the beginning of autumn, a squirrel prepares for winter, harvesting acorns, chestnuts and hazelnuts. As he finishes his inventory, he realizes that he is missing one nut. When he finds it, a crow flies at him, triggering a frantic chase through the forest.

House Trap

George Hampshire • The Netherlands • 2024 • 2 min.

When a mouse steals the last puzzle piece from Maud and her Grandpa, Maud immediately sets off in pursuit, followed by Grandpa, the cat, Mom, her little sister Julia, and the dog. Even Dad runs out of the bathtub to catch the mouse. This crazy catand-mouse game brings the whole family together.

Producer: Chris Stenger • Cinematography: Jeroen Zijlstra

Short Films for Children

Tiddler - The Story-telling Fish (5+)

Screenings: Sun 30/11 (15:15)

Een kleine vis

Andy Martin, Alex Bain • United Kingdom • 2025 • 23 min.

Blinkie is a little fish with a large imagination. One day, he loses the way in the deep, wide ocean. When all hope seems lost, his own stories help him find the way home.

Coquille

Justine Aubert, Cassandra Bouton, Grégoire Callies, Maud Chesneau, Anna Danton, Loïc Girault, Gatien Peyrude, Justine Raux • France • 2023 • 6 min.

In a small French cove, Bernard, a self-centered hermit crab loses his shell. With the help of his strange friend Maurice, they face the dangers of the beach to find a new one.

Leaf

Aliona Baranova • Czech Republic • 2019 • 6 min.

A giant sailor receives an autumn leaf from a little girl. It reminds him of home, where he hasn’t been in a long time. He rushes to meet his elderly parents. What surprises are waiting for him there?

Nils Hedinger • Switzerland • 2018 • 8 min.

A tadpole somehow misses out on becoming a frog and is left behind, alone. But there is lots to discover in the pond and spring is sure to come again next year.

Kuap

Producer: Lina Geissmann • Production company: prêt-a-tourner Filmproduktion GmbH • Cinematography: Antonia Meile • Editing: Mischa Hedinger • Music: Julian Sartorius

Short Films for Children

Let's Go on an Adventure! (6+)

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (15:15), Wed 03/12 (15:45), Sat 06/12 (14:30)

Wolfie

Philippe Kastner • Czech Republic • 2025 • 13 min.

An illustrator accidentally makes an ink blot and has to face her own mistakes. From the ink Wolfie is created, a chaotic little wolf with an unexpected gift. His arrival turns her world upside down and changes her life for good.

First Flight

Adrian Jaffé • Germany • 2025 • 3 min.

Three little birds prepare for their first flight. An orchestra of frogs plays a peculiar symphony. As the air transforms into a whirlwind of improvisation, the birds twirl, hover and stumble, each in their own unique way.

Sales: Kurzfilm Agentur Hamburg e.V.

Hello Summer

Martin Smatana, Veronika Zacharová • Slovakia • 2024 • 11 min.

Sun, sea, and sand: the perfect family vacation! Unless the hotel isn't as fantastic as promised, the room has a rather naughty view, the food is surprisingly exotic, and the luggage ends up somewhere else.

Producer: Martin Vandas, Jean-François Le Corre, Kamila

Distribution

The Girl With the Occupied Eyes

André Carrilho • Portugal • 2024 • 8 min.

A girl walks around glued to her phone. She only has eyes for the screen in her hands, missing out on all the adventures happening around her.

Producer: Filipe Araújo, Hemi Fortes • Sales: Bear With Me Distribution

Sparrows

Remi Durin • France, Belgium • 2024 • 12 min.

In a Buddhist temple, young monks are beginning their meditation as the master arrives. One of the children is distracted by a sparrow and follows the bird outside. His trip becomes a lifelong journey, after which he returns as an old man.

Monster

Eric Giessmann, Piers Goffart • Germany • 2024 • 5 min.

A lonely monster disguises himself as a human, desperate to fit in. When a visit to an indoor pool reveals his true identity, he is forced to confront the truth about himself.

Dohnalová, Martin Smatana • Sales: Bear With Me

Short Films for Children

I Count Too (9+)

Screenings: Sat 29/11 (14:00), Sun 30/11 (14:00), Wed 03/12 (14:30), Sat 06/12 (13:15)

A Small Garden by the Window

Jonghoon Lee • South Korea • 2025 • 5 min.

Early morning, a man picks ripe cherry tomatoes from a small garden by the window to pack his lunchbox for work. A small environmentally conscious act that stays with him throughout the rest of his day. Because both large and small actions for the environment have a positive impact.

Sales: Yeojin Sim

Amen

Coutier,

• 2024 • 7 min.

Around a large abbey there are little pigs who enjoy the outdoors. They are fattened up with the intention of eventually being slaughtered and processed into salami. When it is the fattest pig's turn, help arrives from above.

Producer: Julien Deparis

Acrobats

Anna Despinoy, Eloïse Alluyn, Hugo Danet, Antonin Guerci, Alexandre Marzin, Shali Reddy • France • 2024 • 8 min.

Lili comes home completely in love, but when her strict parents discover the flower she received from her girlfriend, all her happiness quickly disappears. The oppressive atmosphere gives her the hiccups, and suddenly she throws up little acrobats.

Producer: Fahim Boukhelifa • Music: Basile Andrieu

La case vide

Thibault Chollet • France • 2025 • 11 min.

Since the death of his dog, 16-year-old Paul has given up drawing the fantastic adventures in which they were heroes. But his little sister insists that he completes an unfinished drawing.

Producer: Clemence Marcadier, Olivier Chabalier

Orphée

Bettina Demarty, Kimie Maingonnat, Laurène Perego, Louise Poulain, Avril Zundel • France

Emmy

Soline Augris, Emma Bouchon, Laura Carpentier, Mila Mersch • France • 2024 • 7 min.

Emmy is on her way to Paris on the Orient Express, working on an equation deemed impossible to prove. A day filled with changing landscapes and different emotions until she arrives in Paris.

Production company: Pivaut

Toti

Chevallier • Switzerland • 2024 • 6 min.

Two small cells grow up together and explore the organism in which they live, until an accident separates them. When they finally find each other again, they have changed so much that they are no longer compatible.

Marie Kenov • Switzerland • 2025 • 9 min.

In awe of the ostriches, a sparrow wants to be just like them. By hitting the gym, following make-up tutorials and paying several visits to the neck stretching studio, the little bird comes very close to its goal.

Ducks

AJ Jefferies • United Kingdom • 2025 • 5 min.

People are enjoying themselves at the local park. The sun is shining, ducks are swimming. Everything's as it should be ... although there are always a few oddballs.

Editing: AJ Jefferies • Music: Megalithic Sound • Sound: Megalithic Sound

Maëlle

Producer: Nicolas Burlet, Zoltán Horváth • Production company: Nadasdy Film

Ostrich

Producer: Joder von Rotz • Production company: YK Animation Studio • Editing: Marie Kenov • Music: Marcello Studer • Sound: Etienne Kompis, Loïc Kreyden • Sales: OUAT Media

Workshop time travel in stop-motion

Sat 29/11 (17:00) at Cinema ZED STUK

Travel to ancient history, the Middle Ages or the year 3000. Come up with your own stop-motion film and craft your time-travel destination. Dinosaurs, trolls or flying cars, anything is possible! Step into the time machine and make your own animated film during this imaginative workshop. For children aged 8 and above.

Restorative Justice

How do you continue your life after being the victim of a crime? How does it feel to talk to your perpetrator? How do you deal with a prison sentence? Together with the European Forum for Restorative Justice, Kortfilmfestival Leuven presents this compilation on restorative justice as part of the Restart Festival, a festival in Leuven and Brussels that focuses on the art of justice, dialogue and restoration.

Programme

Screenings: Sat 06/12 (16:00)

What Would You Say?

Nick Alexander • United Kingdom • 2024 • 4 min.

Sometimes talking to the person that hurt you most is the best way to heal. Created by the UK charity Why me?, the film explores the power of restorative justice and aims to show how having a dialogue with the person that harmed you most can be transformative.

Producer: Simon London, Tolu Stedford

Yves

Charlotte Zweers, Tom Dupont • Belgium • 2024 • 12 min.

Yves has spent twenty years in prison. He is exceptionally allowed to leave the stress of his cell to visit his mother. During his temporary 'leave', where the harsh side of reality reveals itself multiple times, Yves is accompanied by a priest with whom he seems to share more than one might initially suspect.

Producer: Charlotte Zweers, Tom Dupont • Cinematography: Egon Van Durme • Camera: Ward De Ridder • Sound: Arne Thomas • Cast: Charlotte Zweers, R. O., Rosalin Brinks, S. V. L.

Feu fantôme

Morgane Ambre • France • 2024 • 29 min.

Seven years ago, director Morgane Ambre was raped by a boy she really liked. Three years ago, he wrote her a letter to take responsibility for his actions. Now, they meet for an in-depth conversation around a campfire.

Producer: Adrien Lioure, Matthieu Dubois

In the Room

Paul Barrie • United Kingdom • 2024 • 14 min. Cait is overjoyed when she is invited for a second audition for a film. At the call-back audition, she will be acting opposite the male lead, who has already been cast. When Cait hears who it is, her world is turned upside down and the audition room becomes a battlefield.

Producer: Louise Oliver • Production company: Bar Italia Films • Cast: Henry Ashton, Joanne Thomson, Kate Dickie, Scarlett Mack

Dancing with Câmara

Sandra Gjorgieva • Portugal • 2024 • 16 min. Catarina Câmara teaches dance classes to prisoners at Linho Prison in Portugal. Her powerful presence gives her authority, even among male prisoners who grew up in a patriarchal system and were convicted of serious crimes. She is convinced that dance rehearsals can help their rehabilitation process.

Producer: DocNomads • Cast: Catarina Câmara

Guest Screenings

SABAM SELECTS

Mon 1/12 (20:00) at Cinema ZED STUK

Sabam has been committed to the promotion, development and protection of all audiovisual works for decades. This includes the support of authors during their creative process. Grants are available for writing, as well as for production, development and promotion of projects. During Sabam Selects, you can watch a selection of short films from the festival programme that received support from Sabam.

VRT CANVAS SELECTS

Di 2/12 (20:00) at STUK Soetezaal

For years, VRT CANVAS has been synonymous with powerful cinema and attention for short films. Traditionally, the VRT channel is the generous donor of the Audience Award for the categories of Flemish fiction and animation. On the exclusive VRT CANVAS Evening, the culture-loving channel presents its own selection of Flemish short films, including interviews with the makers.

HUMO AWARD

Wo 3/12 (20:00) at STUK Soetezaal

For the 20th time, Humo awards its own short film prize, the highly coveted Humo Award. The magazine selects its favourite Flemish short films, the filmmakers in question stop by for an interview, and at the end of the night a live vote decides who goes home with the first award of the festival. Subsequently, the winner will be thoroughly celebrated.

KORTFILM.BE SELECTS

Vr 5/12 (19:30) at STUK Labozaal

The short film festival would be incomplete if Kortfilm. be didn’t present its own evening. The trendsetting short film magazine has been providing striking reviews, festival coverage and interviews for years, with the goal of highlighting short films. Expect a remarkable selection of films, alternated by interviews with directors.

THE BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL

Motiv: Anja Köhne / Kasseler Dokfest atelier capra

Co-funded by the European Union

Practical Information

PRICES

Standard ticket € 12

Standard ticket youth film € 10

ZED Student Card € 10

Culture card KU Leuven € 9

ZESxZED-card € 60 (= 6 admission tickets)

FESTIVAL PASS € 54

Access to all film screenings. non-transferable.

TICKET SALES

Online www.kortfilmfestival.be

Festival site STUK Naamsestraat 96, Leuven

STUK reception opening hours:

Mon - Fri: 10:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 17:30 & 19:00 - 21:00

Sat & Sun: 17:00 - 18:00 & 19:00 - 21:00

LOCATION

STUK: House for Dance, Image and Sound Naamsestraat 96, Leuven

Info about the festival and tickets: info@kortfilmfestival.be or 016/679 240

The festival information desk is open from 30 minutes before the first screening of the day until fifteen minutes after the last screening.

Professional Activities

Kortfilmfestival Leuven not only offers short films a platform, it also provides a diverse range of activities for filmmakers and other professionals. You can get to know the filmmakers during Q&A’s, but there are also workshops and networking opportunities for screenwriters, film critics, cinematographers, students and other professionals.

European Workshop for Film Criticism

Kortfilmfestival Leuven is hosting the 8th European Workshop for Film Criticism. In collaboration with the European Network for Film Discourse (END) and Talking Shorts magazine, the festival is hosting a four-day workshop on film criticism. Participants will be mentored by established critics and film scholars and gain the essential skills and practices of (short) film criticism. The second part of the workshop will take place at the Vilnius International Short Film Festival in 2026. Texts resulting from the workshop will be published afterwards on Talking Shorts.

Sabam Pitch ma 1/12 (14:00) at Cinema ZED STUK

Sabam has been committed to promoting, developing and protecting an extensive audiovisual repertoire decades, and funds directors and short films directly every year through a development grant. Filmmakers who wish to be considered for this grant pitch their film to a Sabam Jury.

SBC Rookies ma 1/12 (19:00) at Labozaal

The SBC Rookies are young cinematographers who are part of a new generation within SBC, the Belgian Society of Cinematographers. They are professionally active and keen to present their work to a wider audience. The designated rookies are Ilona Vanouplines & Stefan Van Diest (Kassa-Kassa), Toon Persyn (Golden Sand, Tissue of Lies) and Alana Stoefs (Les racines de l'eau).

Young Professionals Day di 2/12 (15:00) at STUKcafé

The Young Professionals Day is the place to be for graduating film and drama students, young professionals, and newcomers to the film industry.

In a panel discussion moderated by Mediarte, Jennifer Heylen and Stijn Van Kerkhoven talk about how they started out in the industry and share their experiences. Sabam, Playright, ABRACA, and other partners join for round table sessions to guide young creators and students through the intricate landscape of the film industry. The day ends with a network drink.

Master Talk Cato Kusters di 2/12 (18:00) at Cinema ZED STUK

In 2022 Cato Kusters made her appearance at the short film festival with Finn’s Heel and in September she became the youngest Belgian director to ever be selected for the Canadian TIFF with Julian. “Promising” is an understatement for the 27 year old maker whose feature opened Film Fest Gent this year - an impressive debut according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sufficient reason for a Master Talk at this edition of Kortfilmfestival Leuven.

Film School Day

An introduction to the festival for students from various film schools; they watch and analyse a series of short films and get to know some of their European colleagues. Information available via the film schools.

Festival Brunch za 6/12 (11:00) at STUKcafé

Film festivals are the ideal meeting place for makers and their audiences. On the final day of the festival, there's a delicious brunch where directors, audience and festival team can chat in a tasty setting.

Masterclass Douwe Dijkstra

za 6/12 (13:00) at STUK Soetezaal

Douwe Dijkstra mixes video and animation with visual effects; and humour with social engagement. In his masterclass, he explores the tension between the rigid planning and framework of the film industry and funding on the one hand, and an investigative, experimental way of working on the other. Using excerpts from his own films, he addresses themes such as the illusion of control, serendipity and the wonderful moment when a film seems to decide to make itself.

Pitch Your Script za 6/12 (15:00) at STUK Soetezaal

A professional jury from the Screenwriters' Guild selects ten candidates based on their short film screenplay. After a pitching workshop, the selected candidates present their scripts to a group of film professionals. The session is free and open to the public. However, the following series of speed dates between the aspiring screenwriters and ten producers is private.

Master Talk Victoria Warmerdam za 6/12 (17:00) at STUK Soetezaal

Since 2 March 2025, Victoria Warmerdam no longer needs an introduction. Her film I’m Not a Robot was the first Dutch short film to win the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film in over 50 years. Warmerdam consistently combines dry humour with existential themes. Her characters often feel alienated and embody an intriguing mix of sadness and humour. On 6 December she will give a master talk at the festival, accompanied by her Oscar.

Festival bar

For nine days, STUKcafé serves as festival bar. Come by during receptions, before or after screenings, and enjoy a live concert by Nele De Gussem in collaboration with STUK.

DRINKS, FOOD & MUSIC — MA - VR 11:00 - 01:00 / ZA - ZO 14:00 - 01:00 /STUKLEUVEN Notes

Speel dit jaar de cultuurkaart

kuleuven.be/cultuurkaart

film voor weinig tot geen geld

elkemaand eenconcertof performance

bij alle culturele hotspots

verwen een vriend(in) met kunstgratis

Team & Partners

Vincent Langouche

Festival director, guest care

Ralph Vandamme

Production Coordinator

Esther Lamberigts Communications officer

Lize Cuveele Assistant programmer, bookings

Evelien Van Haegenborgh Reception desk & ticketing

Sam Dreesen Schools

Frank Moens Assistant programmer

Barbara Brugmans Assistant programmer

Lisa Foster Children’s programming

Bie Geivers Editor, finances

Bert Bertels

Graphic design, technical support

Wout Soentjes

Technical coordination & projection

Ali Baharlou

Technical assistant, in-house director/ video-editor

Kato Debeuckelaere Awards

Julie Knops-Gerrits Promotion

Hendrik Willems Intern production & guest care

Simon Van Mol

Intern communication

Lus Verduyn Intern public outreach & volunteers

Saskia Novent

Production assistant

Wout Soentjens

Cisse Wyn Nadia Shutova

Loïc Van Gerven Gillis Hermans Operators

Tessa Zwanenburg

Robbe De Bruyn

Reception desk

Bavo Nys

Staf Smets

Celine Camerlynck

Amber De Leener

Jolien Verdickt

Julie Knops-Gerrits

Photographers

Maarten Le Roy Henk Cluytens

Sanne Clerinx

Ruben Nollet

Sahim Omar Kalifa

An De Winter Hanne Phlypo

Roel Vande Winkel

Gudrun Burie

General assembly Fonk vzw

Frank Moens Commander in chief Fonk vzw

SELECTION ADVISORS

Daria Fretto, Tom Timmerman, James Fink-Jensen, Kobe Rombouts, Dylan Fréson, Gert Cuypers, Frances Delhanty, Maya Retana, Sien Voets, Sylvan Nelissen, Martine Bouw, Pieter Stevens, Celine Verhaest, Fleur Van Leeuwen, Lisa Foster, Frank Moens, Freya Veys, Lize Cuveele, Anneleen Naudts, Esther Lamberigts, Caro Raedts, Barbara Brugmans, Emma Van den Broucke, Inia en Nomi Langouche

SUBSIDY PROVIDERS

Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Stad Leuven, With the support of the Creative Europe MEDIA programme of the European Union

PARTNERS & SPONSORS

VRT CANVAS, Humo, Sabam, Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds, KU Leuven, STUK, Playright, Scenaristengilde, Mediarte, ABRACA, deAuteurs, Unie van Regisseurs, Kortfilm.be, Unie van de Belgische Filmpers, Unie van de Filmkritiek, Belgian Society of Cinematographers, A Sound, Sondr., Camalux, Dalton Distribution, Go Short, Short Film Conference, Talking Shorts, Ibis, Combell, Alma, Al Verhuur, FEBO, RITCS School of Arts, LUCA School of Arts, KASK School of Arts, Europalia, Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación, the European Forum for Restorative Justice

Embassy of the Netherlands in Belgium, Liszt Institute Brussels, Embassy of Iceland in Brussels, Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Bruxelles, Norwegian Embassy Brussels, Oostenrijks Cultuurforum, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, European Film Academy

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD FONK VZW Maarten Le Roy, Henk Cluytens, Sanne Clerinx, Ruben Nollet, An De Winter

THANKS TO The members of the juries: Douwe Dijkstra, Victoria Warmerdam, Lun Sevnik, Mathieu Janssen, Karin Vandenrydt, Julie Bovendaerde, Flo Vanhorebeek, Michael Van Remoortere, Shauni De Gussem

The team from the Flemish Audiovisual Fund and Flanders Image, Koen Van Bockstal, An Feyfer, the entire team of STUK and STUKcafé, Erik Stockman, Matthias Vanderaspoilden, Simon Vrebos, Daria Fretto, Margo Otike, Hans Frison, Jonas Cantoro, Niels Putman, Michaël Van Remoortere, Rimante Daugelaite, Gert Bauwens, Wim De Rick, Sophie Schyns, Thierry De Vries, Sébastien Bours, Alain Van Goethem, Una Kreso, Paul Pauwels, Sandra Leege, Julie Blommaert, Tom Mestdagh, Stijn Paredis, Heidi Froyen, Sam Rijnders, Sharon Vandevenne, Bakkerij Gielis