Anca Păunescu studied German philology and film, and for the last 9 years she has been intensively involved in documentary film selection, curation and creative advising for special programmes at various European festivals.
She is currently co-curator of One World Romania, documentary film programmer at the Neisse Film Festival- Germany and part of the selection committee of the International Festival DOK Leipzig. She has also been a jury member at Makedox, Kasseler Dokfest, Iceland Documentary FF, DOK Leipzig Co-Pro Market, Fipadoc and others.
BOGOMIL KALINOV
Bogomil Kalinov graduated from the New Bulgarian University with a bachelor degree in Film and Television, and later continued his education in the Master’s program for Documentary Film Production and Research at the University of Birmingham. In 2020, he defended his doctoral degree at Sofia University.
The same year, Bogomil directed his debut full-length feature film ASHES OVER THE SUN, based on the novel Illusio Magna by Prof. Zlatimir Kolarov. The film received awards for best director, editing and producer at the Monaco International Film Festival and was presented at the Sofia Film Fest and the Golden Rose.
In addition to being a director, he is also a film lecturer at the New Bulgarian University. In his creative practice, Bogomil is interested in stories about people who find themselves on a moral crossroad and in the way in which contemporary culture shapes their personal identity.
FAISAL QURESHI
Faisal Qureshi is a producer and scriptwriter with over 20+ years in the industry. His short film work has screened at Pucheon, Huesca, London and Leeds that led him to mentor filmmakers in Pakistan, Syria and Uzbekistan.
When not focusing on his own work, Faisal has helped produces films and documentaries such as the BAFTA award winning feature FOUR LIONS (Film4/Warp Films), the BAFTA and Emmy award winning documentary LEAVING NEVERLAND (Channel 4/HBO/AMOS Productions), IN THE SHADOW OF 9/11 (PBS Frontline/Channel 4/ AMOS Productions) and the comedy THE DAY SHALL COME (SeeSaw/Film 4/BFI).
He is also a researcher and has worked on shows such as LOCKERBIE: A SEARCH FOR TRUTH (Sky Drama/Carnival Films) starring Colin Firth and ENCOUNTER (Raw Films/Amazon Studios) starring Riz Ahmed.
JAKOV POPOSKI
Jakov Poposki (b. 1988, Struga) is an award-winning screenwriter and founder of the Drim Short Film Festival. With a background in electrical engineering, he later pursued his passion for film, in Screenwriting at the Ohrid Film Academy and Film and TV Screenwriting at the FDA in Skopje.
His films have screened internationally, including ONLY DEVIL HATES WATER (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Porto, Nikšić) and A TON OF ICE-CREAM (Best Short Film at First Frame, Zvornik, and Best Pitch at Sarajevo Film Festival). Several of his short scripts are now in production including IT’S QUIET NOW (dir. Flaka Kokoli), CERTIFICATE OF LIFE (dir. Sandra Gjorgieva), IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE (dir. Lidija Mojsovska), FLOAT (dir. Jakov Poposki, Rade Gogoski), SILENT, WHITE (dir. Lidija Mojsovska), PURGATORY (dir. Jakov Poposki).
His first feature project RUSSIA OF THE MIND, developed together with Pierre Hodgson and Florian Hoffmeister is in pre-production.
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JOÃO GONZALEZ
João Gonzalez (Porto, 1996) is an Oscar-Nominated director, animator, illustrator and musician with classical training in piano. He is a member of COLA Animation, and has a great interest in combining his musical background with his artistic practice in animated cinema.
In 2022 he premiered his last short film ICE MERCHANTS in Cannes, winning Best Short Film in Competition at the Critics Week, later becoming the first Portuguese film to be nominated for an OSCAR®, and the second to win the Annie Award. ICE MERCHANTS is currently the most awarded Portuguese film in history, with more than 150 international awards at film festivals around the world. In 2023, João was invited to become a member of The Academy® of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
JÚLIA KÜHNE ESCOLÀ
Júlia Kühne Escolà has a background in filmmaking and went on to study film theory. She earned an International Master’s in Cinema Studies (IMACS), completing the program in Bochum, London, and Barcelona.
During her studies, she worked as a freelance filmmaker and for film festivals. She then completed an internship in the Department of Film, Television, and Radio at the Goethe-Institut (Germany’s cultural institute) headquarters in Munich.
Since 2023, she has worked for AG Kurzfilm, the German Short Film Association, which serves as a service center for Germany’s entire short film industry and as a point of contact for policymakers, the film industry, cinemas, and film festivals. Júlia primarily works on projects focused on the international promotion of German short films.
KALOYAN VASILEV
IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival team member Kaloyan Vasilev has been part of the festival for 15 years. He currently heads FILMER FORGE - the festival’s film project support program and student training initiative. He is also an annual member of the festival’s representative delegations at the film markets in Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival, and contributes critical writing to the festival’s specialized media outlets.
KONSTANTIN BRONZIT
Konstantin Bronzit was born 12th April 1965 in St. Petersburg in Russia. In 1983 he graduated from Art school. In 1992 Bronzit graduated from High institute of Art and Design and two years later, in 1994 he graduated from High Courses of scriptwriters and directors in Moscow (master Fjodor Khitruk).
In total his animated films won about 200 different awards. He was nominated by prestigious forums, including the French Academy award Cesar in 2001 and three nominations for the Oscar in 2009, 2016 and 2026. Konstantin Bronzit is a member of the French and American Film Academies.
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LEE KNIGHT
Lee Knight is a 2026 Academy Award–nominated writer, director, and actor working across stage and screen. His writing and directorial debut, A FRIEND OF DOROTHY—starring Miriam Margolyes and Stephen Fry—earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film and is available on Disney+ and airlines worldwide. The film received international acclaim on the festival circuit, winning twenty three awards globally including Best Director at the HollyShorts Film Festival and the Cannes Short Film Festival. He is currently developing the project into a feature film.
Following the film’s success, Knight was named to Attitude Magazine’s LGBTQ+ 2026 Trailblazers List alongside Zack Polanski. Lee Knight is also an actor, performing in film, TV and on stage.
Alongside his creative work, Knight is a dedicated coach and mentor. He has served on audition panels for leading drama schools and has directed and taught at institutions including London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Drama Centre London, Identity School of Acting, and Arts Educational Schools London (ArtsEd). Lee trained at Drama Centre London.
MARBELLE
MarBelle is the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of film curation and interview platform Directors Notes. Since its launch in 2006, DN has been regarded as one of the leading organisations for independent film, working with filmmakers to create in-depth feature articles which reveal the painstaking production stories behind their award-winning work for a worldwide audience of industry professionals, festival curators and dedicated film fans.
Eclectic in its tastes, the BIFA-qualifying Directors Notes is where you can find the most cutting edge films regardless of genre, length or technique.
MARK BRENNAN
Mark Brennan is a UK-based filmmaker who has been working on short films and features since 2014.
After successfully taking his first short film, Tea For Two, on to the film festival circuit, he later co-founded the Exit 6 Film Festival in 2015. This festival became a mainstay on FilmFreeways’ Top 100 Best Reviewed Film Festivals list and a BIFA-qualifying festival in 2023.
He is also a Festival Strategist & Liaison at the internationally renowned Festival Formula, an agency specialising in short film festival strategy. Most recently, he became a writer for Directors Notes, BIFA qualifying platform that curates the best of independent cinema alongside exclusive filmmaker interviews.
MARTA SOUSA RIBEIRO
Marta Sousa Ribeiro (1992, Lisbon, Portugal) did the 1st year of the Lisbon Film School, later attending the European Film College. She was one of the co-founders of the production company VIDEOLOTION (2014-21). She has produced shorts, features, video-installations, series, and more.
As a director, she premiered her debut feature SIMON CALLS, in 2020. She was one of the selected for the Advanced Directing Course for Film and Television (Gulbenkian & Catholic University of Porto). She was head of the film & TV department at the production company Playground (2024–25). She was part of the board of the association MUTIM – Women Workers of Moving Images (2024–26). Currently, she works as an independent film director and producer.
MATEVŽ JERMAN
Matevž Jerman is a Slovenian filmmaker and film curator. He is a co-founder of the Kraken Association for the Promotion of Short Film, and Programme Director of FeKK – Ljubljana Short Film Festival.
Since 2009, he has been working with the Slovenian Cinematheque where he is currently active as a custodian of the Slovenian avant-garde film collections.
MÓNICA SANTOS
Mónica Santos is a multifaceted author with two Sophia Awards from the Portuguese Film Academy, a César nomination from the French Film Academy, and over 70 international distinctions, including selections at festivals such as Hiroshima, Palm Springs, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy and Curtas Vila do Conde.
Her work reinvents reality through a poetic and surreal gaze, creating worlds that suspend the familiar and expand the visible. Moving between fiction, animation and documentary, she explores the border between the tangible and the dreamlike with a singular visual language.
After completing her degree in Sound and Image at the Portuguese Catholic University and her master’s at the Royal College of Art on a Gulbenkian scholarship, she has gone on to work across a range of film genres.
She currently divides her time between filmmaking and art direction. She is a member of the Portuguese Film Academy and the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and a regular juror at national and international festivals.
NATI JUNCAL PORTAS
Nati Juncal Portas is a producer and co-founder of Cósmica Producións (Galiza, Spain). She has produced titles such as As Neves (Sonia Méndez, 2024), which premiered in the Official Competition of the Málaga Film Festival 2024 and won the Mestre Mateo Award for Best Feature Film, A poeta analfabeta (The iliterate poet, 2020), and the series Antes de perder (Rather than losing, Mestre Mateo Award 2020). She is currently preparing Lucía Estévez’s debut feature As Defensas and finalizing Desgarrada (Torn), by Flávio Ferreira, which she co-produces with Fado Filmes. She is also developing, together with Pedro Neves (Red Desert), the next documentary by Melanie Pereira.
She has previously worked as Line Producer on acclaimed Galician auteur films such as Lúa Vermella (Red Moon Tide) by Lois Patiño, Longa Noite (Endless night) by Eloy Enciso, Matria by Álvaro Gago and Prefiro condenarme by Margarita Ledo.
She is the Galician delegate of CIMA (Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media) and a member of the Galician Association of Independent Producers (AGAPI). In 2024, she won the Mestre Mateo Award for Best Line Producer and was recognized by Variety as one of the 10 Spanish emerging producers to watch.
PAOLO GAUDIO
Paolo Gaudio is an Italian director, screenwriter, and animator specializing in experimental animation techniques, including stop motion, cut-out, and CGI.
His feature debut Fantasticherie di un Passeggiatore Solitario earned 14 international awards. In 2018, he won the Silver Ribbon for Best Animated Short with LOONEY FOODZ!. His 2022 short THE BLACK reCAT screened at major fantasy festivals worldwide, winning 12 awards and receiving a Méliès d’Argent nomination. Since 2014, he has contributed to InGenereCinema.com and created Il Giro dell’Horror, a docu-series on Italian horror cinema. In 2024, he wrote and directed DAGON, a stop-motion adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft’s story, which received the Méliès d’Argent. That same year, he joined the organizing committee of Fantafestival, Italy’s longest-running genre film festival.
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SIMON PANAY
Son of winegrowers, Simon Panay ventured at the age of eighteen into independent cinema and was named Young Talent of the Year 2014 by ARP (the French Guild of Authors, Directors, and Producers). He began working in West Africa, particularly in Burkina Faso, where he gradually developed his cinematic voice through documentary filmmaking.
In 2016, he directed NOBODY DIES HERE, a documentary exploring the world of artisanal gold mining. The film received widespread international acclaim, screened in 71 countries, and awarded 134 prizes. As a recipient of the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation Documentary Grant and the CNC’s Auteur Support Program, he spent five years creating his first feature-length documentary, IF YOU ARE A MAN, shot in full immersion within a gold mine in Burkina Faso. Released in French theaters in 2023, the film was met with critical acclaim for its emotional depth and striking realism. His first fiction short film, THE BOY WITH WHITE SKIN, which continues his immersive work in gold mines, has been awarded at numerous festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand, Flickerfest, and Rhode Island. It was also shortlisted for the 98th Academy Awards® and for the César Awards. He is now developing two feature-length fiction films.
SLAVI ANGELOV
Slavi Angelov has been an investigative journalist for more than 30 years. He is the author of the books 9 Millimeters (2007), The Heists (2009), and The Brazen Kidnappers (2010). He is also the creator of the 11-part documentary series On Target (2014/Bulgarian National Television), as well as the investigative documentary films The Protected Witness, 233 Meters Between Life and Death, and 8 Years of Slavery (2020/Nova Television). Because of his journalistic work, Slavi Angelov was brutally attacked by assailants in 2020 in front of his home in Sofia.
He is also the director and cinematographer of the short film Love Hour, shot entirely on a smartphone. The film won First Prize at the Huawei Smartphone Film Festival (2019), was a finalist at the Anatolian Short Film Festival (Istanbul), and the Prague International Film Awards, received an Honorable Mention at the Berlin Flash Film Festival, and was officially selected for the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival, the Lift-Off Global Network (Paris), and the KinoDUEL International Film Festival (Moscow).
Slavi Angelov was also part of the screenwriting team for all six seasons of the TV series Undercover, which has an 8.9 IMDb rating.
SOŇA MORGENTHALOVÁ
Soňa Morgenthalová has been managing training programs for film professionals at the MIDPOINT Institute since 2017, focusing on the development of feature and short films as well as the skills development of emerging script consultants and producers. She also initiated the Focus Queer program, a training initiative dedicated to promoting LGBTQ+ stories in cinema. She is also involved as an expert with institutions and initiatives including the Czech Film Center, the Kosovo Cinematography Center or PITCH_ IT.
Before that, she worked in international service production and casting, contributing to films and series such as Snowpiercer, Ophelia, The Death & Life of John F. Donovan, Underworld: Blood Wars, Knightfall, Britannia or Crossing Lines.
TIZIANA PELUSI
Tiziana Pelusi grew up in the German speaking part of Switzerland as daughter of South Italian immigrants. After interpreter’s school, study of Law and Economics. Collaboration with various Swiss short and experimental film festivals. Has been working as translator, editor and media analyst. Member of the International Short Film Festival Winterthur since 2000. Hence, 26 years of dedication to short films! The team in Winterthur calls her affectionately and ironically the “Queen Mom” of the Kurzfilmtage.
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ZURAB DIASAMIDZE
Zurab Diasamidze is a Georgian film producer from Batumi. In 1989 he graduated from Shota Rustaveli Institute of Theatre, Tbilisi, Georgia as a Theatre and Film Actor. He founded his production company MIFASI Music back in 1998 and since then is taking position of Board Director.
In 2005 Zurab gained a degree in TV and Film Production from I. Gerasimov Cinematography Institute, Moscow, Russia and year later he founded MIFASI Film where he works as a General Producer since then.
In 2007 Zurab Diasamidze founded and directs the non-governmental organisation Animation Development Fund and in 2009 he established International Festival of Animated Films TOFUZI. Aiming to integrate Georgian animation into global cinema, the festival is running annually in Batumi.
ficTIoN
AGAPITO
FICTION / PHILIPPINES, FRANCE / 2025 / 15’00’’
It’s the last day of the month. Bowlers flock to the lanes of a bowling alley that has seen better days. Mira, the manager, decides to close early. She’s awaiting the arrival of a special visitor...
Director: Arvin Belarminoа, Kyla Romero
Writer: Arvin Belarminoа, Kyla Romero
Cinematography: Geia De Vera
Composer: Gelo Diamos
Editor: John Rogers
Producer: Jon Galvez, Carlos Ortiz, Mick Quito
Cast: Nour Hooshmand, Andre Miguel, Anton Nolasco, Jeremy Mayores, Veronica Reyes
ARVIN BELARMINO is a Filipino filmmaker and an alumnus of Talents Tokyo, Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Produire Au Sud in Nantes, La Fabrique Cinema, Next Step Program by La Semaine de la Critique and Cinéfondation Residency by Festival de Cannes.
KYLA ROMERO is a screenwriter, director, filmmaker, and Psychology graduate from the University of the Philippines.
In a coastal town, women are not allowed to sing. A teenager joins a singing competition for a chance to move to the city, while hiding his true voice in a sinister way.
Director: Adnan Al Rajeev
Writer: Arvin Belarmino, Kyla Romero
Cinematography: Kamrul Hasan Khosru
Editor: Taiful Chowdhury Shadhin
Producer: Tanveer Hossain, Kristine De Leon Cast: Al Amin, Indrani Shoma
ADNAN AL RAJEEV made his directorial debut in 2008 with a TV fiction for local industry. He gained widespread acclaim for his subsequent fictional works, including Bikal Belar Pakhi and YouTumor. His first short film, ALI (2025), was selected in the Short Films Competition of Cannes Film Festival and received the Jury Special Mention.
ASTRA LA VISTA
FICTION / SWITZERLAND / 2025 / 09’47’’
A young man does everything he can to get his grandma’s old Opel Astra through the vehicle inspection — but what begins as a nostalgic cleanup turns into a farewell road trip to the scrapyard, accompanied by an unexpectedly compassionate inspector.
JOHANNES BACHMANN (1992) grew up in a Swiss family of musicians in Munich and studied Film Directing at the Zurich University of the Arts. His films have been shown at numerous international festivals and have won many awards. This includes the short film QUIET LAND GOOD PEOPLE, which was a finalist at the Student Academy Awards. Johannes worked as head writer and director on the crime comedy series TSCHUGGER and most recently directed the series OUR LITTLE EMBASSY. He lives in Zurich, working as a freelance film director and screenwriter.
ATLANTIC
FICTION / GREECE / 2025 / 10’15’’
Over a spring Athenian afternoon, a teenage boy learns how to cry for the first time, as he and his girlfriend process his permanent departure from the city, and the end of their relationship and first-love.
Director: Alexander Stamatiadis
Writer: Alexander Stamatiadis
Cinematography: Thimios Bakatakis
Composer: Lefteris Samson
Editor: Marios Kleftakis
Producer: Alexander Stamatiadis, Lefteris Samson Cast: Theano Lekka, Dimitris Louskos
ALEXANDER STAMATIADIS is a Greek-German director and screenwriter whose work is rooted in autobiographical storytelling and explores questions of origin, identity, memory, and belonging. Working across film, music videos, and campaigns, his practice is shaped by the experience of growing up in Athens between cultures, developing an insider-outsider relationship to Greek identity that continues to inform his perspective. A self-taught filmmaker, he approaches his subjects with a tender and emotionally attentive gaze, often returning to themes of love, loss, grief, heritage, and trauma.
BOYS MY AGE
FICTION / CANADA / 2026 / 20’56’’
The young Sasha tries to make her mark in a summer camp where challenges and dance shape daily life, while Steak, a passionate counselor and dancer, faces his own insecurities. A life-changing evening will force them to grow faster than they ever imagined.
Director: Alexia Roc
Writer: Alexia Roc
Cinematography: Thomas Fontaine
Editor: Charles-David Roc
Producer: Mérédith Gonzalez-Bayard, Bahija Essousi, Samuel Gagnon
ALEXIA ROC is a 28-year-old Quebec-Haitian screenwriter, director and artistic director based in Montreal. She particularly likes writing unique and real characters to illustrate different realities that we don‘t often see on screen. Her feminist activism and her Métis origins push her to speak out on subjects that are extremely dear and close to her. With a master‘s degree in film production at Concordia University, she is interested in different forms of feminist cinematic experiments as therapeutic means to redefine and understand experiences of abuse and trauma.
BRUTE
FICTION / CANADA / 2026 / 16’29’’
Overwhelmed by crippling anxiety, a young sculptor finds himself trapped in his studio.
JÉRÉMY COMTE is a Montreal-based filmmaker and a graduate of Concordia University. His short film FAUVE (Sundance, TIFF, Telluride 2018) was nominated at the 91st Academy Awards. PARADISE (Berlinale 2026) is his debut feature film. His short film BRUTE is currently in distribution.
CANDY BAR
FICTION / AUSTRALIA / 2025 / 06’19’’
A young girl thinks a man in the candy bar line looks like her dad. Their sweet interaction makes him long for fatherhood...
Director: Nash Edgerton
Writer: Nash Edgerton
Cinematography: Aaron McLisky, ACS
Editor: Phoebe Taylor
Producer: Nash Edgerton
Cast: Damon Herriman, Andrea Demetriades, Zumi Edgerton, Caitlin Burley
NASH EDGERTON is a writer, director, producer, actor, editor and stuntman. The multi-hyphenate has directed two feature films THE SQUARE and GRINGO, as well as music videos for Bob Dylan and shorts including SPIDER, BEAR and SHARK. Nash is also one of the founders of Blue-Tongue Films, a dark fairy-tale which he produced, THE KING, and the FX series MR INBETWEEN. Most recently he was the set up director for the Netflix series BODKIN, while CANDY BAR is Nash’s latest short.
DEAR MOTHER
FICTION
/ SWEDEN / 2025 / 13’00’’
Julius returns home to find his mother has replaced him with Albert, a lodger who now occupies his old room — and her affections. As Julius struggles to adapt, hidden tensions resurface, unveiling a dysfunctional family dynamic.
Director: Theodor Solin
Writer: Theodor Solin
Cinematography: Majaq Julén
Composer: Filip Sjögren, Isak Hedtjärn
Editor: Theodor Solin
Producer: Daniel Sandberg
Cast: Rikard Kleinberg, Rina Fridell, Carl Kumlin
THEODOR SOLIN is a filmmaker based in Stockholm. As a writer and director his shorts have been screened at various festivals, some of which include: Palm Springs Shortfest, Gothenburg Film Festival, Uppsala Short Film Festival & more. HOME CARE and FRÅN STRANDVÄGEN TILL RIGAGATAN has aired on Swedish Television SVT and been seen by over a million viewers.
DROSERA
FICTION / BELGIUM / 2025 / 23’24”
Alice, a sixteen-year-old motocross champion, is mysteriously brought back to life by a carnivorous plant after a violent trauma. But as she struggles to find her footing again, she discovers she now has extraordinary powers.
Director: Boris Tilquin, Maud Carpentier
Writer: Boris Tilquin, Maud Carpentier
Cinematography: Nastasja Saerens
Editor: Matthieu Jamet
Producer: Dylan Klass (Narrativ Nation), Louis Lapeyronnie (Jabu Jabu), Caroline Moreau (Jabu Jabu)
BORIS TILQUIN is a Belgian writer-director based in Brussels. He holds degrees in philosophy, cinema and screenwriting, and won the Best Screenplay Award at Le Court en Dit Long in 2017. He has worked as a screenwriter and director since 2022. His first co-directed feature documentary was selected for Rotterdam Festival 2025. DROSERA is his first short fiction film.
MAUD CARPENTIER is a Brussels-based screenwriter. A graduate in communications and screenwriting, she has written for series and short films since 2017. She won the Best Screenplay Award at Le Court en Dit Long in 2018 and co-created the series GHOST SOCIETY and ALMA. DROSERA is her first short fiction film.
FICTION
/ NORWAY / 2025 / 13’58’’
Molecular gastronomy, pretentious self-realization, and the weird choice of having children are all ingredients in this semi-apocalyptic double date from hell...
Director: Vegard Dahle
Writer: Vegard Dahle
Cinematography: Alvilde Naterstad
Animation: Jon Skår
Composer: Eirik Havnes
Editor: Jon Vatne
Producer: Jon Vatne
Cast: Eirik Hallert, Karoline Bentzen, Mira Dyrnes Askelund, Manish Sharma
VEGARD DAHLE crafts cinematic worlds that blur the line between dystopia and utopia, shining a light on society’s outsiders.
FANTAS
FICTION
/ CANADA / 2024 / 12’31’’
Tania decides to take her horse Fantas to meet her friends in her working-class neighborhood. By sharing her passion, she seeks to bring together two parts of herself, two worlds that have never crossed paths before and which will collide in an urban tale with surreal overtones...
Director: Halima Elkhatabi
Writer: Halima Elkhatabi
Cinematography: Ménad Kesraoui
Composer: Pierre-Philippe Côté
Editor: Xi Feng
Producer: Halima Elkhatabi
Cast: Tania Doumbe Fines, Juan Mateo Barrer Gonzales, Adam Hilali, Ryan Hilali
HALIMA ELKHATABI studied at the National Institute of Image and Sound in Montreal, Canada, where she received an Excellence Scholarship. She has directed several award-winning documentaries and short fiction films.
FLYING CARPET
FICTION / PORTUGAL / 2025 / 28’31”
Based on a true story from Portugal’s biggest case of institutionalized pedophilia, FLYING CARPET follows Ricardo, a teenager seeking escape from a ruthless reality that traps him and those around him, keeping them from reaching for the stars.
Director: Justin Amorim
Writer: Justin Amorim, Francisco Mira Godinho
Cinematography: Leonor Teles
Composer: André Gravata
Editor: Miguel Ângelo Dos Santos
Producer: Justin Amorim
Cast: Ivo Arroja, Joana Bernardo, Inês Castel-Branco, Gonçalo Coré, Pedro Caeiro, Rui Pedro Silva, Rúben Simões, Valdemar Brito, Tierri Ramos, Filipe Vargas, Ricardo Viegas, Martim Arroja, Angelina Mateus, Cindy Valian, Rui Alho, Armando Costa, Napoleão Gaudêncio
Founded the production company Promenade at the age of 22. Born in Toronto, Canada, he moved to Portugal during his childhood. His passion for motion pictures led him to New York City to complete a BFA in Film & Video at the School of Visual Arts. Simultaneously, he worked with the Tribeca Film Institute & Festival during the years he spent there. He wrote, produced and directed his first feature film LEVIANO (2018), which premiered internationally at the prestigious Thessaloniki International Film Festival and was sold to HBO and Amazon. He wrote and directed the TV series 5STARZ (2021) and has also produced numerous features, short films and TV series. In 2022, he was one of the producers selected for Match Me!, part of the Locarno Pro industry section of the Locarno Film Festival.
FRECKLES
FICTION / BULGARIA / 2025 / 16’40’’
The aging, freckled Zaka, living on the edge of a small village, is infamous and sought after for her near-poisonous herbal brews meant to help women push back against violent husbands. When the young Katia arrives at Zaka`s doorstep clutching her little boy, what begins as just another ordinary visit slowly turns into a tense and tender unfolding. As the three characters form an unlikely bond, their shared pain sparks a quiet but powerful and irreversible shift none of them expected.
Cast: Svetlana Yancheva, Neda Spasova, Boris Litov
NEVENA NIKOLOVA is a NBU graduate in Directing. She has previous Masters`s degrees in Clinical Psychology and an Executive MBA. Nevena`s artistic career started as a stage performer. Since 2020 Nevena is writing, directing and producing short movies: the silent short MORNING (2021), the dark comedy ROOFTOP (2022), the screendance THE CREATURE (2023), the short thriller L+T (2024) and the psychological drama FRECKLES (2025). Nevena is currently developing her debut feature movie.
GIRLS: SEQUOIA ADVENTURES
FICTION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 16’00’’
Two PAs, left to guard gear after a shoot in the woods, kill time by goofing around. Their playful wandering leads them to a strange loner seeking solitude. As they get lost together, lighthearted talk about girls turns tense, revealing deep insecurities, past wounds, and a creeping sense of despair.
Director: Edoardo Pasquini, Viktor Ivanov
Writer: Edoardo Pasquini, Viktor Ivanov
Cinematography: Boris Mitrev
Composer: Peter Parmakov, Yoana Stoyanova Robova
Editor: Edoardo Pasquini
Producer: Edoardo Pasquini, Viktor Ivanov
Cast: Alexander Benef, Stefan Andreev, Vitali Vitanov, Ada Paunova, Filip Georgiev
EDOARDO PASQUINI and VIKTOR IVANOV are a directing duo working together since 2019. Blending dark comedy with unsettling, offbeat narratives, their short films have earned international acclaim. Their work explores absurdity and human fragility. They’re now focused on their debut feature’s distribution.
HOMING
FICTION / SPAIN / 2026 / 17’49”
On the south coast of England, a family’s morning is interrupted by a stranger. A man is in the garden. His jeans are wet and he looks lost. Is he in need of help or is he a threat? More importantly, what do they do now?
Director: Hansel Rodrigues, Elizabeth Atherton
Writer: Hansel Rodrigues, Elizabeth Atherton
Cinematography: Rik Burnell
Composer: Harris Grant-Forster
Editor: Raul Kingtai
Producer: Sergi Casamitjana, J. Bayona
Cast: Amit Shah, Laura Aikman, Nima Taleghani, Gimziunas
ELIZABETH is an interdisciplinary filmmaker and writer whose work explores social issues through character-driven stories and a strong sense of place. With a background in architecture from the Bartlett School of Architecture, she began her directing career in experimental documentaries. She draws on architectural thinking in her filmmaking and is especially interested in using fictional characters to critique social and political issues. HOMING is her debut fiction short, co-written and directed with HANSEL RODRIGUES and executive produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker J.A. Bayona.
HYENA
FICTION / USA, CHINA / 2025 / 21’00’’
In an isolated castle, students prepare for a life-changing examination. As anticipation builds to a fever pitch, a storm strikes. Trapped within crumbling walls, their academic sanctuary becomes a prison, and minds begin to break.
Director: Altay Ulan Yang
Writer: Altay Ulan Yang
Cinematography: Hu Yinghai, Fang Jiacheng
Composer: Chen Ruotong
Editor: Zhang Zhongchen, Altay Ulan Yang
Producer: Altay Ulan Yang, Edyta Yutong Deng
Cast: Huo Zhengjie, Hou Tianyu, Altay Ulan Yang, Chen Yanchen
ALTAY ULAN YANG is a Mongolian-Chinese writer-director from the Chahar Mongolian tribe of Inner Mongolia, China. His debut short film, MONSTERS NEVER KNOW (2020), won Best International Short Film at the Fribourg International Film Festival and was nominated at the Palm Springs International ShortFest.
HYSTERICAL FIT OF LAUGHTER
FICTION / SERBIA, CROATIA / 2025 / 15’00’’
A playful older woman likes to go rough with various men. Her son tries to spoil the fun.
studied film directing together at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. They co-directed their feature debut, HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? (2022), which premiered at the International Critics’ Week of the 79th Venice Film Festival. The film was also invited to the New Directors/New Films festival in NYC and the Sarajevo FF, among many others. Dušan’s short documentary, LOVE (2016), had its world premiere at Visions du Réel. His short fiction film, FOREIGN BODY (2018), had its world premiere at the 75th Venice FF (Orizzonti). Matija’s short fiction film, LOOP (2017), premiered at the Locarno FF.
ICARUS
FICTION / BELGIUM, FRANCE, UK / 2025 / 20’05’’
Greek immigrant Luca (12) is in Corsica with his father Alex, honouring his mother’s memory and her wish to return to her homeland. Struggling to fit in and desperate to connect with his grieving father, Luca pushes Alex to train him in the only thing that feels like home and that they can share together: freediving. Fearful of the path he has set his son on and the dangers of pursuing one’s passions, Alex is reluctant. As their relationship deteriorates and Luca’s isolation grows, the boy will risk everything to prove himself and make the ultimate dive.
Director: Christos Kardana
Writer: Christos Kardana
Cinematography: Christos Karamanis GSC.
Composer: Clémentine Charuel
Editor: Giorgio Galli
Producers: Valentin Leblanc, Delphine Duez
Cast: Sakis Rouvas, Konstantinos Taramas
Originally a marine biology graduate, CHRISTOS KARDANA worked in dive exploration and underwater camerawork before transitioning to storytelling. Projects have been supported by the CineStory Foundation, the BFI, and the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship. He was selected for Midpoint Institute Writers Room, BFI Network x BAFTA Crew, and Seriencamp Conference. His latest short, ICARUS is an international co-production, made with the participation of France TV and the CNC. His feature BURNING SEA is in development with Grasp The Nettle (UK), Early Day Films (UK) and Graal (Greece).
IN THE NAME OF THE SON
FICTION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 19’00’’
When his son is revealed to be responsible for a fatal nighttime accident, Detective Hristov is forced to look beyond the law and face his most terrifying role — that of a father. Caught between guilt, fear, and love for his child, he must decide whether to protect him from the truth or surrender him to it.
Director: Nikolay Urumov
Writer:
Decho Taralezhkov, Georgi Ivanov, Nikolay Urumov
Cinematography: Mihail Yanakiev
Composer: George Strezov
Editor: Volen Penev
Producer: Nikolay Urumov
Cast: Borislav Chouchkov, Iskra Donova, Matew Goranov, Martin Metodiev, Yasmina Rade, Stefan Mavrodiev
NIKOLAY URUMOV was born in 1976. He is a producer and director, and a graduate of NATFA Krastyo Sarafov with a degree in Film Directing. He also holds an MA in Directing from RITCS – Brussels. He was executive producer of the TV series HOUSE ARREST AND MITRANI AGENCY, the co-production LABIRINTI LYUBVI, as well as the third season of Bulgaria’s Got Talent. He co-produced the feature films ROSEVILLE and BULGARIA AMORE MIO, and produced the feature films PETYA OF MY PETYA and WOMEN OUT OF ORDER. As a director, he has made the documentaries NOTHING CAN STOP US and PIECE OF BULGARIA, as well as more than ten short films.
INHALE
FICTION / SWITZERLAND, GEORGIA / 2025 / 13’00’’
Standing at the edge of a swimming pool, right before her big swimming competition, thirteen-year-old Nino encounters something new about herself - she gets her first menstruation. Her trainer believes he cannot let Nino participate in this condition, his other colleagues find a perfect reason to nag about the limitations of the female body in sports. Nino feels betrayed by both her coach and her body, but dealing with these ambivalent feelings, she decides to stand up for herself.
MELANA SOKHADZE is a Georgian visual artist and filmmaker working between image and time. Shaped by a cross-cultural experience, her work draws on memory, atmosphere, and perception. Rooted in visual art, her films extend this language into duration, where images unfold and breathe. After co-directing BIRTH OF VENUS (2016), she directed her debut short film INHALE (2025).
JACARÉ
FICTION / BRAZIL / 2025 / 17‘18’’
Pedro is a teenager who sells drinks in the traffic jam of a highway that takes thousands of people to the coast during the summer. Driven by curiosity and desire, Pedro embarks on an adventure that transforms him deeply.
Director: Victor Quintanilha
Writer: Victor Quintanilha
Cinematography: Camilla Lapa
Editor: Eduardo Resing
Producer: Helena Dias
Cast: Pedro Sol Victorino, Fernanda Botelho, Fumassa Alves, Caio Nery, Julia Bernat, Raphaél Najàn
VICTOR QUINTANILHA is a Brazilian filmmaker and sound designer. His work includes sound design for award-winning films like ICEBERG (IDFA 2015) and BACURAU (2019). As a sound editor, he has worked on 51 feature films, including documentaries and series. In 2021, he premiered LITTLE PORTUGAL at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention. His latest short, JACARÉ, also received a Special Mention at the same festival in 2025.
JAZZ INFERNAL
FICTION / CANADA / 2025 / 16’20’’
Koffi, a young Ivorian trumpeter, arrives in Montreal with nothing but the legacy of his father to guide him. Lost between the city‘s noise and the silence of his past, he must confront his roots to finally find his own voice.
Director: Will Niava
Writer: Will Niava, Kristelle Laroche
Cinematography: Harley Francis
Composer: Hichem Khalfa
Editor: Thomas Bellefleur, Will Niava, Joshua Rosenbaum
Producer: Zion Lipstein-Saffer (Production Disamare), Samuel Caron (Telescope Films)
WILL NIAVA is a filmmaker whose work spans West Africa, the United States, and Canada. From ZOO (Clermont Ferrand, Criterion Collection) to ELEMENT (VIFF), his films, both visceral and poetic, resonate across borders. He also co-wrote PARADISE, a feature film by Oscar nominated Jeremy Comte.
LAST TROPICS
FICTION
/ GREECE / 2025 / 20’00’’
As an aquatic malady threatens their forgotten coastal village, three young fishermen resort to illegal dynamite fishing.
Director: Thanasis Trouboukis
Writer: Thanasis Trouboukis
Cinematography: Konstantinos Koukoulios
Composer: Costis Kontos, Regressverbot - Drive to Dive (Edit)
THANASIS TROUBOUKIS‘ short films have been selected by numerous festivals, among them Oberhausen ISFF, Sarajevo FF, Palm Springs IFF. He is currently developing his feature-length directorial debut, supported by Greek Film Centre (GFC), Onassis Culture and Centre national du cinéma et de l‘image animée (CNC).
LO QUE DESAPARECE
FICTION / ARGENTINA, USA, MEXICO, SPAIN, UK / 2025
/ 14’59’’
Set in a desolate world, Maria (70s) clings to a life built on denial and isolation. When the enigmatic Kat arrives, Maria is forced to confront the emptiness she has been avoiding. After her sheep mysteriously dies, their unsettling exchanges grow more intense, blurring the line between reality and illusion. As Kat challenges Maria’s beliefs, she must face the secrets and painful truths hidden beneath her fragile existence.
Director: Nono Ayuso, Rodrigo Inad
Writer: Nono Ayuso, Rodrigo Inad, Leandro Custo
Cinematography: Persona
Composer: Erland Cooper
Editor: Alex Cid
Producer: Manu Aguer, Thomas Amodeo, Jackson Forsythe, Rodrigo Inada, Nono Ayuso
Cast: Maria Soldi, Silvina Sabater
NONO AYUSO, a former Andalusian investigative journalist, and RODRIGO INADA, a Brazilian-Japanese artist with expertise in Art Direction and Cinematography, joined forces in 2020, driven by their shared love of filmmaking and their status as „outsiders.“ As a directing duo, they aim to pose thought-provoking questions and depict stories that encourage contemplation or comment on current events.
NESTLING
FICTION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 10’46’’
Left alone while his parents attend a funeral, Pavel and his friends roam the village filming dares. What begins as play leads them to a bird’s nest and a challenge that goes too far. As the others run, Pavel stays behind, facing what’s left of their game...
Director: Georgi Martev
Writer: Georgi Martev
Cinematography: Kaloyan Bozhilov, Vladimir Trifonov
Editor: Mitko Balabanov
Producer: Georgi Martev, Kaloyan Bozhilov
Cast: Nikola Stefanov, Yordan Rasin, Maria Sotirova, Victor Panayotov, Konstantin Enchev
GEORGI MARTEV is a Bulgarian writer-director and co-founder of the production company BYWAYS. He holds a BA in Film from the University of Westminster. His last project, FROM HERE TO HERE, was selected for all major Bulgarian film festivals. Georgi was also selected as the Bulgarian representative for the LUX Audience Award Young Talent Programme 2025. His work often focuses on adolescence and identity through stories of suppressed emotions and vulnerability.
PALE SUN
FICTION / FRANCE / 2026 / 15’48’’
On a beach in summer, 12-year-old Abel is ashamed of his father’s body, marked by cancer.
Director: Jawahine Zentar, Adrian Moyse Dullin
Writer: Adrian Moyse Dullin, Emma Benestan
Cinematography: Balthazar Lab
Editor: Maxime Pozzi-Gracia
Producer: Lucas Tothe, Jessica Arfuso
Cast: Anass El Hmami, Baki Bousmaha, Sylvie Fasano
Following the success of THE RIGHT WORDS, nominated for the César Awards and shortlisted for the Oscars in 2023, Emma Benestan and Adrian Moyse Dullin reunite to co-write PALE SUN. Directed by ADRIAN MOYSE DULLIN and JAWAHINE ZENTAR, the film will have its World Premiere at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, marking a promising new step in their artistic collaboration.
SCHROEDINGERS MAN
FICTION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 15’00’’
In the midst of an existential crisis, Y. ostracizes himself to live the rest of his days in solitude, locked in an underground bunker with a system designed to euthanize him at a random time. Both dead and alive, his fragile peace is shattered by a series of apparitions - symbols of the very things that make us human in the first place.
Director: Asparuh Frangov
Writer: Asparuh Frangov
Cinematography: Fejmi Daut
Composer: Lachezar Mihaylov
Editor: Pavlina-Kalina Tserovska
Producer: Irina Gurova
Cast: Borislav Chouchkov, Irmena Chichikova, Viktor Chouchkov, Georgi Grozev
ASPARUH FRANGOV is a visual artist and film director. His first short film, THE ADDRESS (2016) was selected in In The Palace ISFF (2016) and Bedford Falls IFF (USA, 2020). His second no-budget short, A SHADOW CONFINED (2020), was selected and won accolades in three festivals worldwide in 2020: CineLibri (Sofia, Bulgaria - Jury Prize), Neo-South IFF (Malaysia - Best Short Film, Best Direction, Best Cinematography), and MICEA‘20 (Puerto Rico - Jury Prize).
SCRAMBLED EGGS
FICTION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 16’03’’
After two decades behind bars, Denis walks back into a world that has moved on without him. Seeking a moment of solitude, he returns to his childhood home, but he quickly realises there is a parasite living in it - a young ballerina. What unfolds is a tense, disturbing and life-changing encounter between two terrified souls with contrasting paths of fate, but united by their desire to survive. Who is the real intruder and what happens when past and present collide?
Director: Daniel Varbanov
Writer: Daniel Varbanov, Alexandra Vale
Cinematography: Boris Slavkov
Composer: Simeon Tsankov
Editor: Alexander Bakalov
Producer: Boiana Alexandrova, Viktoriya Angelova
Cast: Zachary Baharov, Alexandra Vale, Ognyan Simeonov, Simeon Tsankov
DANIEL VARBANOV is a Bulgarian actor and emerging director with training from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (Sofia), the Oxford School of Drama and Mountview Theatre Academy (London). His extensive stage and screen experience inspires his approach to filmmaking, with a strong focus on character and storytelling. As an actor, Daniel is a recognised Bulgarian talent, having received awards for his performances and delivering standout work on the National Theatre stage as well as in film and television. SCRAMBLED EGGS marks his debut as a film director.
SIREN
FICTION / CANADA / 2025 / 14’53’’
On the eve of an important synchronized swimming competition, Mathilde is drowning in glitter and pressure. She must choose between shining for others or blossoming for herself.
Director: Marilou Caravecchia-Pelletier
Writer: Marilou Caravecchia-Pelletier
Cinematography: Emile Desroches-L.
Composer: Marc-Antoine Barbier
Editor: Philippe Lefebvre
Producer: Raphaëlle Brissette
Cast: Emilie Savaria-Carrière, Mia Rose Langevin, Dany Placard, Caroline Lavigne, Rosalie Fortier
Montreal-born, MARILOU CARAVECCHIA-PELLETIER is a Quebec screenwriter and director whose works explore family dynamics with finesse and sensitivity. Alongside her work as a filmmaker, she has also built a strong career as a first assistant director (Falcon Lake - Charlotte Le Bon, Simo - Aziz Zoromba), a role that continuously shapes and refines her cinematic approach. Her first short film, HAREVAN, won the Best Screenplay award at UQAM and was screened at various festivals, including the prestigious Camerimage in Poland. In 2022, she explored the complex dynamics of mother-daughter relationships with her short film ROSE BLANCHE (Canadian Film Fest, Cinemania, Cinema on the Bayou, RVQC).
SOS
FICTION / KOSOVO / 2025 / 15’23’’
At a remote train station, 30-year-old Drin lives a solitary, routine life, recording trains and finding connection with his online girlfriend. But when his job is suddenly replaced by a radar, Drin finds himself spiraling into an existential crisis. Lost and out of place, he’s forced to confront what he truly wants in life.
Kosovar-Croatian director, writer and producer. After earning her Master’s in Film in Cambridge, UK she began working in the film industry. She premiered her shorts ONE WOMAN FILM and SOS in the same year, the latter winning Best National Film & is currently developing her debut feature LUCKY US. In 2021, she founded Little House Productions and is also developing projects at Filmik Institute, an independent film hub in Kosovo.
STARLING
FICTION / CROATIA / 2026 / 15’42’’
At the height of Carnival, Dora longs to belong to a group that keeps her at a distance. While her younger sister Nika is unexpectedly welcomed in, Dora clings to the illusion of inclusion, exposing herself to subtle ridicule and growing humiliation. As the night unfolds, tensions rise and fragile relationships begin to crack, revealing the quiet cruelty beneath the surface of celebration, as Dora is left to confront what it means to belong.
Director: Sara Grgurić
Writer: Sara Grgurić
Cinematography: Matej Subotić
Composer: Vid Adam Hribar, Nikola Krgović
Editor: Klara Šovagović
Producer: Sara Grgurić, Maja Ogrizović, Edin Blažević
SARA GRGURIĆ is a Croatian film director exploring identity, belonging and social dynamics through intimate, character-driven narratives with a strong visual sensibility. Her short IN THE WOODS screened at over 40 festivals and won the NEST Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. A Talents Sarajevo alumna, she is currently participating in European Short Pitch with her new short film WILD BOAR (Work in Progress).
TANK
FICTION / UK, BULGARIA / 2026 / 16’49”
TANK is based on a Sudanese short story by Ahmad Al Malik called The Tank. It centres on an inadequate man with a modest life. One day he acquires a tank and things change. His community treats him differently, more deferentially, and so the man starts to behave differently too. He begins to expect more from his life. A dangerous cycle has begun.
Director: Sami Abusamra
Writer: Sami Abusamra
Cinematography: Daniel Purse
Composer: Petar Parmakov, Yoana Robova
Editor: Sami Abusamra
Producer: Edward Michongwe, Eddy Schwartz, Ana-Maria Lakova
Cast: Yuriy Rahnev, Violina Dotseva, Gergana Galabova, Iskra Petrova, Jordan Wilks, Peter Yamakov, Bogdan Kazanzhiev, Evgeny Budinov
SAMI ABUSAMRA is a British-Sudanese director working mainly in commercials.
THE GHOSTS
FICTION / ITALY / 2025 / 15’00’’
This film is inspired by real events. In the Italian countryside, two teenagers and their friends are persistently searching for Luca, a peer to whom they gave a small sum of money in advance without receiving the hashish they had requested. Filippo, one of the boys involved in the scam, must try to keep secret the violent plan his friends have devised to take revenge.
Director: Federico Papagna
Writer: Federico Papagna
Cinematography: Marco Minghi
Composer: Gabriele Rubeo, Michele Benignetti
Editor: Federico Papagna
Producer: Straight Outta Hillsdale, Circuito Totale, One shot production
Cast: Tommaso Badioli, Samuel Fantini, Simone Flandina, Morgan Sebastian Wahr, Simone Lemma, Marcel Aka, Giorgia Sciamplicotti, Antonia Stazi, Corraso Sellen, Francisco Javier Martinez, Alessandra Di Chiappari
FEDERICO PAPAGNA, born in 1996, is a director and screenwriter exploring themes of insecurity and fear. He graduated in Cinema from the Academy of Fine Arts RUFA in 2019, where he wrote and directed his first short films, RINCORRERSI and ANTOINE, which received awards and international festival selections. He continues to develop his creativity through photography, commercials, and music videos. In 2023, he completed his third short film, SENZA RADICI, SENZA DOLORE, followed by I FANTASMI. He is currently developing his first feature film, POST-X.
THE LAST MONSTER
FICTION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 21’27’’
The talented eleven-year-old Kristiyana dreams of becoming a professional cyclist like her dad. However, the boys keep making fun of her each time she rides. In an improvised race, she decides to prove them wrong. But the race takes place in a forest where a mysterious monster lives, and her parents choose to separate at that very moment. This mysterious adventure changes Kristiyana forever when the last monster within her challenges her to grow up in the most magical way.
Director: Tanya Cherneva
Writer: Tanya Cherneva
Cinematography: Georgi Marinov
Composer: Alexandar Kostov
Editor: Pavlina-Kalina Tserovska
Producer: Eleni Dekidis, Yuliyana Chalakova
Cast: Iskra Ognyanova, Adrian Agapiu, Viktor Chepilev, Jacqueline Docheva, Sergey Sofroniev, Nikola Petkov, Walter Wolf
TANYA CHERNEVA is an award nominated writer/director with over 15 years of experience in the film and TV industries across Sofia, Bulgaria, and London, UK. Her portfolio spans TV shows, documentaries, and cinematic releases as a writer, director and video editor. An alumna of the BFI Short School and the BFI Talent Mixer London, UK, Tanya holds a CPD in Screenwriting from the University of East Anglia, UK and a MA in Film and TV. Currently working on her new projects as a writer/director, THE GHOST FISH (2026), CRYSTAL BUTTERFLY (2027), EXTRAORDINARY GIRL (2027), THE FOREST OF SECRETS (2027).
THE MAN IN THE SHOWERS
FICTION / FRANCE / 2026 / 13’48’’
Skander is 11 years old. Taken to the neighborhood pool by his little sister‘s babysitter, he enters the men‘s showers for the first time. Skander experiences his first erotic shock; he won‘t believe it...
Director: Hakim Ataoui
Writer: Hakim Ataoui
Cinematography: Konstantin Pape
Composer: Noé Bailleux
Editor: Hakim Atoui, Joseph Bouquin
Producer: Quentin Daniel
Cast: Pablo Guerrero, Célia Guerrero, Julia Raffini, Jérémy Alberti
HAKIM ATOUI is a French-Algerian director. In 2020, he co-directed the self-produced documentary LA PREMIÈRE MARCHE. In 2024, he directed his first fiction shorts: GOODBYE SUN (Grand Prix at Busan Int. Film Festival and selected Palm Springs Int. Film Festival 2025) and BLOOD TIES (which was in the 2025 French Cesar Award shortlist). THE MAN IN THE SHOWERS is his third short.
THE NEW STATUE
FICTION / BULGARIA / 2025 / 21’12’’
Filip is a successful art dealer, yet one prestigious client eludes him. When a documentary crew begins filming Filip, he sees a rare chance to win the collector’s approval. His confident pursuit soon spirals into a string of deadpan disasters. Desperate to avoid humiliation, Filip risks everything on a radical new acquisition, staking his career on a gamble that could secure his reputation – or destroy it.
Director: Stefan Dodurov, Nikolay Gunderov
Writer: Stefan Dodurov, Nikolay Gunderov
Cinematography: Stefan Kutsarov
Composer: Hristo Namliev
Editor: Stoyan Velinov
Producer: Nikolay Gunderov, Pavel Pavlov
Cast: Valentin Ganev, Julian Vergov, Leonid Yovchev, Plamen Manassiev, Arman Ushev, Georgi Petkov
STEFAN DODUROV graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia. His award-winning scripts THE NEW STATUE and SILENT NIGHT received consecutive Best Screenplay honors from the Bulgarian Film Society.
NIKOLAY GUNDEROV studied directing and dramaturgy at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He worked under Jiří Menzel and Jan Hřebejk and won the Creative Europe MEDIA Award for his script 69 Meters.
VULTURES
FICTION / SOUTH AFRICA, FRANCE / 2025 / 14’48’’
In the volatile moments after a car crash, before the authorities arrive, a hot-headed yet desperate tow truck driver fiercely protects his tow. But the situation quickly spirals out of his control...
Director: Dian Weys
Writer: Dian Weys
Cinematography: Pierre De Villiers
Editor: Dian Weys
Producer: Émilie Dubois, Anaïs Bertrand, Le Roux Fourie
Cast: Edwin van der Walt, Jill Levenberg, Albert Pretorius, Oscar Petersen, Ndoni Khanyile, David Isaacs, Gershwin Mias, Dean Balie, Frank Opperman
DIAN WEYS is a South African filmmaker. He holds an MA in Film Studies from the University of Cape Town and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Groningen. His first three short films screened at over a hundred international film festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand, Palm Springs ShortFest, Message to Man and Tampere. BERGIE also won Tanit d’Argent for Best Short Film at the Carthage Film Festival. His latest short film, VULTURES (2025), was selected in the Official Short Film Competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Unifrance Short Film Grand Prix.
WHEEE
FICTION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 14’59’’
Little Anne longs to grow up fast. As her parents’ fights grow louder, her wish begins to come true and she starts aging faster than time itself...
Director: Kiril Todorov
Writer: Miglena Dimova, Mariana Sabeva
Cinematography: Fejmi Daut
Composer: Alexander Kostov
Editor: Pavlina-Kalina Tserovska
Producer: Irina Gurova
Cast: Radina Jovchevska, Martina Golosmanova, Eva Mateva, Linda Rouseva, Aleksandra Dimitrova, Philip Goulyashki, Vesselin Rankov and others
KIRIL TODOROV is a Bulgarian-Czech film director. He studied Film Directing at New Bulgarian University, where he created THE PATIENT under the guidance of Georgi Dyulgerov. He directed the short films ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, THE ARCHITECT and WHEEE supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center and the National Culture Fund. In 2025, he made his feature debut with EMBUG (expected release in 2026). His films have been selected and awarded at international festivals. He is the founder of the production company VOESOLI.
YELLOW BUCKET
FICTION
/ UK / 2025 / 15’29’’
After his family sees a news report about the cause of homosexuality, Connor, a gay teenage boy, fears his apparently supportive parents will try to assure that his younger brother doesn’t grow up gay.
Director: Simon Brooke
Writer: Simon Brooke
Cinematography: Miles Ridgway
Composer: Jeremy Warmsley
Editor: Benjamin Gerstein, ACE BFE
Producer: Caroline Milsom
Cast: Harry Baxendale, Ciaran Owens, Sarah Ridgeway, Otis Joi, Laurence Ciriaci
SIMON BROOKE is a London based writer and director. His previous short films have been selected for BAFTA qualifying film festivals. He is a graduate of the NFTS Screenwriting MA.
ZIZOU
FICTION / EGYPT, QATAR, FRANCE / 2025 / 19’00’’
Zizou, a 13-year-old overweight boy, sets out to befriend the neighborhood‘s most popular kid. However, his relentless attempts leave him vulnerable to unexpected ridicule, stirring unresolved feelings.
Director: Khaled Moeit
Writer: Khaled Moeit
Cinematography: Ziad Abd Elbasit
Composer: Diego Rojas
Editor: Ahmed Elhawary
Sound: Mohamed El Taweel
Producer: Marwa Tammam, Ahmed Sobhy
Cast: Ammar Ahmed, Mohamed Bahaa, Seif Amin
KHALED MOEIT is a filmmaker based in Cairo, Egypt. His debut short, MAJOR TOM (2017), won Best Debut Short from the Egyptian National Cinema Center. His film ONE FRAME PER RAID SIREN (2019) screened at Cairo IFF and received a special mention from BFI Film Academy. He edited SOUAD (2020), selected at Cannes and Berlinale, earning Best Editing at FESPACO. He also produced OBJECTS ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR (2023).
ANiMAtION
10 SECONDS
ANIMATION / TAIWAN / 2026 / 08’20’’
10 seconds can reshape a world forever. Set during Taiwan’s 1999 Jiji earthquake, the film traces lives split between those who ran, those who prayed, and those who never woke again. Through monochromatic ink textures, it reconstructs fragmented memory and loss.
Director: Chih Hao Shen
Writer: Chih Hao Shen
Cinematography: Chih Hao Shen
Animation: Chih Hao Shen
Composer: Gemini Studio
Editor: Chih Hao Shen
Producer: Li Hung Wang
CHIH HAO SHEN is a filmmaker and multidisciplinary creator whose work explores memory, loss, and human existence through restrained visual language. His films have been recognized at international film festivals and presented across global platforms.
A DIVE IN THE GARDEN
ANIMATION / ESTONIA / 2025 / 04’38’’
In a lush, sunlit garden where light dances among the leaves, a curious dog digs deep into the earth, uncovering echoes of laughter and whispering voices. As he circles the hole, ghostly figures of children appear in a dreamlike, cathartic descent. A journey through the layers of earth, memory, and imagination
Director: Ingrid Pucci
Animation: Ingrid Pucci
Editor: Ingrid Pucci
INGRID PUCCI is an Italian animator and filmmaker based between Milan and Tallinn. She combines her fine art background with animation. She holds a BA in Painting from the Brera Academy in Milan and an MA in Animation from the Estonian Academy of Arts. Her short films, including AURORA (2019), RUN FOR THE BIRD SONG (2020), and A DIVE IN THE GARDEN (2025), have been shown at international animation festivals.
ALL THIS DEATH
ANIMATION / LEBANON / 2025 / 16’13’’
Vladimir obsessively attends funerals, scanning obituaries as part of a ritual to cope with losing his wife, home, and city. In denial, he destroys announcements yet maintains a hollow breakfast routine, aware food no longer helps. He visits a mysterious room, briefly crossing into another realm. Encounters with a young girl subtly shift him. In the end, his ritual reveals deeper grief - not just for his wife, but for countless losses and the collapse of his world.
Director: Fadi Syrani
Writer: Fadi Syrani
Cinematography: Pierre Mouarkesh, Marcus Ilschiner
FADI SYRIANI is a Lebanese animator, writer, and director whose work blends social themes with a poetic visual style. His short film ALL THIS DEATH premiered at Annecy in 2025 and has earned international recognition and awards. He is the founder of the Youth Animation Platform (YAP), an initiative that empowers young people across Lebanon and the MENA region through animation and filmmaking.
BECAUSE TODAY IS SATURDAY
ANIMATION / PORTUGAL, FRANCE, SPAIN / 2025 / 12’24’’
It’s Saturday, and a woman struggles with the difficulty of reconciling her home life and her need to escape.
ALICE EÇA GUIMARÃES has worked both in advertising and animated films for over a decade. Her films have received prestigious awards, including the Sophia Award for Best Portuguese Short Film. She is currently developing a stop-motion and pixilation short film titled ROUPA VELHA and an animated series about the Portuguese dictatorship called A BEM DA NAÇĀO.
BEYOND MEASURE
ANIMATION / AUSTRALIA, USA / 2024 / 07’21’’
A man discovers he is physically shrinking. With the help of his wife, they navigate life’s ups and downs with increasing creativity and adaptability.
Director: David Ferrier
Writer: David Ferrier
Animation: Princess Bento Animation Studios
Composer: Brendan Caulfield
Editor: Scott Henry
Producer: Jason Cilo
DAVID FERRIER is a writer and creator based in Brisbane, Australia. He is the co-creator of the upcoming Disney+ and BBC Studios series, DEANO, due for release in 2027. BEYOND MEASURE is his first animated short film.
CAPRICCIO
ANIMATION / HUNGARY / 2025 / 04’51’’
A tiny bird restores the pianist’s final hope by revealing the music hidden in everyday moments.
Director: Gábor Ulrich
Writer: Gábor Ulrich
Animation: Gábor Ulrich
Composer: Tamás Józsa
Producer: György Kárpáti, Balázs Berta
GÁBOR ULRICH is a Hungarian visual artist, filmmaker, and educator. He graduated in visual education in 1990, studied typography, and later earned a degree in motion picture culture. A freelance graphic designer since 1992, he has also taught at several institutions. His experimental, organic-based films have been screened at festivals in over 30 countries and won numerous awards. He received the Balázs Béla Award in 2011.
CLUB 127
ANIMATION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 11’00’’
Even a single bomb is enough to turn the lives of three old men upside down, move them to a better place, and give them the chance to live forever...
Director: Svilen Dimitrov
Writer: Svilen Dimitrov
Animation: Svilen Dimitrov, Nikolay Nachev
Composer: Petko Manchev
Producer: Miramar film
SVILEN DIMITROV is a visionary animation director known for his distinctive style, bittersweet humor, and strong storytelling. His graduation film THE AIR ACE (2007) was selected for Berlinale Generation, followed by Rew Day (2012), which premiered at Annecy IAFF. In 2021, he completed SHELL IN LOVE, a blend of 2D animation and live action that premiered in Warsaw and won Bulgaria’s top animation awards. He also creates commercials and VFX at Miramar Film.
DOG ALONE
ANIMATION / PORTUGAL, FRANCE / 2025 / 13’02’’
A dog was abandoned in its own home at the time when my grandfather began to experience his widowhood and I was returning from London, a place where I felt lonelier than ever.
Director: Marta Reis Andrade
Writer: Marta Reis Andrade
Animation: Leonor Pacheco, Diana Peixoto, Vitor Hugo Rocha, Marta Reis Andrade, Milly Yencken, Beatriz Maia, Inês Teixeira
Composer: Grilo
Editor: Inês Munhoz, Alberto Remelhe
Producer: David Doutel, Vasco Sá, BAP – Animation Studios
Born in 1991, MARTA studied directing at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School (ESTC), and finished her degree at FAMU in Prague. She studied animation for a year at Atelier de Sèvres, in Paris, and completed her master’s degree in Animation at the Royal College of Art in London. COME TO ME, her first year film, was selected for festivals around the world, and her graduation film THE VILLAGE GAME, was shortlisted for a BAFTA nomination in the student film category. Marta worked in London for institutions such as the BBC, Google and CNN as a concept artist and animator. She has lived in Portugal since 2018, currently working as a director and animator at BAP - Animation Studios. DOG ALONE, her most recent short film, was produced by BAP (Portugal) and co-produced by Ikki Films (France) and Olivier Catherin.
EMPTY CAN
ANIMATION / SOUTH KOREA, USA /
2025 / 08’10’’
An empty can drops into a bus from the sky. The silence breaks. Chaos spreads. Passengers clash. Caught in misunderstandings, selfish desires, and quiet schemes. A ‘Danse Macabre’ unfolds inside the bus.
Director: Jinuk Choi
Writer: Jinuk Choi
Cinematography: Jinuk Choi
Animation: Sooyoung Kim
Composer: Jinsuk Park
Editor: Jinuk Choi
Producer: Jinuk Choi
Cast: Jinuk Choi
JINUK CHOI is a Korean filmmaker based in Seoul. He earned his BFA in Design from Seoul National University and an MFA in Computer Art from the School of Visual Arts in New York. EMPTY CAN is his third short animation.
FACUK
ANIMATION / CROATIA, SLOVENIA / 2025 / 12’47’’
In a God-fearing village lying between two rivers, giving birth to a “fačuk” — an illegitimate child — is a mortal sin. Everyone in the village recoils from the young pregnant woman who is about to give birth at any moment. In this narrow-minded and harsh rural environment, fear grows inside her.
Director: Maida Srabović
Writer: Maida Srabović
Cinematography: Nejc Saje
Animation: Ivana Pipal, Lucija Oroz, Laura Martinović, Lea Vučko, Damir Grbanović
MAIDA SRABOVIĆ (1986) completed her studies in film and TV editing at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. After graduating, she worked as a freelance editor for several years, editing numerous films and TV formats. In 2018, she co-founded the animation and postproduction studio TETRABOT in Zagreb. In 2020, she transitioned away from editing to fully focus on animation and illustration. FAČUK is her first film, which she wrote, directed, and produced.
FISH MOON
ANIMATION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 12’30’’
A poetic narrative about the wandering Chinese poet Li Bai. Through metaphorical and associative imagery, inspired by Eastern aesthetics, the work traces the poet’s journey – through his dreams and visions, through his separation from his beloved, to his return home.
Director: Andrey Koulev
Writer: Andrey Koulev
Art Director: Andrey Koulev, Assia Kovanova
Animation: Verginia Ivanova, Anna Haralampieva, Yanko Petrov
Composer: Petar Dundakov
Editor: Assia Kovanova
Producer: Koulev Film Production
ANDREY KOULEV is a producer, director, screenwriter, and artist. He was born in Sofia. In 1996, he graduated in Film Directing from NATFA. Since 2011, he has been the Art Director of the World Festival of Animated Film, Varna. In 2016, he was a guest professor of animation at Jilin University in Changchun, China. Since 2025, he has been a lecturer in Animation Directing at New Bulgarian University. His films have won numerous awards at international film festivals.
HATKER
ANIMATION/ ARGENTINA / 2025 / 7’30’’
Late at night in a shabby office, workers are stuck to the ceiling by their hats, blindly doing their jobs. Oblivious to the absurdity, they vanish one by one when an old phone rings. Only Hatker dares to face reality — turning their Kafkaesque world upside down.
ALEJANDRO ARIEL MARTIN is an Argentinian filmmaker. He holds a degree in Social Communication from the National University of Rosario (UNR) and a postgraduate degree in Creative Communication from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His work as a writer and director includes the short films EPIRENOV (2020) and HATKER (2025).
HOW
ANIMATION / CROATIA / 2025 / 8’47’’
Through the opening between reality and subtle poetic forms, surreal scenes and thrilling paradoxes reveal endless loops of existence.
Director: Marko Meštrović
Writer: Marko Meštrović
Animation: Marko Meštrović
Editor: Marko Meštrović
Producer: Igor Grubić
MARKO MEŠTROVIĆ (1972) graduated in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. He has been making animated films since 2000. His films were screened at a number of festivals, such as Locarno, Annecy, Clermont-Ferrand, Ottawa, Edinburgh, and received many awards. He plays drums in the world music band Cinkuši.
IVAR
ANIMATION / NORWAY / 2026 / 04’24’’
Noticing her husband Ivar’s new scent, Anne lies awake at night with a nagging question: should she leave him?
Director: Markus Tangre
Writer: Signe Dammann Anker
Cinematography: Markus Tangre
Animation: Steph Hope
Composer: Benjamin Nerheim
Editor: Markus Tangre
Producer: Rebekka Rognøy, Henrik Dyb
Born in 1994, in Norway MARKUS TANGRE is a director and puppeteer based in Oslo, Norway. His creative, dark-comedy style and meticulous attention to detail shines through in every aspect of his work, from Röyksopp music video SPEED KING to his debut short film IVAR.
MIND YOUR STEP
ANIMATION / THE NETHERLANDS / 2026 / 05’36’’
Tamara, a middle-aged immigrant woman, works as a metro cleaner. Her daily routine is interspersed by memories of her past life filled with dancing. One day, she breaks social norms by dancing in a subway car, shedding her invisibility and reclaiming her identity.
Director: Alina Milkina
Writer: Floor van Lissa, Alina Milkina
Cinematography: Alina Milkina
Animation: Sanna De Vries, Ayoola Olagunju, Alina Milkina
Composer: Andrii Safdi
Producer: Baran Sedighian
ALINA MILKINA is a Ukrainian Netherlands-based filmmaker. While growing up in Alchevsk, Ukraine, Alina used to watch a lot of USSR animation, which influenced her future storytelling signature. She graduated from Minerva Academy in Groningen, the Netherlands, with a degree in illustration, and obtained a master’s degree in animation from AKV St. Joost in ’s-Hertogenbosch. Her graduation film MORNING GRASS premiered at Annecy in 2021. After working in the Dutch film industry as a 2D animator, Alina focused her practice on independent filmmaking. In her storytelling, she portrays themes of longing for home and the poetry of our surroundings.
NEPHILA
ANIMATION / BULGARIA / 2025 / 15’10’’
A Boy (Black and White Drawing) is in love with a Girl (Cardboard Cut Out Puppet), he is too shy and anxious, which makes him too incapable of expressing his feelings for her. When she leaves, she drops a little cardboard spider, which the boy takes home. The boy’s reality starts to mix up with his dreams and nightmares, he gets obsessed with the girl and starts waiting for her to come back, while the toxic spider continues to spin its web over his overthinking head.
Director: Kristian Zahariev
Writer: Kristian Zahariev
Animation: Maria Hristova, Denislava Georvieva, Anastasiya Lulcheva, Sophia Todorova, Kristian Zahariev
Composer: Dobromir Kisyov
Editor: Stephana Markova
Producer: Pavel Pavlov
Cast: Nadzhda Slavcheva
KRISTIAN ZAHARIEV was born in Samokov, Bulgaria in 1999. He graduated with BA Animation (2022) and MA Animation Directing (2024) in NATFA Krastyo Sarafov. His graduation short film GARLIC SOUP, written, directed and animated by him, has more than 20 selections in international animation and film festivals and won 7 awards. At the moment Kristian is a PhD candidate, in the cinema faculty, again in NATFA. He is an animator in some short animated films. Shows a special interest in hybrid cinema, the mix between different techniques, and mixing of different types of cinema – animation and live action/ documentary.
ONCE IN A BODY
ANIMATION / COLUMBIA, USA / 2025 /
10’20’’
While dealing with a strange being that lives inside her, a woman seeks to reconcile with her sister over an incident from their adolescence. By exploring the experiences they share through their bodies, she manages to confront the nature of what inhabits her.
Director: María Cristina Pérez González
Writer: María Cristina Pérez González
Animation: Laura Alcina, Natalia Rojas Noy, Megumi Cardona, Gizenth Barreto, Fabián Llantén, Anamaría Sáenz Peñas, Julián Arias Garzón, Juan Pablo Figueroa, Daniel Bonza
Composer: Daniel Gwilym Jones Cozzarelli
Editor: Mauricio Cuervo Rincón
Producer: Mauricio Cuervo Rincón (Pez Dorado Animaciones), Mireia Vilanova, James Belfer, Adam Belfer (Cartuna)
Cast: Sara Isabella Martínez Rey
Independent animation filmmaker. Her short films have been selected at numerous festivals around the world, including Locarno, Annecy, Clermont Ferrand, Warsaw, PÖFF, Zinebi. She is currently working on her first feature film, MY DAD THE TRUCK, supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, and the Colombian Film Fund FDC.
ONE-WAY CYCLE
ANIMATION / PORTUGAL, SPAIN / 2025 / 10’49”
Adela was born in Spain in 1910. After years of washing clothes and living with strong ovary pain, Adela decided to emigrate to Cuba following her sister. Painful menstruation can be a heavy burden, but also be the driving force behind a life change…
Director: Alicia Núñez Puerto
Writer: Alicia Núñez Puerto
Cinematography: María Pulido
Animation: André Silva, Carina Beringuilho, Filipe Fonseca, Ismael Fati
Composer: Pablo Borghi
Editor: J. Martín Téllez Andrade AMEE, Alicia Núñez Puerto
A Goya-nominated producer and director with 20 years of experience and a full member of the Spanish Film Academy, ALICIA has worked on more than 30 major productions for companies such as Aardman Animations, BRB Internacional and Ánima. Together with other colleagues, she founded MIA, the Association of Women in the Spanish Animation Industry, and was its first elected president. Alicia currently heads the Film Development Department at Ánima Estudios, is co-executive producer of AZTEC BATMAN for WB-HBO Max, and ONE-WAY CYCLE is her second short film as a director.
PLAYGROUND
ANIMATION / SLOVAKIA / 2025 / 08’29’’
A boundary-blurring journey through the subconscious, this surrealist animation fuses two distinct artistic visions into a single fever dream. Matej Longauer’s hallucinatory time-lapse visions with Richard Dömös’s intimate, portrait-driven iconography drawn from the aesthetics of BDSM. The result is a hypnotic, confrontational exploration of desire and disintegration-psychosexual dreamscape.
Director: Matej Longauer, Richard Dömös
Writer: Matej Longauer, Richard Dömös
Cinematography: Matej Longauer, Richard Dömös
Animation: Matej Longauer, Richard Dömös
Composer: Yehezkel Raz
Editor: Matej Longauer, Richard Dömös
Producer: Matej Longauer
RICHARD DÖMÖS is a photographer born and living in Slovakia. He has been dedicated to photography since 2010. His production is usually focused on sport, product, reportage and artistic photography however he is enthusiastic about various photo experiments and projects as well.
MATEJ LONGAUER is a visual artist and photographer with a background in Photography and New Media from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. His personal video work primarily focuses on time-lapse techniques.
PLAYING GOD
ANIMATION / ITALY, FRANCE / 2024 / 09’00’’
Fragile clay sculptures come to life in a bare workshop, craving more than just existence. When their Sculptor abandons them, they must discover the power of belonging.
Director: Matteo Burani
Writer:
Matteo Burani, Gianmarco Valentino
Cinematography: Guglielmo Trautvetter
Animation: Arianna Gheller
Composer: Pier Danio Forni
Editor: Matteo Burani, Gianmarco Valentino
Producer: Arianna Gheller
MATTEO BURANI (Bologna, 1991) is a self-taught artist and animation director specializing in stop-motion and figurative arts. Also an oil painter and sculptor, he brings a strong visual sensibility to his films. Since 2010, he has worked as a puppet maker, character designer, and director. In 2014, he co-founded Studio Croma with Arianna Gheller. His debut short film, PLAYING GOD, was shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Awards, earning international acclaim and establishing him as a distinctive voice in contemporary animation.
POPLARS
ANIMATION / GREECE / 2025 / 11’20’’
In Lesvos, 1997, a father waits by the port for his two children. When they return, they are older. In the olive fields, three poplar trees mirror their lives as time begins to shift. Growth accelerates with emotion, memory stains the body, and a silent rupture transforms the father into part of the landscape, blurring the line between human and nature.
Producer: Laika Productions, Tasos Koronakis, Marina Danezi
ALEXANDROS VOUNATSOS is a filmmaker and architect from Lesvos. His work explores space as a carrier of memory and transformation through hybrid forms of animation and moving image. His films have been presented at Tate Modern, Ars Electronica, and international festivals worldwide.
SABA
ANIMATION / USA, UK / 2026 / 10’00’’
A poetic story of a boy seeking closure with his grandfather, and our shared longing for one more moment with those we’ve lost.
Director: Liron Topaz
Writer: Liron Topaz
Animation: Antoine Antin, James Baxter, Sandro Cleuzo, Maël Gourmelen, Kevin O’Hara, Slaven Reece, Fernando Moro, Matt Williames, Tim Watts, Jefferson Bastida, Alfredo Cassano, Maria Torregrosa Domenech, Yoshi Tamura, Marc Valls
Composer: Daniel Markovich
Editor: Julian Slater, Cathryn Wang
Producer: Lirit Rosenzweig Topaz
LIRON TOPAZ is an award-winning director, supervising animator, and former Animation Department Chair at DreamWorks Animation. Liron fell in love with animation at a very young age. His professional journey began at Ringling College of Art + Design, where he was selected by the Academy of Motion Pictures as one of only three students in the United States to intern at Sony Pictures Imageworks. After graduating with honors, he joined Sony to work on Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND before becoming a key creative force at DreamWorks Animation.
SHOES AND HOOVES
ANIMATION / HUNGARY / 2024
/ 14’58’’
A pedicurist in a small town, Paula the centaur-girl longs to have human feet. When she meets Arnold the crocodile-man, it’s love at first sight. As Paula takes her first steps in search of identity, what will be the cost of her attempts to fit in and deny her true self?
Director: Viktória Traub
Writer: Zsuzsanna Bak, Polett Dus, Viktória Traub
Animation: Zsófia Bányai, Enéh Balázs, Mira Benes, Viktória Bera, Zsófia Csánki, Kata Deim, Attila Fekete, Viktória Kiss, Zoltán Koska, Bori Mészáros, Fanni Németi, Adél Palotás, Eszter Sándor, Betti Sárközi, Szilvia Séra, Anna Szöllősi
Composer: Csaba Kalotás
Editor: Viktória Traub
Producer: Polett Dus
Cast: Eliza Sodró, Ernő Fekete, Polett Dus, Dániel Zách
VIKTÓRIA TRAUB graduated with an MA in Animation from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest in 2008. Her shorts IRON EGG and MERMAIDS AND RHINOS received invitations to many international festivals where they were both highly praised. In 2018, MERMAIDS AND RHINOS was named Best Animation of the Year by the Association of Hungarian Film Critics. Viktória’s latest film, SHOES AND HOOVES, explores the dilemmas of making connections, fitting in and self-acceptance.
SMALL HOURS
ANIMATION / UK / 2026 / 09’56’’
Struggling with alcohol addiction and mental illness, an artist reaches out to an old friend...
Director: Oscar Wyndham Lewis
Writer: Oscar Wyndham Lewis
Animation: Oscar Wyndham Lewis
Producer: Andrew Gregory
Cast: Robert Bathurst, Edward Franklin
Composer: Oliver Mason
Producer: Brungerley
OSCAR WYNDHAM LEWIS is an artist, animator, writer and director based in Margate, England. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, his animated short film THE WAVES screened at film festivals worldwide, won Best Animation at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival and was shortlisted for a BAFTA Award. Specialising in the intricate medium of oil on glass, Wyndham Lewis has built a diverse portfolio of art, animation and motion picture projects.
SNAKE SOUP
ANIMATION / ARMENIA / 2025 / 07’00’’
The story of SNAKE SOUP follows a soldier on his way to the battlefield, whose encounters along the way become the foundation for his blissful imagination. After a devastating explosion on the battlefield, his vivid recollections of the past intermingle and culminate in a delirious haze.
Director: Zack Demirtshyan
Writer: Zack Demirtshyan, Raffi Movsisyan
Animation: Zack Demirtshyan
Composer: Emil Abramyan
Producer: Raffi Movsisyan
ZACK DEMIRTSHYAN is an Armenian artist, printmaker, and animation film director. His practice is marked by a distinctive visual language that merges surreal, expressive, and often fantastical imagery. Demirtshyan has presented his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Armenia and internationally. His recent projects include digital illustrations of ANIMAL FARM, METAMORPHOSIS, and YEREVAN SKETCHBOOK. In 2025, he completed his debut animated short, SNAKE SOUP, which premiered in competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
SPRAY AND PRAY
ANIMATION / GERMANY, BULGARIA / 2026
/ 15’58’’
SPRAY AND PRAY is a speculative animated documentary that enters the world of socalled “mushroom websites” — automated pseudo-news pages producing sensational and misleading content. Based on long-term research into the Bulgarian digital environment, the film reveals a network of domains, link-sharing practices, advertising platforms, and algorithms in which disinformation circulates as a commodity, and visibility becomes a form of political and economic power.
Director: Veneta Androva
Writer: Veneta Androva
Cinematography: Veneta Androva
Animation: Veneta Androva
Editor: Veneta Androva
Producer: Veneta Androva
VENETA ANDROVA is a visual artist living and working between Berlin and Sofia. Her practice combines animation, CGI, and speculative documentary to explore the intersections of media, technology, and power. Her films have been presented in international festival and exhibition contexts, including the Bulgarian Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, Visions du Réel, DOK Leipzig, Ars Electronica, and EMAF, among others.
STRANGE TEEN SPIRIT
ANIMATION / FRANCE / 2025 / 15’40’’
Anton observes. Alone. A phosphorescent glow flickers through the streets. Anton sees a bee dying, then another. No one sees a thing, not even Kata, over there on the roof. Kata and his gang are running, laughing, and spray-painting. Anton watches them, especially her. He dreams of joining them…
Director: Frank Ternier
Writer: Louise Revoyre
Animation: Frank Ternier, Lazare Breuillot, Jade Ollagner, Tristan Curtaz
Cast: Geoffrey Ridet, Maïa Cheref, Honoré Berrier, Roméo Rey
A founding member of the Ideal Crash collective, FRANK has multiplied projects mixing fiction and experimentation, notably with his film RIOT, supported by Arte, tackling social anger by integrating dance and collage, which attracted festivals’ attention such as the Ottawa International Film Festival and Interfilm in Berlin. Today he continues with STRANGE TEEN SPIRIT, a short film produced by Ikki Films and supported by Arte too, which explores the inner world of a teenager in search of justice.
SWITCH
ANIMATION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 10’43’’
SWITCH follows the relationship of a young couple who begin building a life together far from the city. The discovery of a mysterious switch, hidden beneath the ivy on a nearby tree trunk, reveals their inner aspirations, desires and longings. Over time, their love fades and the couple grows apart and becomes estranged from one another.
DALIBOR RAJNINGER graduated from the College of Fine and Applied Arts in Belgrade. For over two decades, he has worked as a lead animator at animation studios in Belgrade, Budapest and Sofia. He has participated in the production of large-scale projects, such as animated series for the EU and US markets. His personal work includes independent short films and a variety of projects in the fields of comics, bookplates, illustration, GIF animation and music. SWITCH is his first entirely author’s film produced by Compote Collective.
THE CHIMNEYSWEEPER
ANIMATION / BULGARIA / 2026 / 08’00’’
Everyone seeks happiness and believes in luck, but is the one who brings luck happy? The chimney sweep symbolizes fortune, and people reach for it hoping to fulfill their dreams. Yet the person who gives happiness to others is often left without it, suffering because of those who take advantage of their kindness.
Director: Nastimir Tzatchev
Writer: Nastimir Tzatchev
Cinematography: Nastimir Tzatchev
Animation: Nastimir Tzatchev
Composer: Mihail Yosifov
Editor: Nastimir Tzatchev
Producer: Nastimir Tzatchev
Cast: Nastimir Tzatchev
NASTIMIR TZATCHEV began his animation career in 1979 at the Animated Films Studio in Sofia. Between 1979 and 1992, he worked as an animator, artist, and director on more than 50 films and commercials. In 1992, he founded the production company Nagual and later worked as a co-producer and supervisor on several international animation projects. He has directed numerous animated films, titles, commercials, and promotional projects, including VIA, ALARM, GTA, CREDIT CARD, BULGARIAN PROPERTIES, LEVSKI SPARTAK, AH, THOSE MUZZLES, DAYS OF SATIRE, and BENALGIN. From 1997 to 2001, he was the director of the Lessidren Animation Festival in Bulgaria.
THE MAGICIAN
ANIMATION/ ROMANIA, CROAȚIA, FRANCE / 2025 / 24’31’’
Sulina, 1910. It’s the inauguration of the first power station in this Romanian port city. Amid the jubilation of a modern, cosmopolitan crowd, Ilarion, a magician from another era, tries to play his last card.
Director: Bogdan Mureșanu
Writer: Bogdan Mureșanu
Animation: Mihnea Buzatu, Octavian Chiriac, Alexei Gubenco, Alexandru Pop
Composer: Didier Falk
Editor: Mircea Lăcătuș, Andrei Bălășoiu
Producer: Bogdan Mureșanu
BOGDAN MUREȘANU is a Romanian writer, director, and producer, best known for his feature film THE NEW YEAR THAT NEVER CAME, which received 23 international awards, including the Best Film Award in the Orizzonti section and the FIPRESCI Award at the Venice International Film Festival, as well as 10 Gopo Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. He began his screenwriting career in 2008 and has written and directed several acclaimed short films. His 2018 short film THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT won the European Film Academy Award in 2019, received over 200 festival selections and 72 awards, and was shortlisted for the Oscars.
THE ROAD
ANIMATION / BULGARIA / 2025 / 07’30’’
A lifetime is not enough to find your path. An exploration of loneliness and pain on the road to self-awareness.
Director: Daniel Ahmakov
Writer: Suzana Ahmakova
Animation: Daniel Ahmakov
Editor: Daniel Ahmakov
Producer: Daniel Ahmakov, Suzana Ahmakova
Cast: Haritina Agopyan
DANIEL AHMAKOV made his directorial debut with the dance-theater production WHEN THE GODS WERE BORN (2006), featuring actors with hearing impairments. In 2007, he moved behind the camera and entered the world of cinema. In 2016, Daniel earned a master’s degree in film directing. He is deeply committed to social causes and human rights issues. Daniel believes that social films and the unheard voices they represent are the driving forces that lead us toward a better future.
VENEZIA DIORAMA
ANIMATION / BELGIUM / 2025 / 06’26’’
Through a series of animated art boards depicting a decaying Venice, the film unfolds like a set of postcards, capturing the mythical city’s final moments of fragility. Blending archival footage with contemporary observations and anchored by the story of the 1902 collapse of St Mark’s Campanile, VENEZIA DIORAMA invites us to reflect on a city slowly eroding, yet suspended in time.
Director: Nicolas Piret
Writer: Nicolas Piret
Animation: Nicolas Piret
Editor: Nicolas Piret
Producer: David Grançon
NICOLAS PIRET is a Belgian artist and director who graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and ENSAV La Cambre. His various backgrounds in contemporary drawing, comics and animation led to his graduation film LA BRIDE - THE DOG’S LEASH (2022), selected at the Student Academy Awards. His films, animated alone and entirely by hand with meticulous attention to detail, have been recognized for their craft by the American Film Institute.
WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND
ANIMATION / CANADA / 2025 / 10’47’’
Dan has a gaping hole in his neck that won’t heal. Why? He can’t remember, nor talk about it. Back in the sinister arena of his childhood, he must find the part of himself he once left behind that prevents him, now an adult, from being whole.
Director: Jean-Sébastien Hamel, Alexandra Myotte
Writer:
Jean-Sébastien Hamel, Alexandra Myotte
Animation: Alexandra Myotte
Composer: Brandon Hopkins, François Lacasse
Editor:
Jean-Sébastien Hamel
Producer: Jean-Sébastien Hamel, Alexandra Myotte (Sémaphore Films)
Cast:
Jean-Sébastien Hamel, Jack Hackel
JEAN-SÉBASTIEN HAMEL and ALEXANDRA MYOTTE are a writer-director duo based in Montreal. Their award-winning animated short films have been showcased at hundreds of festivals around the world. A CRAB IN THE POOL has won over 30 awards, including at SXSW and the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, and was shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards.
DOCUMENTARY
ABRIL, IT’S NOT WINTER TODAY
DOCUMENTARY / SPAIN / 2025 / 13’00’’
Ángeles Blanco is a lawyer who works for an organization assisting people with cerebral palsy. One day, she receives a text on her phone: SOS. Nothing else. Ángeles answers promptly, trying to gather more information, but there is no answer. After a few days of radio silence, another text arrives: again, SOS, followed by a crying emoji. Ángeles knows someone needs her on the other end. In order to help, she will have to find a way to get through to her...
Director: Mabel Lozano
Writer: Mabel Lozano
Cinematography: Rafa Roche
Composer: Luli Martín, Polo Ortí
Editor: Germán Roda
Producer: Mabel Lozano, Anuska Simón
She founded the production company Mafalda Entertainment to develop projects committed to Human Rights and women. Among other works, she produced documentaries and numerous awareness campaigns. In 2017, she published her first book THE PIMP which was adapted into a feature-length documentary with the same title in 2018. LOZANO herself adapted her second book, PORNOXPLOTACION, into a documentary series. Her shorts BIOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN’S CORPSE and AVA won the Goya Award for Best Documentary Short Film in 2021 and 2024.
ATALAYA
DOCUMENTARY / SPAIN / 2026 / 09’00’’
In 2021, the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on La Palma (Canary Islands), for 85 days destroying homes and lives along its path. Amid this chaos, Beatriz, a resilient islander, offers a remarkable perspective, accompanied by mesmerizing visuals of natural elements and true organic sounds.
Director: Elena Rebeca Carini
Writer: Elena Rebeca Carini, Jeremy Morris
Cinematography: Jeremy Morris
Composer: Clemens Guthjar
Editor: Jeremy Morris
Producer: La Selva, Werner Herzog Foundation
Cast: Beatriz Castro Rocha
ELENA REBECA CARINI is an Italian-Romanian screenwriter and director. After studying Visual Arts at Brera Academy of Fine Arts, she worked as a photographer and filmmaker before pursuing cinema studies at RUFA and FAMU. She has worked across film production and directing roles. In 2023, she debuted with THE LAND YOU BELONG, her first feature documentary, which premiered at Krakow Film Festival and won Best Documentary at BIOGRAFILM. She is currently developing her second documentary, SHE GOT THE GAME, and continues exploring contemporary stories through different cinematic forms.
BENEATH WHICH RIVERS FLOW
DOCUMENTARY / IRAQ / 2025 / 16’17’’
A boy stands in a river with his buffalo, leaning lovingly on the animal’s back while slowly petting it. Both appear to be enjoying each other’s company, taking in the serenity of their surroundings. Their bond is endearing and calming, for them and us while we’re watching this scene. Ibrahim lives in the peaceful, mesmerizing marshlands of southern Iraq. Yet, his eyes reveal…
Director: Ali Yahya
Writer: Ali Yahya, Mohammed Baz
Cinematography: Ali Ameer
Composer: Khyam Allami
Editor: Akram Sadoon
Producer: Jafar Sadik
The Iraqi filmmaker uses film to explore the human experience, capturing the beauty and complexities of everyday life. Through his work, he brings the stories of his homeland to the world. He is also the creative director of Becorp, one of Iraq’s leading creative agencies. He lives and works in Baghdad.
BICYCLE FACE
DOCUMENTARY / SPAIN / 2025 / 23’22’’
Fragments of films, archival images, texts, fictional scenes, and bicycle sounds form this audiovisual collage, which aims to be a tribute to women’s freedom, their capacity for struggle, and resistance. The starting point is a historical event that takes us back to the late 19th century when women began riding bicycles. It was then that a made-up disease was diagnosed with the goal of dissuading women from riding bicycles.
ITZIAR and AMAIA are friends, neighbors and coworkers. They combine their research and teaching work in the Audiovisual Communication Department at the University of the Basque Country, where they teach Documentary Workshop, Videocreation, and Direction, alongside artistic practice and audiovisual production. Amaia’s feature film BOST MINUTU won the Zinebi Industry Award 2019 and premiered at Zinebi 2021. Itziar’s experimental short PELIKULE (2022) was produced by the BBKartegileak and AntEspacio programs, created in collaboration with elderly people. BICYCLE FACE is their first joint creation.
BLUE BIRD
BEST DOCUMENTARY / PORTUGAL / 2025 /
29’43’’
Anxiety started consuming the muscles of my trapezius. I gradually stopped being able to swallow without thinking, because swallowing became forced. Amidst some exams to rule out bigger issues, or issues of a different, more tangible nature, one of the first hypotheses gained strength: finally, anxiety began to eat away at my body.
Director: Miguel Munhá
Writer: João Cachola, Miguel Munhá
Cinematography: Marta Simões
Composer: Carlos Marecos
Editor: Andreia Bertini, Gil Amado, Miguel Munhá
Producer: Ana Sofia Nunes, António Câmara Manuel
Cast: João Cachola
MIGUEL holds a Master’s in Directing (ESTC, Lisbon) and in Cinematography (ESCAC/Barcelona). His two first shorts and feature documentary won national awards and screened at multiple international film festivals; BLUE BIRD (2025), his most recent work, premiered at Warsaw FF and screened at Beijing ISFF and In the Palace SFF. He is the co-founder of Jângal Studios.
BOATMAN
DOCUMENTARY / FRANCE / 2024 /
17’19’’
The one thing I remember from my studies is how to row. Sometimes I miss it. So I go back to see Kevin, my old coach and current boatman of a rowing club at Cambridge.
Director: Audrey Lejeune
Writer: Audrey Lejeune
Cinematography: Joséphine Drouin Viallard
Editor: Jean Costa
Producer: Audrey Lejeune
AUDREY LEJEUNE grew up between France and China. After studying architecture, she pivots towards filmmaking. She participated in the Ateliers Varan in Ajaccio in 2019. She now writes documentaries and works as an assistant director.
CORRAL NEGRO
DOCUMENTARY / SPAIN / 2024 / 17’15’’
“In northwest Argentina, CORRAL NEGRO introduces Alejandro Soriano, a member of the Diaguita-Calchaquí indigenous community living among the Andean mountains. Born from a desire to highlight Argentina’s indigenous cultures, the film explores Alejandro’s connection to his land, traditions, and family life, revealing a cultural richness often overlooked.
Director: Laura Torres Codina
Writer: Laura Torres Codina
Cinematography: Julián Nogués
Composer: Joana Subirats
Editor: Lu Fraga, Maria Abad Balañá
Producer: Xavier Atance Yagüe
Cast: Alejandro Soriano, Antonella Guanca, William Soriano
LAURA TORRES, born in Terrassa, Barcelona, is a documentary filmmaker focused on telling real stories that connect with the audience. After graduating with a degree in Audiovisual Design from ESDi and completing an Erasmus exchange in Helsinki, she honed her ability to capture authentic stories. Her thesis project, the short film CORRAL NEGRO, shot in Argentina, was selected for Barcelona’s Audiovisual Talent Week, paving the way for her to collaborate with Benecé Produccions on documentaries that explore the human experience.”
GOATS!
DOCUMENTARY
/ CROATIA / FRANCE / 2025 / 20’34’’
On a remote Adriatic island, goats have roamed freely for 40 years, following a failed farming project. Now deemed a problem, armed men arrive to restore “natural balance” through a chilling cull – revealing how easily violence can be justified as the only solution.
Director: Tonći Gaćina
Writer: Tonći Gaćina
Cinematography: Antonino Mudantino
Editor: Dora Slakoper
Producer: Tibor Keser
TONĆI GAĆINA (Split, 1983) lives in Zagreb, Croatia. He graduated in film and video from the Arts Academy in Split and completed a graduate degree in documentary directing at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb where he now teaches documentary filmmaking. After completing several short films, his debut TOURISM’ (2016) premiered at Visions du Réel, was screened at Karlovy Vary IFF, and won the Best Balkan Newcomer Award at DokuFest while also being selected as a Future Frames director by European Film Promotion. His short documentary GOATS! premiered at Locarno Film Festival in 2025.
HEADWINDS
DOCUMENTARY / ITALY / 2026 / 29’59’’
How do you find your place in the world? Through Daniele’s extraordinary journey, we will share the difficulties and resources that over this 30-years-long journey have helped him cross an invisible yet marked line that divides those experiencing disability and the rest of the world.
Director: Manuel Camia
Writer: Manuel Camia
Cinematography: Simone Mazzoleni
Composer: Giorgio Labagnara
Editor: Manuel Camia
Producer: Manuel Camia
Cast: Daniele Cassioli
MANUEL CAMIA was born on 2 may 1989 in Milan. He studied screenwriting and film production in Milan at the Luchino Visconti Film School. Today he works as a writer, director, and producer for commercials and documentaries. He is the writer and director of three documentaries that have been selected for 37 festivals and won 18 awards in 5 countries around the world.
INTERSECTING LINES
DOCUMENTARY / BULGARIA / 2026 / 27’00’’
A documentary exploring the literal and metaphorical empty spaces that are filled with meaning by artists - Georgi Stanishev, Hanna Schwartz & Yoann Bourgeois.
Director: Eddy Simon Schwartz
Writer: Eddy Simon Schwartz
Cinematography: Alexander Stanishev, Christo Roussev, Dimitar Nedelchev, Eddy Schwartz
Composer: Yoana Robоva, Peter Paemakov (TROHI)
Editor: Mitko Balabanov
Producer: Bazuka Productions
Cast: Georgi Stanishev, Hanna Schwartz, Yoann Bourgeois
EDDY SIMON SCHWARTZ is a director and producer who has worked on commercials for leading agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, Young & Rubicam, DDB Worldwide, Publicis Groupe, and Ogilvy. His first short film, AUF WIEDERSEHEN, screened at more than 20 festivals, won the Best Live Action Short Film Prize at the Warsaw International Film Festival, and was distributed in over 30 territories, including on Canal+. His latest short film, NIGHT SHIFT, was selected for festivals such as Clermont-Ferrand and Brussels International Short Film Festival. The film received numerous awards, including prizes at In The Palace, Burgas, Golden Rose, Mamers en Mars, and Festival du Cinéma Bulgare, and was acquired for television broadcast by ARTE.
KOKI, CIAO
DOCUMENTARY
/ THE NETHERLANDS / 2025 / 11’10’’
The autobiography of Koki, the parrot of Marshal Tito, leader of Yugoslavia for 35 years. Made over 4 years with Koki narrating and responding to previously unseen archives, 68 year old co-writer Koki describes his former life with Tito, Nehru, Sophia Loren and Sukarno.
Director: Quenton Miller
Writer: Koki, Misho Antadze, Quenton Miller
Cinematography: Quenton Miller
Composer: Luka Barajević
Editor: Misho Antadze
Born in Australia 1981, the filmmaker and artist has been based in the Netherlands since 2012. His focus on film developed out of video installations and from writing and designing for literary publications. He often works with animals, and alienated characters struggling with language and their place in the world.
OF STONE
DOCUMENTARY / SERBIA, MONTENEGRO / 2025
/ 25’25’’
Provocative Sculptor Ratko Vulanović’s work reveals his acceptance and compassion for art and humanity. Оn his journey, he introduced postmodernism to the Yugoslav regions and created numerous sculpture parks with barely a trace of the sculptor’s hand. Vulanović’s work was challenged by conservative artistic circles, but the real danger came from political circles. Because of his refusal to obey political dictates, his sculptures were destroyed. Disobedience to the powerful made him the most destroyed sculptor in Montenegro and Serbia.
Director: Simo Ilić
Writer: Simo Ilić
Cinematography: Nađa Stanišić
Composer: Ana Krstajić
Editor: Nikola Jovanović
Producer: Simo Ilić
SIMO ILIĆ is a Serbian jurist and legal historian. He is engaged in documentary filmmaking, through which he examines culture, mentalities and political practices in Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav society.
PEDRO TOMAS EXPLAINS THE WORLD
DOCUMENTARY / SPAIN / 2025 / 05’29’’
Pedro Tomás explores the world with his unique perspective and explains everything he sees: the jungle, the ducks, God, and the flowers. He also pauses to observe the strange black desert left after the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on his home island of La Palma.
Director: Kornelijus Stučkus
Writer: Kornelijus Stučkus, Jacinto Velasco
Cinematography: Jacinto Velasco
Composer: Laurynas Kamarauskas
Editor: Kornelijus Stučkus, Jacinto Velasco
Producer: Liliana Díaz Castillo, Marc Vila Bosch, Paulina Martinez
Cast: Pedro Tomás Remedios Rodríguez
KORNELIJUS STUČKUS is a filmmaker and scriptwriter based in Vilnius, Lithuania. He studied philosophy at Vilnius University and co-directed the documentary film PEAFOWLS FLEW AWAY AND TOOK MY THOUGHTS WITH THEM (2020) for Lithuanian national TV. His latest film PEDRO TOMÁS EXPLICA EL MUNDO has been selected for a distribution award in the Werner Herzog Film Accelerator project.
TEENAGE COWBOY
DOCUMENTARY
/ SWITZERLAND / 2025 / 17’53’’
Sixteen-year-old Michele works as a cowboy on a wild plateau. Together with his colleague, 21-year-old Alexandra, he offers horseback rides across the vast fields to tourists. But nothing has been the same since the dramatic events of last winter. Since the events of last winter, nothing has been the same for 16-year-old cowboy Michele.
Director: Matteo Gariglio
Writer: Matteo Gariglio
Cinematography: Andi Widmer
Animation: Kaspar Flückiger
Composer: Feed The Monkey
Editor: Rebecca Trösch
Producer: Matteo Gariglio, Kaleo La Belle
Cast: Michele Fontanieri, Alexandra Ungureanu, Katia Palmeri
MATTEO GARIGLIO is a Swiss documentary filmmaker and photographer, born in Lucerne, Switzerland. He studied visual communication with focus on video at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Design & Art. He also holds a Master in Documentary Directing from Universidade Lusofona de Humanidades e Tecnologias in Lisbon, University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest and LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. His short film EN LA BOCA was nominated for the European Film Award, the Swiss Film Award, won various prizes and screened at over 100 International Film Festivals.
THE BRIDE OF MONT BLANC
DOCUMENTARY / UK / 2025 / 28’34’’
In a profound act of historical resurrection, modern day adventurer Lise Wortley straps on her 19th Century hobnail boots and bonnet to celebrate forgotten female adventurers, whose absence continues to have knock-on effects today. Armed only with the gear available to Henriette D’Angeville in 1838, Lise attempts to recreate the first female ascent of Mont Blanc - Europe’s most iconic peak. In doing so, she explores her own relationship with the outdoors and how it’s impacted a long battle with anxiety.
Director: Grace T.S.P
Writer: Grace T.S.P
Cinematography: Grace T.S.P
Animation: Izzy Barszcz
Composer: Holly Buhagiar
Editor: Lesley Posso
Producer: Amy Warren
Cast: Elise Wortley
GRACE T.S.P is a multiple award-winning director known for her keen ability to uncover powerful human-driven stories. Grace uniquely blends the feel of fiction with the raw emotion and intrigue of documentary. Grace thrives in physically demanding environments from filming ice climbing in the French alps, documenting rangers deep in the Sumatran Jungle and exploring shipwrecks 30m underwater in the Red Sea. Her eye for shining a light on unique narratives of human skill, passion and resilience has taken her across the globe, forging deep connections with her subjects.
THE PISTON KING
DOCUMENTARY / UAE / 2025 / 12’49’’
In THE PISTON KING we step inside Marco’s world on a fateful night, not on the streets, but in the heart of his workshop. Surrounded by tools, grease, and memories, Marco’s hands bring life to machines that are more than just bikes—they’re a part of his soul. As he works late into the night, we follow the man behind the passion, where every wrench turn tells a story.
Director: Mazen Alhaj Salem
Cinematography: Mazen Alhaj Salem
Editor: Mazen Alhaj Salem
Producer: Mazen Alhaj Salem, Yazan Alhaj Salem
Cast: Marco
MAZEN ALHAJ is an accomplished filmmaker and producer known for his distinctive approach to storytelling and visual narrative. With a career spanning over a decade, Mazen has established himself as a prominent figure in the documentary filmmaking industry, focusing on compelling short documentaries that delve into human passion, craftsmanship, and cultural narratives.
THE ROBIN THAT NEVER RETURN
DOCUMENTARY
/ FINLAND / 2025 / 12’46’’
In the 1990s, Tatu Hokkanen ringed a robin in Finland, later found shot in Brescia, Italy. Years on, conservationists Katia and Paolo battle birds poaching in Brescia. This cross-border story is about protecting birds.
Director: Jani Ahlstedt
Writer: Jani Ahlstedt
Cinematography: Jaro Jääskeläinen
Editor: Akke Eklund
Producer: Merja Ritola
JANI AHLSTEDT is a Finnish filmmaker, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and producer. He is active in independent cinema and documentary filmmaking, and he works with Helsinki-based production teams like Inland Film Company Oy and Greenlit Productions. Jani Ahlstedt (b.1989) has worked in the film industry for over ten years. After graduating as a media assistant in 2008, he has worked in many jobs in the film industry, mainly as a filming and editing assistant. He has worked as a cinematographer in the documentary film REFLECTIONS (2017) and in TOISINAJATTELIJA (2018) and HEISKUJA (2020). A ROBIN THAT NEVER RETURN is his first documentary film direction to be released to the public.
THE STONEMASON’S DAUGHTER
DOCUMENTARY / SPAIN / 2025 / 11’20’’
At the beginning of the 20th century, a self-sufficient community lived at the foothills of Monte Pindo, near Costa da Morte, farming, fishing and building their homes with mountain granite. The film is set in O Fieiro, a village of twelve houses, and follows Rosa, a ninety-year-old woman who recalls her father, a stonemason. Told as an abstract visual poem, it explores time, loneliness and tradition through women across generations, all waiting—for rain, for return.
Director: Arturo Franco
Writer: Arturo Franco
Cinematography: Arturo Franco
Animation: Arturo Franco
Composer: Asociación de muxeres de Quilmas (tambourine)
Editor: Arturo Franco
Producer: Ana Román
Cast: Arturo Franco
Born in La Coruña, living in Madrid. Architect, curator and filmmaker. His work has focused on the exploration of contemporary cities and their multiple ways of inhabiting. As an architect he has been recognised for revitalising spaces and recovering them for the city, while his facet as a sculptor or filmmaker participates in the same transversal view of what surrounds us, based on discovering and revealing what the city offers us. His filmography as a director includes EL CUSTODIO DE BAHÍA HONDA (2023), SANTA CLARA. NASCIMENTO EM TRÊS FASES (2025), A FILLA DO CANTEIRO (2025).
WHAT DOES THE MUD WHISPER
DOCUMENTARY / GEORGIA / 2025 / 20’00’’
In the heart of Georgia, where myth and reality intertwine, little Tako embarks on a journey to uncover the ancient secret of the region’s healing mud. For generations, people have traveled to this mystical place, seeking cures for their ailments and hoping to prolong their lives. This documentary portrays the life of a child, which symbolizes the people who shape and sustain contemporary myths, revealing how ordinary folk craft legends that blur the lines between healing, belief, and imagination…
Director: Dea Tcholokava
Writer: Dea Tcholokava
Cinematography: Bartek Bledowski
Composer: Nika Phaniashvili
Editor: Eka Tsotsoria, Dea Tcholokava
Producer: Irina Gelashvili
DEA TCHOLOKAVA is a Georgian filmmaker with an academic background in socio-political sciences and filmmaking, studied in both Georgia and Germany. She has collaborated with the Caucasus-based media platform Chai Khana on several projects, including TRAFFIC DIARYAND OF KIDS AND SEA. Dea has also worked as an editor and assistant director alongside esteemed Georgian filmmakers such as Lana Gogoberidze, Tato Kotetishvili, and Bakur Bakuradze. Her recent short documentary WHAT DOES THE MUD WHISPER premiered at the Krakow Film Festival in 2025. That same year, she was awarded the Documenta Archive and Goethe-Institut Fellowship.
EXPERIMENTAL
BEYOND THE FACADE
EXPERIMENTAL / AUSTRIA / 2024 / 04’35’’
In BEYOND THE FACADE, Eyup Kuş presents an experimental film in which his atmospheric music combines with visual elements to create a sensory journey that blurs the boundaries between sight and sound. A poignant commentary on the climate crisis reflects the fleeting nature of human experience and symbolically melts like the glaciers of the Alps...
Director: Eyup Kuş
Writer: Eyup Kuş
Cinematography: Martin Ludl
Composer: Karga
Editor: Eyup Kuş
Producer: Eyup Kuş
EYUP KUŞ, a multifaceted artist, specializes in experimental filmmaking with a foundation in Theater, Film, and Media Studies. His work explores unconventional narratives through a dynamic blend of film formats, visual effects, and the interplay of light and sound. Recognized at international film festivals, Kuş’s abstract short films provide a unique perspective, merging imagery and sound to inspire creativity. Beyond filmmaking, he actively contributes to music projects, including his solo endeavor, KARGA. In the realm where multimedia artistry meets experimental filmmaking, Kuş offers a fresh and unconventional approach to storytelling.
BLACKMUCK
EXPERIMENTAL / CROATIA / 2025 / 11’32’’
An immersive descent into a nightmare landscape — not only how it looks, but what it feels like to have a fever dream. A film adaptation of nocturnal terror: a video collage of vivid images, toxic atmospheres, and disconnected links stripped of human logic. An apocalyptic fable about a virus from beyond the stars — one that fell from the sky only to observe us from the ground. It used what we valued most to dismantle our world. And now we ask ourselves: did we ever deserve anything better?
Director: Tin Žanić
Writer: Tin Žanić
Cinematography: Tin Žanić
Animation: Tin Žanić
Composer: Tin Žanić
Editor: Tin Žanić
Producer: Tena Gojić
Cast: Lovro Čepelak
TIN ŽANIĆ (1985, Zagreb) holds an MA in Directing from the National Film and Television School (NFTS) and a BA in Film and Theatre Production from Zagreb. His short film ANTIOTPAD (2020) won the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film and screened at Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin. His earlier films KOMBA and MANJAČA screened and won awards at festivals including Rotterdam, Clermont-Ferrand, Tampere, Sarajevo, Hamburg and Zagreb.
GHOSTING MOTHER
EXPERIMENTAL / GERMANY / 2025 / 16’58’’
Starting from the destroyed grave of my mother, a search begins for the remaining apparitions. A mourning ceremony, a movement of remembrance, attempts at resuscitation. Ghosting mother works with methods of autofiction and deals with questions of grief and its ritualization in bourgeois catholic contexts in an experimental documentary form. The self-developed 16 mm film reflects in its own materiality and its damage the failed attempt to record what has been lost.
Director: Bernard Mescherowsky
Writer: Bernard Mescherowsky
Cinematography: Bernard Mescherowsky
Composer: Bernard Mescherowsky
Editor: Bernard Mescherowsky
Producer: Bernard Mescherowsky
BERNARD MESCHEROWSKY was born in Aachen in 1996 and grew up in Belgium and Germany. After leaving school, he worked as a cameraperson and editor before starting his studies at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne in 2021. Between exhibition space and cinema, his work revolves around questions of identity, memory, social structures and the mediality of remembrance.
SUBHARMONICS
EXPERIMENTAL / DENMARK, HUNGARY / 2026 / 04’59’’
Exploration in the unconscious where everything is connected, nothing is determined and the emphasis is on the ever-changing. In a naturally altered state of consciousness, the boundaries of time and space dissolve. Sounds become visible, forms audible. Deeper focus offers more: connections of tones and undertones linked to visible forms and their mirrored reflections – periodically interacting with each other.
Director: Marcell Mostoha
Writer: Marcell Mostoha
Animation: Marcell Mostoha
Composer: Marcell Mostoha
Editor: Marcell Mostoha
Producer: Marcell Mostoha
MARCELL MOSTOHA (1994) graduated as an animation director in Budapest. He finds opportunities offered by interdisciplinary thinking to be particularly significant and believes in free interchangeability between genres. In addition to animation and music, he also works as a fine artist, focusing on traditional graphics and painting, with primary interest in abstraction. His graduation film Avant won the Jury Award at the 60th Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2021.
THINGS MANY EYES HAVE SEEN
EXPERIMENTAL / SWITZERLAND / 2025 / 25’00’’
A flickering diary of time, memory, and erosion, THINGS MANY EYES HAVE SEEN unfolds over a month on an island. Hand-processed in salty seawater, its 16mm images dissolve and transform. The landscape flashes by in broken frames of light and shadow, as if the world itself was stuttering between memory and motion. A meditation on seeing and being seen, the film lingers like a fading dream, where observer and landscape blur into one.
Director: Yannick Mosimann
Writer: Yannick Mosimann
Cinematography: Yannick Mosimann
Composer: Yannick Mosimann
Editor: Yannick Mosimann
Cast: Fhunyue Gao
YANNICK MOSIMANN is an experimental filmmaker, sound artist, and photographer from Bern. His artistic practice encompasses films, video and audio installations, as well as collaborative projects with various artists, both as a filmmaker and as a musician. His work focuses on intuitive processes, sensory experiences, and the reimagining of narratives. Thematically, he explores the Anthropocene, nature, cosmology, darkness, and human perception.
WOUNDED EDGES
EXPERIMENTAL
/ SWITZERLAND / 2025 / 18’00’’
A poetic response to the 2022 forest fire at Monte Gambarogno, Ticino. Shot on 16mm and hand-processed with ash from the burned forest, each frame physically carries the memory of the destroyed landscape. The film traces wounds and resilience, reflecting on transience, human impact, and transformation.
Director: Yannick Mosimann
Writer: Yannick Mosimann
Cinematography: Yannick Mosimann, David Röthlisberger
Composer: Yannick Mosimann
Editor: Yannick Mosimann
Producer: Yannick Mosimann
YANNICK MOSIMANN (1989, Signau, CH) is an experimental filmmaker, sound artist, and photographer based in Bern. His work explores the Anthropocene, nature, memory, and human perception through 16mm film, hand-processing, and expanded cinema.
ficTIoN STUDeNt
ALL THAT LIES BENEATH
STUDENT FICTION
/ CZECH
REPUBLIC
/ 2025 / 26’24’’
Marek is called to look for his war-traumatised and paranoid brother Jakub, who is hiding in the depths of an underground plant. Introduced by the factory director Dr. Černy and guided by the young worker Jürgen, he starts his descent into the hellish and mysterious tunnels. The journey below the surface into the shadows will not be without cost.
Director: Jules Roux
Writer: Jules Roux, Roger Nicholas
Cinematography: Harsimran Kaur Anand
Composer: Michael Andrew Burt
Editor: Shubhroja Sen
Producer: FAMU
Cast: Václav Vašák, Dominick Benedikt, Matěj Havelka, Milan Šteindler
JULES ROUX is a French filmmaker. He graduated from Sciences Po in Paris and FAMU in Prague. His work has been screened and awarded at international festivals. He focuses on the themes of entrapment, memory and social norms and interactions.
APHRODITE’S ISLAND
STUDENT FICTION / GREECE / 2025 / 25’49’’
A new couple, Alkis and Myrto, who have just met, embark on a road trip to a secluded seaside destination, Myrto’s home. Their initial interaction is light and fun, with music and smiles, but the mood changes abruptly when Myrto kills an injured dying dog in the street, creating an underlying tension.
Director: Roxani Varela
Writer: Thanos Liberopoulos, Roxani Varela
Cinematography: Thanos Liberopoulos
Editor: Stelios Zoidis
Producer: Thanos Liberopoulos (Kiss the frog productions)
Cast: Anastasia Delta, Yiannis Poimenidis
At 26 years old, ROXANI VARELA studied Theatre Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens but has always had a strong interest in cinema. At the age of 22, she began working in television and later moved into film, initially joining the camera department before shifting her focus toward production design. Over time, she has taken on a variety of roles across departments, gaining a well-rounded understanding of the collaborative work required to make a film. In 2023, she completed the directing seminar at FilmSchool, as well as a screenwriting workshop. This is her thesis film.
A man deliberately soaks his clothes to engineer an encounter with his crush, a Muslim woman, in their building’s shared laundry room, but when she learns he’s Christian, a quiet tension emerges; still, drawn to something deeper, they continue to drift closer through exchanged glances and unspoken moments between rows of drying laundry.
Director: Filip Dučić
Writer: Filip Dučić
Cinematography: Ausra Melnikaite
Composer: Vanessa Kovačević
Editor: Roch Pankowski
Producer: Natalia Szymanska
Cast: Rafael Anočić, Iva Radić
FILIP DUČIĆ, born in Zagreb, Croatia, began working in film as an assistant on amateur stop-motion animations and short films in his hometown. After finishing high school, he worked manual labor jobs in the United States to support his film education. He is currently studying film directing in Poland and has completed two short films: LIKA (2025), starring Vedran Dakić, and SOUNDS OF CICADAS (2026), shot in the coastal city of Split, Croatia, starring Goran Bogdan and Viktor Višnić.
CORPS EN CHUTE
STUDENT FICTION / GERMANY, FRANCE / 2025 / 25’04’’
Héron wants nothing more than to be seen for her hard work and her perfectionism. However, just before a big performance, her long-time dance partner is suddenly replaced: Héron now finds herself with a new dancer – Celeste – by her side. Celeste is the exact opposite of Héron: inexperienced, free-spirited, and completely undisciplined. In her attempt to defend her position in the ensemble, Héron is increasingly confronted with her own limits - and with the question of how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice for the choreography.
Director: Nicolas Schönberger
Writer: Gabriel Kowak
Cinematography: Leoni Gora, Paul Ader
Composer: Isis Prager
Editor: Eric Baudler
Producer: Hannah Buhr, Marc Colditz
Cast: Cindy Emilie, Rebecca Tetens, Mathias Minne, Gustav Fiere
NICOLAS started out working as a theatre teacher and assistant director at various theatres in Germany. He went on to study media art and design at the Bauhaus University Weimar. Since 2021, he has been studying directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Nicolas is a scholarship holder of the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and attended the 2023 film school La Fémis in Paris. His last short film GOODBYE MILO premiered at the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis.
DEAD ROOTS
STUDENT FICTION / NETHERLANDS / 2025 / 25’48’’
After a haunting vision of a distant land, Siljan sets out in search of his origins. A mysterious journey leads him from the quiet parks of the Netherlands to the rugged landscapes of Macedonia, where memories, dreams, and reality begin to blur. Guided by a cryptic soothsayer, Siljan unravels a truth that reshapes his identity and his place in the world. As realities converge and a fear of losing everything, he must face the question: can we ever truly return home?
Director: Meglen Anzik Trpkov
Writer: Hristijan Krstevski, Meglen Anzik Trpkov
Cinematography: Niels Lokhorst
Composer: Hidde Vos
Editor: Sam Klement
Producer: Meglen Anzik Trpkov
Cast: Hristijan Krstevski, Talija Gjorgjieva, Tony Naumovski, Sinolicka Trpkova, Carlijn van Vliet, Dylan Orie
MEGLEN ANZIK TRPKOV (1994) is a Macedonian-Dutch director and screenwriter. He recently graduated from the University of the Arts Utrecht (HKU), where he majored in directing and screenwriting. His work is rooted in a deeply personal approach to filmmaking. Drawing from his own experiences, he seeks to translate intimate perspectives into stories that resonate on a broader, universal level. Across his work, recurring themes emerge: the passage of time, nostalgia, grief, death, and rebirth.
STUDENT FICTION / SERBIA / 2025 / 09’50’’
A young lifeguard encounters Saja, an aging swimmer with a storied past. He tries to rescue Saja from drowning in the swimming pool, but instead of gratitude, he is met with a challenge. Determined to prove that his glory days are not over, Saja challenges him to a race. The race becomes a poignant test of pride and redemption, where winning means much more than crossing the finish line.
Director: Nikola Romčević
Writer: Nikola Romčević
Cinematography: Vladislav Andrejević
Composer: Nikola Lekić
Editor: Vasilije Vujčić
Producer: Milica Milinković, Ivan Stepanović
Cast: Mima Karadžić, Vučić Perović, Duško Radović
NIKOLA ROMČEVIĆ was born in 1999 in Belgrade. He has been a participant of the CVK KVADRAT since 2017, and is a directing masters student at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He is the author of short student films 40 DAYS OF DISCO, MOON FLOWER, and a medium-length film FORGOTTEN METAL. He has also directed multiple music videos: KAKO OVDE by the group Proto tip, STRUJA and RADIJACIJA by the group Vizelj, and NEKI BENDOVI by the group Klotljudi.
DREAM UP THE TITLE
STUDENT FICTION / POLAND / 2025 / 19’56’’
Małgorzata wanders through a city without rivers, seeking currents that no longer flow. She moves as if her own vitality has run dry, mirroring the city’s quiet exhaustion. A quirky tribute to a generation caught between youth and adulthood, haunted by the fear of missing the tide – and to the city of Łódź (Polish for ‘boat’), once abundant with water, now consumed by industry.
Cast: Izabella Dudziak, Mateusz Górski, David Kornacki, Teresa Radzikowska, Edyta
Born in Łódź. A student at the Directing Department of the Łódź Film School. Graduate of the Wajda School. BAFTA Student Award Longlist nominee. Her films were at the Gdynia Film Festival, New Horizons in Wrocław, Kraków Film Festival.
ELECTRICKS
STUDENT FICTION / CZECH REPUBLIC / 2025
/ 13’39’’
An electrician takes a job to replace sockets, needing quick cash after months of unpaid invoices. However, in the young single mothers flat he finds an illegal electricity bypass. For her, it means huge debt. For him, he can’t finish the job. He faces a moral choice to walk away or use the situation.
Director: Kryštof Kindl
Writer: Kryštof Kindl
Cinematography: Tomáš Dudek
Animation: Kryštof Kindl
Composer: Vojtěch Liebl
Editor: Kryštof Kindl
Producer: Kryštof Kindl, Kristýna Dvoranová
Cast: Vojtěch Hájek, Iveta Jiříčková
FAMU student and Michael Academy graduate. In 2022, he won the 48 Hour Film Project and later represented the Czech Republic at the Filmapalooza festival in Los Angeles. He took part in the documentary workshop My Street Films, where he created the short film HEDGEHOG IN A CAGE, which was later presented at the international documentary film festival Ji.hlava. He has directed short spots for the Children’s Crisis Center, the humanitarian organization ADRA, and ALSA, which helps people with ALS.
EMBLA
STUDENT FICTION / ICELAND / 2025 / 17’03’’
Carved from wood by the artist Baldur, Embla awakens into the world as his muse and his lover. But when her curiosity mars her perfection, burning her finger, his adoration cools, replaced by moody withdrawal. Desperate to recapture their bond, Embla seduces him, only to discover his secret: a new prototype, a better version of herself, taking shape in his forbidden woodshed. Embla must face the terror of being discarded in a mythic clash between creator and creation.
Director: Katla Sólnes
Writer: Katla Sólnes
Cinematography: Konráð Kárason
Composer: Sævar Jóhannsson, Maria-Carmela Raso
Editor: Katla Sólnes
Producer: Jóna Gréta Hilmarsdóttir
Cast: Alda Valentína Rós, Gunnar Örn
Named after Iceland’s most dangerous volcano, KATLA SÓLNES is an Icelandic writer-director. She is a Nicholl Fellow (2026) selected by The Academy of Motion Pictures, a Sundance Screenwriters Lab fellow (2025) with her feature, ERUPTION, which is in development and is being produced by Anton Máni Svansson (GODLAND, THE LOVE THAT REMAINS) of STILL VIVID. Her work juxtaposes intimate and complex relationship stories against the volatile landscape of Iceland.
KUDRET
STUDENT FICTION / TÜRKIYE / 2025 / 14’13’’
Leading a reclusive life in his humble industrial abode where he works as a night guard, Kudret’s quiet life is shaken when a vagrant from the same hood assaults him and his puppy. Buckling under the oppression, Kudret is given an unexpected piece of power during a night stroll with his law enforcement friends. This power will be the beginning of his transformation.
Director: Mehmet Oğuz Yıldırım
Writer: Mehmet Oğuz Yıldırım, Yasin Türkay
Cinematography: Nusret Emre Bilgin
Composer: Yağız Oral
Editor: Tuvana Simin Günay
Producer: Ahmet Toğaç, Sami Yıldırım
Cast: Fırat Kaymak, Süleyman Kadim Kabaali, Orkun Huylu, Ömer Oduncu
Born on May 15th, 1995 in Ankara, MEHMET OĞUZ attended primary and secondary schools in Marmaris, after which he successfully graduated from high school in Mersin. Having completed his bachelor’s degree in the Department of Cinema and Television at Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts in 2019, he finished his master’s degree in the Department of Cinema and Television at Marmara University in 2023. His previous short films have been shown in various national and international festivals and received awards. He is currently working as a research assistant in the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema at Kastamonu University, Faculty of Communications and he is also carrying out his doctorate in the Department of Communication Sciences at the same university.
MADE IN X
STUDENT FICTION / UK / 2025 / 05’03’’
Blending raw documentary realism with surreal dreamscapes, visual activist film MADE IN X follows a young immigrant navigating a society that sees her as a label before a person. From workplace microaggressions to housing discrimination, her struggles intertwine with poetic sequences where garments and memories become tools of resistance. As fashion transforms into a language of identity and protest, the film explores how origin defines worth — for fashion items and people alike.
Director: Sofia Ivanova-Kozhevnikova
Writer: Sofia Ivanova-Kozhevnikova
Cinematography: Michael Konov
Composer: Roman Zharov, Sofia Ivanova-Kozhevnikova
Editor: Sofia Ivanova-Kozhevnikova
Producer: Polina Kulbachevskaia, Patrycja Pietras
Cast: Ava Merson-O’Brien, Ben Porter, Veronika Kulisheva, Sam Shoubber
SOFIA IVANOVA-KOZHEVNIKOVA is a London-based fashion filmmaker and visual director from Moscow, working across cinematography, editing, and creative direction. Since beginning photography and video at the age of 15, she has developed a multidisciplinary approach that explores identity, transformation, and social perception through fashion and abstraction. The director holds a BA in Film & Television Production and an MA in Fashion Film and Digital Production from London College of Fashion, UAL.
MITHER
STUDENT FICTION / SCOTLAND / 2026 / 13’45’’
As her island home is abandoned, Rebecca refuses to evacuate, convinced her missing son Fergus is still alive. Believing an ancient force took him in revenge for her husband Callum’s sins, Rebecca turns to a forgotten shrine and offers Callum as a sacrifice. By dawn, Callum lies dead upon the shore, while the mysterious Mither emerges from the mist beside a strangely older Fergus. Reunited at last, Rebecca and her son escape the cursed island together.
Director: James Fox
Writer: James Fox
Cinematography: Cal White
Composer: Stuart Cowan
Editor: Thomas C. Walker
Producer: Christina McNulty, Ethan Robertson, James Fox
Cast: Flora Munro, Stephen Kerr
JAMES FOX is an emerging screenwriter and director based in Glasgow. With a focus on character-driven storytelling, he takes a writer-first approach to storytelling that champions emotional truth and narrative clarity. A graduate of Screen Academy Scotland, James was selected for The Network 2025 at the Edinburgh TV Festival, recognising exciting new voices in UK television. He has worked across short-form narrative and development and is currently developing original scripted projects for the screen.
NESTING
STUDENT FICTION / CZECH REPUBLIC / 2025 / 20’02’’
In a quiet suburban town, elderly Bara collects lifelike baby-dolls to fill the void left by her absentee son. When her prized doll vanishes, she is pushed into a surreal search that blurs reality and fantasy.
Cast: Viera Pavlíková, Leander Lejsky, Petr Buchta
IYANAH BATIVALA is a filmmaker and screenwriter whose storytelling explores themes of cultural and societal isolation. Born in New York and raised in Mumbai, Iyanah completed a BA in Performance and Media Arts at Cornell University and an MFA in Directing Cinema and Digital Media from FAMU, Prague. Her work spans narrative, documentary, and branded content. With three years of professional screenwriting experience, she has contributed to several projects, including working in the writers’ room for the Amazon series WAACK GIRLS, now available to stream in over 200 countries worldwide.
NIKOLA, NIKOLA
STUDENT FICTION / NORTH MACEDONIA, USA / 2026
/ 17’22’’
3AM in Skopje, North Macedonia. A teenager sneaks out to meet a 40-year-old man he’s been messaging online. When their car gets stuck in the remote woods, isolation strips away fantasy, forcing him to reckon with power, desire, and the possibility of real danger.
Director: Leon Ristov
Writer: Leon Ristov, Annie Ning
Cinematography: Samir Ljuma
Editor: Martin Ivanov
Producer: Kaustubh “Vick” Singh, Ognen Antov
Cast: Stefan Jevtic, Filip Trajkovic
LEON RISTOV is Macedonian filmmaker based in New York. His work has been recognized by the Sundance Institute Ignite Fellowship, Clermont-Ferrand Euro Connection, and Sony Pictures Classics’ Marcie Bloom Fellowship. His films have screened at the Sarajevo Film Festival and over 25 festivals worldwide, winning multiple awards. He holds an MFA in Screenwriting & Directing from Columbia University and a BA in Film Studies from Wesleyan University.
NOBODY BARKS
STUDENT FICTION / SPAIN / 2025 / 19’56’’
Candela accidentally runs over her nephew’s dog and decides not to confess. She invents a legend about a pilgrimage of dogs and invites the boy to join the search. As they look for it, lies gradually begin to consume her.
Cast: Laia Cabrera Vicens, Laura Aubert, Lucas Catalán Lluch, Concepció Aguadé Batalla
JÚLIA COLDWELL SERRA is a director and screenwriter, graduated in Directing from the Catalonia Film and Audiovisual School (ESCAC) with a full scholarship. During her studies, she directed several fiction and non-fiction projects, including NOBODY BARKS (2025), the project with which she graduated from the Master’s program in Directing. The short film premiered at SEMINCI and has continued its journey at festivals such as Clermont-Ferrand, D’A, Filmfest Dresden, Busan ISFF, BAFICI, Huesca IFF…. In addition, it is part of the Shortcat 2026 program by Catalan Films. Her work focuses on the use of comedy and the absurd as tools to explore contemporary social issues. She is currently developing her first feature film.
PAST THE HILL OF NAPOLEON’S HAT
STUDENT FICTION / LITHUANIA / 2025 / 15’00’’
A son picks his father up from a psychiatric hospital and takes him home to his grandparents. The father tries to revive their relationship, but the son, like the grandparents, is indifferent to him.
Director: Arnas Balčiūnas
Writer: Arnas Balčiūnas
Cinematography: Milda Juodvalkytė
Editor: Antanas Skridaila
Producer: Augustė Puteikytė
Cast: Martynas Mockevičius, Darius Gumauskas, Neringa Bulotaitė, Rimantas Bagdzevičius
ARNAS BALČIŪNAS is a Lithuanian film director, a graduate of KIMO (National film school). His debut short, THROUGH GLOOM, won Best International Film at Friss Hús ISFF. His follow-up, HUBBLES’S LAW, has screened at more than 25 international festivals. His bachelor’s graduation film, PAST THE HILL OF NAPOLEON’S HAT, received a Special Mention at Drama ISFF. CLASS PHOTO is his Master’s thesis film and is premiering in the Semaine de la Critique at Cannes.
PEGASUS
STUDENT FICTION / FRANCE / 2024 / 12’08’’
In the middle of a road, Victor, in the midst of a burnout, meets the gaze of a horse. He decides to step out of his car and approach it…
Graduated from 3IS with a specialization in Directing, JEAN-ÉRASME grew up in the Yvelines, France, between countryside and city life. Drawing from his atypical family background, personal experiences and sensory perceptions, he writes and directs intimate, poetic stories. PEGASUS, his first short film, explores themes close to his heart, including freedom and the bond between man and nature.
RISEN FROM RUINS
STUDENT FICTION / GERMANY / 2025 / 20’00’’
The 1990s: In the chaos of the post-socialist East, Andreas, an East German car mechanic, and Alexej, a former Soviet border-crosser, smuggle German cars into Russia. As West German investors buy up the former GDR and the smuggling business in Russia is dominated by corrupt officials and organized crime, their hopes for a new future collapse. Andreas and Alexej realize too late they never stood a chance in this new world.
Director: Harry Besel
Writer: Harry Besel
Cinematography: Ferdinand Kowalke
Animation: Jonas Eschner, Mikola Debik
Composer: Bernd Seidendorf, Nik Baczewski
Editor: Bela Johann Vienken
Producer: Harry Besel
Cast: Johann-Chrisof Laubisch, Nikita Petrosian, Alexander Waigel, Andrej Agranovski, Lukas Umlauft, Wolfgang Preussger, Alexej Boris, Lilli Sommerhage
HARRY BESEL was born in Kazakhstan and grew up in Kassel, Germany. He studied Visual Communication at the Kassel School of Arts. Active as a director and screenwriter.
SLAP!!
STUDENT FICTION / POLAND / 2025 / 22’11’’
This short story follows a young man, who is participating in brutal slap fighting competitions. In his eyes, it’s the only place where he matters. Everything changes when a new fighter appears, way stronger than him. Our protagonist crosses more dangerous boundaries to satisfy the crowd, disregarding his health and wellbeing of his family.
Director: Mikołaj Piszczan
Writer: Mikołaj Piszczan
Cinematography: Stefan Żółtowski
Composer: Antoni Wojnar
Editor: Helena Wieczorek, Filip Wojciechowski
Producer: Lodz Film School
Cast: Maciej Kosiacki, Róża Kaleta, Natalia Klepacka, Michał Kostrzewski, Tomasz Kubiatowicz
Born in 1991. Graduated in directing from the Lodz Film School. His feature and documentary short films have been shown and awarded at dozens of festivals around the world. In February 2025, his feature debut GRADUATION HEIST hit cinemas and broke 1 000 000 admissions. He also works as a director of social campaigns, music videos and commercials. His diploma film SLAP!! won the biggest short film prize in Poland - Grand Prix in Polish Film Festival.
SONATA
STUDENT FICTION / ITALY / 2025 / 16’09’’
Ginevra and Giulio are siblings, but that’s all they have in common: even the piano no longer unites them. When Ginevra is forced to sacrifice everything to keep Giulio from destroying himself and ending up behind bars, she uncovers within herself the same violent fire that burns in her brother.
Director: Tullio Edoardo Rocca
Writer: Saverio Biancone, Tullio Edoardo Rocca
Cinematography: Alessandro Massaroni, Carlo Salsilli
Editor: Natalia Canale
Producer: Scuola Gian Maria Volontè
Cast: Martina Sini, Gabriele Careddu, Laurence Mazzoni, Imogen Kusch
After earning a degree in Philosophy, TULLIO EDOARDO ROCCA left the dust of the library behind and set off to study documentary filmmaking at the National Film School of Cuba. Once back in Rome, he continued his training at Officina Pasolini and the Leo Benvenuti Screenwriting School, run by ANAC. Since learning never really ends, he recently graduated in directing from the Gian Maria Volonté School of Cinematic Art. SONATA is his first short film.
SYMPHONY OF SKOPJE
STUDENT FICTION / NORTH MACEDONIA / 2025 / 18’17’’
Alek is a young man working at a marketing agency, trapped in a monotonous job that suppresses his desire to create music. He struggles between his true aspirations and the life society has imposed on him. Unable to stand up for himself, he feels imprisoned, like a stranger in his own life.
Director: Kristijan Kostadinovski
Writer: Kristijan Kostadinovski, Aleksandra Arsovska
Cinematography: Ana Pavlovska
Animation: Metodij Kuzmanov
Composer: Valentin Vidovic
Editor: Metodij Kuzmanov
Producer: Viktor Petreski
Cast: Dimitrija Markovski
KRISTIJAN KOSTADINOVSKI (b. 2000, Skopje) is a film and TV director, graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts – Skopje. He began making films while studying at the Secondary School of Art Lazar Ličenoski, building on his early interests in theater, drawing, and visual storytelling. Kristijan is particularly interested in stories that resonate with audiences by revealing fragments of reality and provoking reflection.
TANDEM
STUDENT FICTION / GERMANY, AUSTRIA / 2025 / 12’30’’
Jan feels responsible for his best friend Lukas losing his sight in an accident. When Lukas plans to leave for an Erasmus in Bilbao, Jan realizes how dependent he has become. During a tense night by a lake, Jan falls into the water and is saved by Lukas. At that moment, Jan understands he must let Lukas go and face his own fears.
Director: Rafael Karim Kousz
Writer: Roman Glöckner, Rafael Karim Kousz
Cinematography: Roman Richards
Composer: Ben Wendel
Editor: Lucas Lörch
Producer: Jeremias Smeaton, Rafael Karim Kousz
Cast: Sören Kneidl, Elias Krischke, Anneke Brunekreeft
RAFAEL KOUSZ, born in Munich to a Swiss father and a Moroccan mother, studied Marketing and Digital Media and is now pursuing directing at the University of Television and Film Munich (Film Production & Media Management). As a trainee at Alamode Film, he supports releases like THE SEEDS OF THE SACRED FIG. He has produced films shown at festivals, including I UNDERSTAND YOUR DISPLEASURE (Berlinale Panorama 2026).
THE BULL
STUDENT FICTION / BELGIUM, UK / 2024 / 19’58’’
Cyriel and Marie, a childless married couple, live on an isolated farm. Their difficult, monotonous life is turned upside down when an extremely virile bull is brought to their farm.
VICTOR was born and raised in Bruges, Belgium. He started making short films and travel videos from a young age when he received a camcorder as a present from his grandfather. In 2017, Victor founded Movix, a video production company with a focus on providing commercials and marketing services to a wide range of clients, such as EY, Etixx Sports, Ghent University etc.
THE DOGLEG
STUDENT FICTION / POLAND / 2026 / 24’56’’
In a Polish village in the early 2000s, young motocross riders spend the summer immersed in their passion. The idyll is violently disrupted when the infamous Henryk returns to the village. His arrival sets off a chain of events that leads to an inevitable confrontation.
Director: Piotr Szubra
Writer: Piotr Szubra
Cinematography: Jakub Kaźmierczak
Editor: Kacper Rosiak, Jakub Słoniec, Piotr Szubra
Producer: Krystyna Doktorowicz
Cast: Adam Wietrzyński, Hubert Czajka, Oliwia Durczak, Marcin Walkowski, Krzysztof Jasiński
PIOTR SZUBRA - screenwriter, director, and editor. Graduate of Directing at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. He also holds a degree in Film and New Media Studies from the Institute of Audiovisual Arts at Jagiellonian University in Cracow (2019). Currently, he is developing the screenplays for his debut feature films.
THE LAND OF SLUMBER
STUDENT FICTION / FRANCE, BULGARIA / 2025
/ 26’00’’
Ivan, a railroader in a train without passengers, crosses a sleepy land. His solitary life changes when he meets Lyudmila, a sleepwalker who waits tirelessly for her son’s return.
Director: Jules Vésigot-Wahl
Writer: Jules Vésigot-Wahl
Cinematography: Lucie de Castro Zaleski
Composer: Jules Vésigot-Wahl
Editor: Maude Vuillez
Producer: Lorra Videv, Youssef Amar
Cast: Nikola Parashkevov, Anna Bankina
JULES VÉSIGOT-WAHL grew up in Saint-Malo, Bretagne (France). After graduating from university with a degree in cinema, he joined the directing department at National Film School La Fémis. He has directed the short films A POEM FROM THE CATACOMBS (2023), THE DEADLESS ISLAND (2024) and THE LAND OF SLUMBER (2025), which premiered in Cannes Cinef selection. His works often revolve around collective memory and forms of contemporary loneliness.
THE RABBIT IS DEAD
STUDENT FICTION / BULGARIA, NORTH MACEDONIA / 2025 / 20’00’’
In this witty and satirical portrait, Eva, a young director, tries to develop her first film project while navigating her personal life - all narrated by the fictional character from her film.
Director: Hanis Bagashov
Writer: Hanis Bagashov
Cinematography: Kosara Ivanova
Editor: Kasiyana Angelova
Producer: NATFA
Cast: Sara Klimoska, Felix Maritaud, Hristo Yordanov, Alexander Stanishev
HANIS BAGASHOV (born in 1999 in North Macedonia) graduated in film directing from NATFA - Sofia. He is a two-time participant of Berlinale Talents, as well as Sarajevo Talents and the IDFA Academy. His photographic work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art – Skopje. As an actor, he appears in WHEN THE DAY HAD NO NAME (by Teona Strugar Mitevska), SISTERHOOD (by Dina Duma), and WHEN THEY BLOOM (by Gvozden Ilić). He is a programmer of the student competition at the Manaki Brothers ICFF.
TOPSPIN
STUDENT FICTION / USA / 2026 / 15’00’’
Max is a passionate and talented table tennis player, but his mom disapproves of his dreams and insists he focuses on school and helping with the family business. When Max secretly steals money to pursue his table tennis ambitions, tensions between them erupt. As Max prepares for the biggest match of his life, he learns that there’s winning in more than just the sport.
Director: Michael Zhang
Writer: Corey Sabhlok
Cinematography: Allie Leichter
Animation: Austin Yi, Milo Gasset
Composer: Chiu Pok
Editor: Brandon Dinh
Producer: Kaylie Hall
Cast: Edwin Zha, Ellis Meng, Chia Wu
MICHAEL ZHANG graduated as a Film Production Director at Dodge College Film and Media Arts in Orange County, California. Growing up in Shanghai as an Asian American shaped his global perspective and fueled his passion for storytelling. Recognizing the untold stories of his community, he aspires to share these diverse narratives on a global scale.
TRANCE
STUDENT FICTION / GERMANY / 2026 / 22’07’’
Yasmin is a paramedic caring for her sick mother and nine-year-old sister Ayla while struggling with financial pressure. When a colleague is unavailable, she takes on an extra 24-hour shift. As exhaustion takes over, Yasmin begins making mistakes she normally wouldn’t. Forced to bring Ayla with her in the ambulance, she responds to a critical emergency but loses control of the vehicle. Suddenly, Yasmin faces an emergency of her own.
Director: Jona Schloßer
Writer: Amar Mehmedivoc
Cinematography: Jona Riese
Composer: Hannes Ohde
Editor: Katharina Jung
Producer: Hanna Martensen, Sophia Beatrice
Cast: Anna Bardavelidze, Philip Günsch
JONA SCHLOSSER is a filmmaker with a distinct narrative voice and visual sensibility. At 16, he directed the feature documentary MY BIG JOURNEY (2018). He later worked on film and series productions, including with Dominik Graf. His early shorts screened internationally and won multiple German Youth Film Awards. Since 2021, he has been studying directing at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.
WHERE THE WATER USED TO BE
STUDENT FICTION / SERBIA / 2025 / 19’57’’
In a house in the woods, an old couple lives quietly. The roof leaks. The man straightens old nails. The woman makes pie. One night, the power goes out. In the strange silence, a young man walks out of the forest. The woman calls him her son. The man is unsure, haunted by things he has seen before. Still, the boy stays. For one night, they are a family again. By morning, the electricity returns, the house hums back to life, and the boy is gone.
Director: Vanja Vujin
Writer: Vanja Vujin
Cinematography: Predrag Debić
Editor: Marija Gojačanin
Producer: Vanja Vujin, Predrag Debić
Cast: Natalia Vicei, Zoran Bučevac, Rastko Mićić
VANJA VUJIN is a film director and screenwriter based in Belgrade, currently studying at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. He has directed short fiction, documentary, and experimental films focused on atmosphere, memory, and belonging. His work screened at festivals including Trieste Film Festival, Martovski SFF, and Shorts Miami. He is currently developing his graduate short film WAYS OF GOING HOME.
WILD CHERRY
STUDENT FICTION / GREECE / 2025 / 18’00’’
A young boy, living in rural Greece with his father, has to confront the violent familial tradition on his birthday, the slaughter of a goat. The ritual is unavoidable for the boy in order to become a man, even if his ideals diverge from those of his father’s. Following constant pressure, he runs away and after meeting a mysterious presence he must make a difficult decision.
Director: Panos Ziogas
Writer: Anastasia Strimtsou
Cinematography: Apostolos Karoulas
Composer: Stelios Ntaras
Editor: Yorgos Chatzigeorgiadis
Producer: Apostolos Karoulas
Cast: Christos Marinos, Giannis Karamfilis, Eva Beriatu
PANOS ZIOGAS is a young, upcoming, Greek director with an interest in the presence of dark undertones in everyday life. He wishes to meld traditional, folk narratives and classical era dramaturgy with the values of contemporary cinematic form. His directorial debut is the short film WILD CHERRY. He is a graduate in Film Directing at the Public School of Advanced Vocational Training (S.A.E.K.) of Thermi, Thessaloniki, Greece.
WILL-O’-THE-WISPS
STUDENT FICTION / CZECH REPUBLIC / 2026
/ 23’42’’
Teens David and Lukáš plan to sell Ritalin to kick off their summer. David’s path veers toward a Christian festival and a fascination with Nikola, a rebellious singer. The hustle turns into a quest for intimacy as he explores a world he once ridiculed. A coming-of-age story about identity set against Christian songs and family trauma, where a lie becomes a bridge to connection. A single day that culminates in a dreamlike escape from reality.
Director: Martin Jeřábek
Writer: Martin Jeřábek
Cinematography: Ludvík Otevřel
Composer: JQPG
Editor: Matěj Podskalský
Producer: FAMU, Ondřej Šejnoha
Cast: Denis Žižka, Josefína Prachařová, Pavel Sčučínský
MARTIN JEŘÁBEK is a student at FAMU in Prague. Originally from Moravia, he balances his own filmmaking with professional work primarily as an Assistant Director on feature film sets. In his creative projects, he focuses on the dramedy genre, frequently collaborating with non-actors to capture authentic, civil, and awkward moments of everyday life.
WISHFUL THINKING
STUDENT FICTION / ESTONIA / 2025 / 12’12’’
After a breakup, Lola casts a spell for the perfect boyfriend. When a man appears at her door, her mother, Kaisa, quickly falls for him. Tensions rise as both women compete for his attention, only for a surprising new rival to join the mix…
GERGANA DYANKOVA is a fourth-year film student at Baltic Film, Media and Arts School in Tallinn, Estonia. She has recently completed her graduation film WISHFUL THINKING and her previous student short film IN HER SHOES (2024) premiered at the Academy award-qualifying In The Palace International Short Film Festival. Gergana is originally from Bulgaria, and before studying filmmaking, her fields of work were youth education, photography and animation. She has a passion for dancing and learning languages.
ANiMAtION STUDeNt
CAPTIVES
STUDENT ANIMATION / FRANCE / 2025 / 06’48’’
This film denounces intensive livestock farming by evoking the imprisonment, sadness and resilience of a cow separated from her calf, in a heavy and poignant atmosphere.
Director: Noémie Polycarpe, Mélodi Baskal, Rose Frappa-Denis, Hugo Barbier, Katia Doze, Lisa Giacobbi, Lisa Sabat
Cinematography: Hugo Barbier, Katia Doze, Lisa Giacobbi, Lisa Sabat
Animation: Mélodi Baskal, Noémie Polycarpe, Rose Frappa-Denis
Composer: Nicolas Cornil
Editor: Noémie Polycarpe, Hugo Barbier
Producer: ENSI
It is a “cow-related” idea from NOÉMIE, our project leader on the over-exploitation of cattle, who brought us together. Although some of us already knew each other, this was not a group of friends but a project team made up of 4 film students and 3 animation students. We shared a common goal, and this production year gradually brought us closer. We discovered many things about each other. What mattered most was conveying a strong message about a little-known issue, aiming to emotionally engage the audience.
DEATH’S PEAK
STUDENT
ANIMATION / UK / 2025 / 09’07’’
Desperate for connection, David digs up his brother’s corpse. With their trusty red wagon, they ascend a treacherous mountain in pursuit of their childhood dream.
Director: Willy Fair
Writer: Tracey Murray
Cinematography: Jonathon Le Grice
Animation: Willy Fair, Kat Mullan, Niamh McArdle
Composer: Charlie Seaborn
Editor: Clare Maleeny
Producer: Louis Jousselme
Cast: Simon Pavelich
WILLY FAIR is an animation director from Vail Colorado. His passion for animation has taken him all over the world. He currently resides between Los Angeles and London. Before Directing he worked as an animator and Fabricators for clients including Disney, Nickelodeon, Netflix. In 2017 he received a degree in animation at MICA and is an NFTS directing animation graduate.
EYE JAM
STUDENT ANIMATION / UK / 2025
/ 02’05’’
A lonely creature’s desperate struggle for connection in a desolate world, no matter the cost. 3 minutes of animated chaos…in space…with strawberries.
Director: Julia Jolliffe
Writer: Julia Jolliffe
Cinematography: Julia Jolliffe
Animation: Julia Jolliffe
Composer: Talie Metcalfe Wood
Editor: Julia Jolliffe
Producer: Julia Jolliffe
JULIA JOLLIFFE is a London-based filmmaker whose work is populated with vibrant colours, surreal worlds, and messy characters. Julia graduated from the Royal College of Art with a masters in animation in 2025.
FOUR WALLS OF MEMORY
STUDENT ANIMATION / POLAND / 2025
/ 11’46’’
A story about a girl who wanted to escape her own fear, but accidentally traps herself together with it in a small cabin in the woods. Locked inside four walls, with no way out, she has to deal with hunger, cold and the fear of something that once wanted to hurt her...but now lies dead beside her.
Director: Joanna Płatek
Writer: Joanna Płatek
Cinematography: Joanna Płatek
Animation: Joanna Płatek
Composer: Kacper Krupa
Editor: Joanna Płatek
Producer: Joanna Płatek
JOANNA PŁATEK was born in 2001 in Poznań. In 2021, she graduated from the High School of Fine Arts in Poznań, after which she began studying animation at the University of Arts in Poznań. In particular, she is interested in the technique of animating sand under a camera and traditional drawing on paper.
FRUCTUS FLIEGUS
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ GERMANY / 2025 / 04’58’’
When a fruit fly flies into her eye, she asks her roommate for help removing it. But the search for the tiny intruder quickly spirals into a nightmarish journey through her own brain.
Director: Emilia Zieser
Writer: Emilia Zieser
Cinematography: Emilia Zieser
Animation: Emilia Zieser
Composer: Mischa Kissin
Editor: Emilia Zieser
Producer: Emilia Zieser
Cast: Viktoria Schreiber
EMILIA ZIESER studied animation at Film University Babelsberg, where she began working on series formats, music videos and animations for short and feature films. In 2024, she co-founded Studio Fazi, a Berlin-based animation studio specializing in adult animation and innovative formats.
GENTLY
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ CZECH REPUBLIC / 2026 / 08’49’’
A seemingly ordinary childhood seen through the eyes of a little boy. Hand-drawn charcoal animation and intense sound design reveal the fear of home that forces the boy to be constantly on alert and ready to flee. The film conveys the child‘s bodily experience on screen, drawing inspiration from the real childhood memories of four adults.
Director: Jamaica Kindlová
Writer: Jamaica Kindlová
Cinematography: Filip Kovář
Animation: Jamaica Kindlová
Composer: Jan Strnad
Editor: Jamaica Kindlová
Producer: Tereza Havlová, BATCH Film s.r.o.
JAMAICA KINDLOVÁ is an animator and director, who focuses on documentary themes. Besides film, she is interested in illustration and puppet theater. TOUCHING DARKNESS, a sand-animation film she created at FAMU, has been selected for many film festivals and won several awards including the Pavel Koutecký Award for best short documentary.
GONE WRONG
STUDENT АNIMATION / FRANCE / 2025 / 06’27’’
During a live stream, Mei, a young influencer, sees her routine turned upside down when a strange visitor forces his way into her apartment. This intrusion quickly transforms into a desperate fight for survival in the corridors of a building where indifference and loneliness reign. Between passive neighbors and malicious viewers, who will save her?
Director:
Anne-Linh Jérôme, Ambre Butel, Roman Saunier, Maxime Arnould, Juliette Houël, Adrian Villeda, Alisson Colombe, Ylan Dinguidar
Animation: Anne-Linh Jérôme, Ambre Butel, Roman Saunier, Maxime Arnould, Juliette Houël, Adrian Villeda, Alisson Colombe, Ylan Dinguidar
Composer: Julien Souvignet (Fille de Minuit)
Producer: ESMA
Group of students from the French school ESMA.
HAND
STUDENT ANIMATION / JAPAN / 2025 / 05’03’’
Most people will encounter their second „weaning“ in life. We often take for granted that the relationships between people are unbreakable. But when we lose connection with the outside world, how do we face ourselves? How do we find meaning in solitude? Perhaps that is not only a journey of loneliness but also an exploration of belonging.
Director: Jing Wang
Writer: Jing Wang
Cinematography: Jing Wang
Animation: Jing Wang, Jingjing Zheng, Zexun Huang
Composer: Riku Horimoto
Editor: Jing Wang
Producer: Jing Wang
JING WANG (2000) graduated from Communication University of Zhejiang and received her Bachelor‘s Degree in Animation in 2022, then pursued a Master‘s degree in Imaging Arts and Sciences at Musashino Art University’s College of Creative Thinking for Social Innovation. Now working as a freelance artist, focusing on animation, illustration and video art.
HORDE
STUDENT ANIMATION / POLAND / 2025 / 07’23’’
A crowd of people under the influence of the alluring rhythm feels a sudden urge to come to a mysterious tower that’s standing in the middle of nowhere. Inside they are not able to stop moving, jumping or dancing. Unaware, they are performing a ritual arranged by a creature spinning on the top of the tower. Through the chaos that ensues walks a disoriented, indifferent, untouched maniac, who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Director: Janina Księska
Writer: Janina Księska
Cinematography: Janina Księska
Animation: Janina Księska
Composer: Jacek Feliks, Dominik Księski
Editor: Janina Księska
Producer: Robert Sowa
JANINA KSIĘSKA (1999) graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków in the Graphics department. She finished a diploma in Animation Film Studio in 2024. She mainly deals with animation, illustration and picturebooks.
HOW TO BUILD A SAND CASTLE
STUDENT ANIMATION / UK / 2025 / 04’20’’
A girl follows a call from the shore into the sea. A castle rises. She is taken in. She returns carrying something unseen, and the shore is no longer quite the same.
Director: Nour Khamis
Animation: Nour Khamis
Composer: Nour Khamis
NOUR KHAMIS is an Ecuadorean-Palestinian artist and animator working across mixed media, blending traditional painting, analogue mark-making, and digital compositing. She studied Illustration at Rhode Island School of Design before pursuing an MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art. She’s one of the founding members of Road Rage Studio, an animation collective of independent animators based in London.
IN TEN MINUTES
STUDENT ANIMATION / CHINA / 2025 / 05’16’’
The little granddaughter lives with her grandmother. Grandma waits for her granddaughter at home after school every day. That day, grandma still cooked the meal, but she couldn‘t wait for her granddaughter to come back. Grandma‘s worries about her granddaughter turned into exaggerated imagination, filling every moment of waiting……
Director: Fu Xiaoyue, Xu Yongwei, Liu Hao
Writer: Fu Xiaoyue
Cinematography: Fu Xiaoyue
Animation: Fu Xiaoyue, Xu Yongwei, Liu Hao
Composer: Yu Yinghao
Editor: Fu Xiaoyue
Producer: Liu Hao
FU XIAOYUE, female, majoring in Beijing Film Academy Animation. He has worked on works such as THE TIME THIEF and LAM TSUEN WISHING TREES. Master two-dimensional animation software TVP, Flash and CSP, drawing software PS and procreate, master post-editing software da Vinci, AE, basic grasp three-dimensional animation software blender.
XU YONGWEI, female, She studied at The High School Affiliated to China Central Academy of Fine Arts and is now an undergraduate majoring in Beijing Film Academy Animation. Master two-dimensional animation software TVP, Flash and CSP, drawing software PS and procreate, basic grasp of post-editing software PR, AE, three-dimensional animation software Blender, Maya, UE.
LIU HAO, female, Study in Beijing Film Academy. Major in Animation Scriptwriter. She has rich experience in performance and creation. Her play BE YOUR OWN LIGHT won the title of Especially Excellent Children‘s Play in the 5th Golden Thrush Children‘s drama Education Achievement Exhibition. Her screenplay WHEN THE STAR MEETS THE SEA and A KIND WOLF were finalists in the screenplay category of the 22nd and 23rd Animation Academy Awards respectively. Her film planning case THE FUTURE OF 1999 won the first prize in the planning category of the 22nd Animation Academy Award. In the school as a member of the film production crew, she is the editor of BFAer official account.
JOURNEY OF THE STARS
STUDENT ANIMATION / SLOVAKIA / 2025 /
08’13’’
Thirteen-year-old Margarétka walks home each night from a lonely train stop, braving a dark road that once frightened her. She finds comfort in a flickering light she imagines as a friendly star, sharing magical moments beneath the sky. When new streetlights hide the stars, she feels loss and anger. A repairman helps her see beauty from a new perspective, showing that light can unite rather than divide her world.
Director: Klaudia Grancová
Writer: Klaudia Grancová
Cinematography: Klaudia Koleková
Animation: Klaudia Grancová
Composer: Adam Štefunko
Editor: Adam Zvolenský, Klaudia Grancová, Samuel Stanek
Producer: Academy of Performing Arts - Film & TV Faculty, Bratislava
KLAUDIA is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in stop-motion puppet animation, graphic design, and illustration. She finds joy in a creative process where imagination, vision, and craftsmanship come together. She experiments with materials, transforming everyday objects into unique elements. Her work reflects a love for variety, curiosity, and the harmony of details forming a cohesive whole.
LES VIEUX
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ FRANCE / 2025 / 06’09’’
A brief interlude of life, where the end gently unfolds beneath laughter and warmth. This film portrays a group of elderly individuals leisurely basking in the sunlight along the Côte d’Azur.
Director: Axelle Fuset, Boris Boidron, Fanny Ghesquiere, Lucile Brunet, Jérémy La, Lauren Félines, Maëlys Guillemoteau, Manuel Mabayog
Writer: Axelle Fuset, Boris Boidron, Fanny Ghesquiere
Animation: Axelle Fuset, Boris Boidron, Fanny Ghesquiere
Composer: Jérémie Esperet
Editor: Boris Boidron, Fanny Ghesquiere
Producer: ENSI
Cast: Manuel Mabayog, Maëlys Guillemoteau
The group formed around one student with a weird idea: AXELLE FUSET. Each bringing its own imagination, tastes and silly whims, every member wanted to join this wicked but touching project. They are all students from Ecole des Nouvelles Images, based in Avignon, in the south of France.
ME AND YOU AND SMOKE
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ UK / 2025 / 07’45’’
On his way home from school, a 12-year-old boy works up the courage to ask his neighbour, a girl he secretly admires, if she would spend time with him. His head is filled with vivid fantasies about their time together, but as he settles in his bed, ready to wander off into his daydreams, a firefighter bursts in through his window and rushes out the door. Something is happening outside.
Director: Rachel Shiloach
Writer: Rachel Shiloach
Cinematography: Antonia Schäfer
Animation: Oliver Mottram, Yuwei Jiang, Jasmine Dempsey, Andrea Tagliarini, Emrys Laiman, Dhananjay Baranjule, Szymon Brygidyn, Alison Loke Mern Nyee, Tommy Howlett, Joseph Lamerton, Peyi Johnson
Composer: Diogo Chaves
Editor: Bettina Zironi
Producer: Michal Wasilewski
Cast: Uriah Sam Cohen
RACHEL is a visual artist and animation director. Her artistic research focuses on expressive movement and its use as a storytelling device. She studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where she worked in printmaking, video and choreography. She recently graduated from the National Film and Television School with an MA in Directing Animation. Her films tell multilayered stories in a sincere way with a touch of improvisation, imagination, and humour.
MOTHER CLAY
STUDENT ANIMATION / USA / 2025 / 05’53’’
A lowly temple servant in a clay-bound world makes a shocking discovery that hurls their devout society into chaos.
Director: Armin Rangani, Raha Amirfazli
Writer: Armin Rangani, Raha Amirfazli
Animation: Armin Rangani
Editor: Armin Rangani, Raha Amirfazli
Producer: Armin Rangani
ARMIN RANGANI is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker based in New York. His work spans painting, sculpture, animation, and art direction. His animated short MOTHER CLAY had its international premiere at the 2025 Annecy Animation Film Festival. He is a recipient of the 2026 Annecy Animation Festival Residency and was an artist-in-residence at Yaddo in 2025.
RAHA AMIRFAZLI is an Iranian filmmaker pursuing her MFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her feature debut IN THE LAND OF BROTHERS premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, earning her the Best Directing Award in the World Dramatic Competition. In recognition of her work, Raha was named the U.S. Recipient of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Gold Fellowship for Women in 2024.
MOVING MOUNTAINS
STUDENT ANIMATION / GERMANY / 2024 / 05’55’’
Moving Mountains depicts a surrealistic world inhabited by tiny people who traverse a vast waterscape and attempt to move mountainous islands constantly. Inspired by modern nomadic lifestyles and the accompanying ideological decadence, the film explores the relationship between will and reluctance, and the question of where individual motivation comes from.
Director: Jessica Poon
Writer: Jessica Poon
Animation: Jessica Poon
Composer: Hui-cheng Chung, Lan-ting Hsu
Editor: Jessica Poon
Producer Jessica Poon
JESSICA POON is an animator, musician and mixed media artist from Hong Kong. She graduated from CalArts’ Character Animation in 2014 and finished her Postgraduate studies at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne in 2021. She is currently living and working in Cologne, Germany.
ON SAINT NICHOLAS’ EVE
STUDENT ANIMATION / ROMANIA / 2025 / 11’00’’
After seeing a man lying in the snow, a boy recalls a Saint Nicholas night spent with his father years before. Playing with his father takes an unexpected turn, while his dream toy leaves a bitter aftertaste.
Director: Emy-Mirel Ivașcă
Writer: Emy-Mirel Ivașcă
Animation: Emy-Mirel Ivașcă
Editor: Emy-Mirel Ivașcă
Producer: Emy-Mirel Ivașcă
EMY-MIREL IVAȘCĂ
(1994) is a Romanian animator and film director, he graduated Film School at Hyperion University from Bucharest (2018 - 2021) and he has a master’s degree in animation at National University of Theatre and Film I.L. Caragiale from Bucharest (2023 - 2025).
RAINDROPS
STUDENT ANIMATION / BULGARIA / 2026
/ 03’40’’
Two water droplets – a boy and a girl – set out on a journey across the world, shifting through different states of matter. When a lightning strike shatters the boy into scattered fragments, the girl searches desperately to restore him. With the aid of a weeping willow that gathers his dispersed essence, they reunite, merge, and sink into the earth, where a white lily blooms in their place.
Director: Filip Karaivanov
Writer: Filip Karaivanov
Animation: Filip Karaivanov
Composer: Sava Plukhooii
Editor: Filip Karaivanov
Producer: Filip Velikov
Illustrator: Blagoslava Kirilova
FILIP KARAIVANOV enrolled in the Animation Cinema program in 2019. Disregarding his passion for creative media, he initially studied at the Technical University of Sofia. During the long academic sessions, he would sneak sketchbooks into class and began drawing diligently. Fortunately, his time there was brief and he transferred to animation.
STROKES OF WILDFLOWERS
STUDENT АNIMATION / UK / 2025 / 03’40’’
Stroke survivors share their stories about the mental and physical struggles they face and the importance of community within their recovery.
Director: Livvy Seabrook-Wilkins
Animation: Livvy Seabrook-Wilkins
Composer: Marcus Rice
Editor: Livvy Seabrook-Wilkins
LIVVY SEABROOK-WILKINS is a filmmaker who specialises in animated documentaries and traditional 2D animation techniques. Her films cover difficult topics such as Stroke Recovery, Postnatal Depression, and Dementia. Through her films, she aims to give people a platform to share their stories and experiences, especially those who may not have the means to do so otherwise. Educating audiences on stigmatised topics and bringing awareness to certain situations.
TAUT
STUDENT ANIMATION / GERMANY / 2026 /
05’39’’
Stringo is ripped from his peaceful home by a terrifying beast. He survives the battle, but it leaves him too altered to be accepted by his own kind.
Ukrainian-American animation director and illustrator from Berlin. After finishing a BA in Visual Communications, he studied at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Participated in a number of award-winning animation productions.
THE LAST GAMMON
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ UK / 2025 / 09’28’’
Dave is on a mission to find the very last gammon in London for his bird‘s breakfast, when the impending apocalypse suddenly interrupts his plans. When tragedy strikes and Dave loses a loved one, he finally comes to his senses and jumps into action, in an attempt to rescue the planet and save its inhabitants from the end.
Director: Elmaz Ekrem Littlewood
Writer: Angus Blair, Elmaz Ekrem Littlewood
Cinematography: Christopher Hudson
Animation: Elmaz Ekrem Littlewood
Composer: Charlie Penn
Editor: Tanya Singh
Producer: Luiza Amelio de Carvalho
Cast: Ray Burdis, Paul Pariser
ELMAZ is an award winning animator and filmmaker hailing from North London. Combining her background in animated documentary, a healthy silly streak, and her care for the big topics like the upcoming human extinction at the hands of climate collapse, her animated short films have a frenetic and satirical comedic energy that creates narratives with powerful social messages that are both entertaining and impactful.
THE NEST
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ FRANCE / 2025 / 07’12’’
A shy young luthier, Aurore returns to work in the family’s prestigious workshop. As she reunites with her beloved mother, she uncovers a monstrous family secret. What seemed like a safe haven may in fact be the most insidious of traps. Will she find the strength to break free from her mother’s nest?
Director: Aurélien Coquery, Léa Kermanach, Soline Mauguin, Abel Tixador, Jean Baounon, Romane Selter-Fiette
Writer: Aurélien Coquery
Animation: Léa Kermanach, Romane Selter-Fiette
Composer: Aurélien Coquery
Editor: Aurélien Coquery
Producer: Philippe Meis
Cast: Marcha Von Boven, Sofia Abouatmane
AURÉLIEN
COQUERY, LÉA KERMANACH, SOLINE MAUGUIN, ABEL TIXADOR, JEAN BAOUNON AND ROMANE SELTER-FIETTE have graduated from the Supinfocom Rubika school (Valenciennes, France) with a Master in digital director. In 2025, they co-directed the short film THE NEST.
THE PEEL
STUDENT
ANIMATION / TAIWAN, PORTUGAL, BELGIUM, FINLAND / 2025 / 06’20’’
After a flat tire leaves her stranded in the woods, a woman revisits haunting memories of her self-destructive tendencies. As she peels the skin from her fingers, each strip draws her deeper into the past, urging her to step closer to the hidden child within herself.
Director: NanTung Lin
Writer: NanTung Lin
Cinematography: NanTung Lin
Animation: NanTung Lin, Feno Dias
Composer: João Dias Ferreira
Editor: NanTung Lin
Producer: NanTung Lin
NANTUNG LIN is a visual artist with a particular passion for handcrafted frame-by-frame animation. Her works often focus on complex human emotions, embodied feelings into visual art.
THE PIANO
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ USA / 2025 / 08’00’’
One night, a young girl discovers her father bent over the keys at the piano, sparking a lifelong bond that resonates far beyond their final note.
Director: Avery Kroll
Writer: Avery Kroll
Composer: Ryan O‘ Neal
Editor: Hunter Dixon
Producer: Kristen Breshears
AVERY KROLL is a 25-year-old storyteller from Nashville, Tennessee, with a passion for animation and meaningful narratives. She earned a BFA in Character Animation from Southern Adventist University and has received an MFA in Film and Animation from Lipscomb University in May 2025. Inspired by the animated films of her childhood, Avery strives to craft stories that entertain while sparking thought and emotion. THE PIANO is her debut festival short.
THE UNDYING PAIN OF EXISTENCE
STUDENT
ANIMATION / GERMANY / 2025 / 05’20’’
A nude model is posing with statuesque stillness for an elite drawing class – until an unfortunate mosquito bite challenges his self-control. Driven to madness by the itch, he’s caught between the ruthless demand for perfection and his most unhinged, animalistic impulses.
Director: Oscar Jacobson
Writer: Oscar Jacobson
Animation: Ilya Barrett, Louis Hartmann, Oscar Jacobson, Leo Neumann, Yerkezhan Sabitbekova, Melanie Schnaidt, Gregor Wittich, Sofija Zivkovic, Benjamin Wahl
Composer: Clemens Gutjahr
Editor: Revan Sarikaya
Producer: Franz Rügamer
Cast: Oscar Jacobson, Theresa Dobersberger
Born in Sweden and brought up in Switzerland, OSCAR JACOBSON was drawn to artistic creation at an early age. Many of his formative years he spent thinking up different characters and worlds. After training as a graphic designer at an advertising agency, he studied Animation at the Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, where he graduated in 2024.
THE WHALE ISLAND
STUDENT ANIMATION / CHINA / 2025 / 08’39’’
An old woman lived on a whale island, loving her land and living in harmony with nature. But an unexpected event struck: countless pieces of trash rained down from the sky, plunging the whale island into peril. In the face of this crisis, a whale sacrificed itself to save the world. However, the whale island was merely a phantom of a polluted reality. Ultimately, the whale‘s sacrifice brought a glimmer of life and hope to the real world.
Director: Chen Yan, Feng Tianming, Cao Yici, Jin Yechu
Writer: Chen Yan
Cinematography: Chen Yan, Cao Yici
Animation: Chen Yan, Feng Tianming, Cao Yici, Jin Yechu
Composer: Chen Zhipeng
Editor: Chen Yan, Cao Yici
Producer: Feng Tianming, Chen Yan
CHEN YAN, FENG TIANMING, CAO YICI, and JIN YECHU are thirdyear undergraduate students from the ADA Experimental Class at the School of Animation, Beijing Film Academy. Working collaboratively across directing, visual development, and animation production, the four filmmakers share a strong interest in poetic storytelling and socially conscious themes. Their creative practice explores the relationship between humans, memory, nature, and contemporary environmental issues through imaginative visual language and emotionally driven narratives. Influenced by both traditional animation aesthetics and emerging digital techniques, they seek to create animated works that balance artistic expression with emotional resonance. As young filmmakers, they are particularly interested in using animation as a medium for reflection and empathy, transforming everyday emotions and global concerns into symbolic and visually immersive cinematic experiences. This film represents one of their collaborative works developed during their studies at Beijing Film Academy.
THERE IS NO JUNGLE
STUDENT ANIMATION / POLAND / 2025 /
11’05’’
In the grey, rainy city lives a monkey, trapped in the hell of procrastination. Every attempt at creative work ends in an escape into his own imagination, into a world full of colours and adventures, and every return to reality is increasingly overwhelming and grey. The monkey must face itself in order to find a space to live between worlds.
Director: Marcjanna Urbańska
Writer: Marcjanna Urbańska
Animation: Marcjanna Urbańska, Olga Kłyszewicz, Magdalena Basińska, Marta Michalik
Composer: Adam Krzyżanowski
Editor: Filip Amadeusz Kowalski
Producer: FUMI Studio
MARCJANNA URBAŃSKA is an animated film director, book illustrator, and author of music covers and posters. In her work, the artist explores various emotional states and the mechanisms associated with them, balancing on the border between dream and reality. She works as an animator on various projects. She is a graduate of Animation and Special Effects at the Łódź Film School. She is passionate about comics and fantasy literature, which is reflected in her work.
TOWER
STUDENT ANIMATION / JAPAN / 2025 / 05’05’’
This work examines binge-eating livestreams in contemporary internet culture through the metaphor of a tower rising from the desert, symbolizing exploitative online corporations. The protagonist, a man in poverty and constant hunger, is guided by a bird representing his inner self. As profits grow, he falls into a cycle of excessive consumption and self-destruction. The bird’s death marks the loss of his final rationality, and he realizes he has destroyed his only escape while the system continues exploiting others.
Director: Siqi Wei
Writer: Siqi Wei
Cinematography: Siqi Wei
Animation: Siqi Wei
Composer: Heyu Huang
Editor: Siqi Wei
Producer: Siqi Wei
SIQI WEI began her animation journey with undergraduate studies in China, where she developed a foundation in narrative, character design, and visual storytelling. She later completed a Master’s degree in Animation in Japan and is currently pursuing a PhD there. The director’s work explores the balance between artistic expression and realism, addressing social and cultural issues through visual metaphor, symbolic transformation, and character deformation. Siqi Wei views animation as a universal language and hopes her work resonates with audiences.
WARP AND WEFT
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ UK / 2025 / 03’46’’
WARP AND WEFT is an animated documentary short about traditional textile crafts. A love letter to the act of hand-making, traditional craft practices, and the people who love them. Stemming from the fear of these artforms slipping away in a society that no longer values the human labour behind them.
Director: Isolda Milenkovic
Cinematography: Isolda Milenkovic
Animation: Isolda Milenkovic
Composer: Johanna Burnheart
Editor: Isolda Milenkovic
Producer: Isolda Milenkovic
ISOLDA MILENKOVIC is a filmmaker and animator based in London. Focusing primarily on experimental animation techniques, her work often explores new and innovative ways to incorporate non-traditional materials into animation and filmmaking.
WHEN OCEAN RISES
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ GERMANY / 2025 / 06’16’’
A polar bear and a penguin, who have lost their home and are looking for a new place to live, meet on the island where the dog lives. They all want the house for themselves until the ocean begins to rise and the island slowly sinks into the sea...
Director: Yongxin Wang
Writer: Yongxin Wang
Cinematography: Yongxin Wang
Animation: Yongxin Wang
Composer: Renyou Zheng
Editor: Yongxin Wang
Producer: Yongxin Wang
Cast: Yongxin Wang
Born in China in 1993, YONGXIN WANG developed an early interest in cartoons and illustrated storybooks, which led to a self-directed exploration of animation. After discovering digital drawing through Paint on his first computer and learning Flash animation with the guidance of an art teacher, the director continued to pursue his passion for animation. In 2015, Yongxin Wang moved to Germany to study animation at Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, completing a Bachelor’s degree before continuing with a Master’s degree in Animation Directing from 2020 to 2024.
WISH YOU WERE EAR
STUDENT ANIMATION / HUNGARY / 2025 / 10’14’’
In a world where ex-lovers must swap a body part after breaking up, a fragmented protagonist recognizes their former ear on a stranger. The encounter sparks a journey of self-acceptance - a reflection on how relationships reshape us, inside and out.
MIRJANA BALOGH is a Hungarian animation director, illustrator, and graphic designer. Her work blends abstraction and reality, often inspired by machine aesthetics. She co-organizes the Ukmukfukk Zine Festival for self-published magazines. Her graduation film WISH YOU WERE EAR premiered at the 2025 Berlinale, winning the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film.
WOLFIE
STUDENT ANIMATION
/ CZECH REPUBLIC / 2025 / 12’00’’
Mother spends her days drawing animals that spring to life, each framed picture growing into a forest. But one day she creates Wolfie, a wolf with an inky nose who makes a mess of her perfect world. Can she restore balance, or will Wolfie’s “flaw” turn out to be a surprising gift?
Director: Philippe Kastner
Writer: Philippe Kastner
Animation: Philippe Kastner
Composer: Philippe Kastner
Editor: Prokop Prčík
Producer: FAMU
Cast: Adéla Majzlíková, Patrick Biela
PHILIPPE KASTNER, a graduate of the Department of Animation at FAMU, is best known in the world of student animation for his short film DEDE IS DEAD (2023) that has been screened at Berlinale and many other prestigious film festivals. Apart from that, he has directed multiple other short films such as THE TOWER (2021) as well as a music video for his song WOLFEATER (2021).
WON’T BE HERE
STUDENT ANIMATION / CHINA / 2025 / 16’43’’
The segmented-animation observes the lives of three different characters from the narrator‘s point of view, and ends with her disappearance. It was the disappearance that triggered these three men to review their lives and make changes. Taking a person’s sudden disappearance as the creative starting point, the work extends from this premise to envision the lives of three individuals connected to her after she vanishes. It depicts these three figures across different temporal dimensions, revealing their lingering emotional threads to the missing person. The visuals and audio respectively shoulder the narrative dimensions of “reality” and “memory”, constructing a disjointed and overlapping temporal structure - a dislocated interweaving of presence and absence.
Director: Tan Jial,i Zhu Haoyuan
Writer: Tan Jiali, Zhu Haoyuan, Cao Lan, Wei Mingzhi
Composer: Tan Jiali
Editor: Zhu Haoyuan
Producer: Cao Lan
TAN JIALI and ZHU HAOYUAN are Chinese animation directors and emerging filmmakers. They gained recognition with their graduation film WON’T BE HERE, an animated short that was awarded the inaugural XPPen Award for Graduation Films at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Their work reflects a new generation of Chinese animation creators, exploring personal expression and contemporary themes through visual storytelling.
走 (ZOU)
STUDENT
ANIMATION / UK / 2025 / 03’31’’
A journey through the pages of an old Chinese-English dictionary. Combining ink drawings on paper with direct animation on 35mm film, various definitions of the Chinese character for ‘walk’ take on meanings in turn literal, historical, personal and abstract. An experimental animated short about language, meaning and moving through the world (one drawing at a time).
Director: Hannah Wu
Writer: Hannah Wu
Animation: Hannah Wu
Composer: Bruno Van Dycke
Cast: Wu Gang, Stephanie Guz, Hannah Wu
HANNAH WU is an artist and animator from London. Her work seeks to expand animation’s cross-cultural possibilities, exploring ideas around language and identity through tactile analogue processes. She graduated from the Royal College of Art with an MA in Animation in 2025. In March 2026, she was awarded an artist residency at MuseumsQuartier, Vienna.
STUDeNt DOCUMENTARY
A WHISPER I HEAR
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / MONTENEGRO / 2025
/ 13’09’’
Slavka lives in a house beneath the hill. During winter, her mother Miluša stays with her. Slavka cares for her, cooks, dresses her, and helps her through the days. She copes with insomnia by staying busy with housework and small daily tasks, giving it space to live. When she sits, silence bothers her. In her late husband’s workshop, among dust-covered machines, coal, and firewood, she sometimes starts a machine just to hear its sound. She cuts wood into small pieces. At night, she lies down, but soon another morning comes, another endless day.
Director: Aleksa Bujišić
Writer: Aleksa Bujišić
Cinematography: Aleksa Bujišić
Editor: Aleksa Bujišić
Producer: Aleksa Bujišić, Milan Radulović
Cast: Slavka Bujišić, Miluša Ostojić
Born in Pljevlja, Montenegro, in 2001. He graduated from the Film and Media programme at the University of Donja Gorica. In 2022, through Erasmus+, he studied at the University of West Attica in Athens. He is finishing his MA in Film and TV Directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Cetinje, with part of his studies completed at VŠMU in Bratislava. He has made five short films screened at regional and international festivals, and is an alumnus of several talent programmes.
ALIEN RIDER
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / ESTONIA / 2025 / 09’01’’
A short documentary film that takes the viewers on a thought-provoking journey into the daily life of a food delivery rider, in Estonian harsh winter. The observational approach with its focus on visual composition emphasizes minor details, allowing us to observe a society that has turned its back on the most vulnerable. The film portrays the rider’s struggle without excessive words or narration, capturing perfectly the isolation and uncertainty of their everyday lives.
Director: Jacopo Domenichini
Writer: Jacopo Domenichini
Cinematography: Jacopo Domenichini
Editor: Jacopo Domenichini
Producer: Jacopo Domenichini
Cast: Adeel Haider, Haseeb Mubashir
JACOPO DOMENICHINI is Italian documentary film director and cinematographer currently based in Estonia. He is pursuing a MA in Documentary Film at Tallinn University and holds a BA in Communication Design from Politecnico di Milano. He believes documentaries to be one of the most powerful forms of media, capable of fostering empathy, an emotion that can inspire change. His work aims not to provide answers, but to raise questions that provoke deeper reflection and respond to the complex challenges of our time.
BEYOND THE CONFLICT
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / INDIA / 2025
/ 16’31’’
Mumbai has experienced intermittent episodes of human-leopard conflict over several decades. The Rescue team of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) go above and beyond to mitigate this conflict where the leopards are voiceless victims. This film unravels the story of interwoven lives of the leopards and people that care for them at the SGNP Rescue Centre. This is an unseen story that showcases the themes of dedication, compassion and tragedy that exist beyond the obvious conflict.
ATHARVA RAUT is a wildlife and documentary filmmaker based between Mumbai, India and Bristol, UK, with a passion for stories that combine art, science, and conservation. He holds a Master’s in Wildlife Filmmaking from UWE Bristol, in partnership with BBC NHU, and has developed strong skills in long-lens, macro, camera traps, and documentary storytelling. A trained naturalist, Atharva has worked across diverse habitats in India, capturing wildlife and natural history stories while contributing to conservation projects, including human-leopard conflict mitigation and citizen science initiatives. His work brings together creativity, technical expertise, and a deep connection to the natural world.
BUTTERFLY
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / MONTENEGRO / 2026 / 27’40’’
BUTTERFLY was created in collaboration with the residents of the “Mladost” Children’s Home in Bijela, where no child has continued their education after leaving. Through the filmmaking process, 15 children learned about acting and film, but their real-life stories overpowered the script. The film becomes an honest encounter with reality, where a lesson in cinema grows into a lesson in life - love as the only means of resistance.
Director: Sara Stijović
Writer: Sara Stijović
Cinematography: Nemanja Dabanović
Editor: Will Domingos
Producer: Sara Stijović
Cast: 15 Residents of the Public Institution Home for Children Without Parental Care “Mladost”, Pavle Prelević, Petar Begović
SARA STIJOVIĆ (1997, Podgorica) is a Montenegrin film director with an MA from KinoEyes - European Film Masters and a BA from FDA Cetinje. She was the first Montenegrin selected for La Fabrique Cinéma (Cannes ’73) and is a Royal Dutch Foundation awardee, Sarajevo Talents alumna, Al Jazeera Ambassador, CIRCLE Women Accelerator alumna and Slano Film Days 2026 Talent. She is currently developing her debut feature documentary THE 13th FISH (BDC Discoveries 2025, DokLeipzig Award). Her earlier films screened at BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying festivals.
ECHO
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / SERBIA / 2025 / 14’07’’
After forty years, Milutin and Mica returned to the school where they began their teaching careers. The dilapidated walls and dim shadows inside the school awakened memories of pupils from the distant past, as well as a way of education that seemed to have disappeared forever.
Director: Dan Grabnar
Writer: Dan Grabnar
Cinematography: Predrag Debić
Editor: Irina Tatić
Producer: Jelena Ilić, Nevena Stjepanović
DAN GRABNAR, born in Slovenia, continued his academic journey at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He first gained recognition with his documentary film BATROVCI, which follows the lives of truck drivers at the border and premiered at the Bistre Reke Festival. His main interests lie in coming-of-age dramas and exploring the lives of invisible groups through documentary filmmaking.
FROM ECUADOR WITH LOVE
STUDENT
DOCUMENTARY / ECUADOR, GERMANY / 2026 / 09’04’’
The discrepancy between productization and beauty - taking place on an Ecuadorian rose farm. Stepping into the shoes of roses and immersively experiencing the production process, the film takes on a morbid perspective on human‘s way to appropriate nature.
Director: Jonathan Brunner
Writer: Jonathan Brunner
Cinematography: Hanno Mertin
Composer: Kilian Oser
Editor: Anjuna Hartmann
Producer: Diana Molina, Jonathan Brunner
JONATHAN BRUNNER (1996) is a film director. After completing a bachelor’s degree in media design at Mainz University of Applied Sciences, he has been studying directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg since 2020. His films have been honored at festivals such as DOK Leipzig, Dok.fest Munich, and with the CIVIS Media Prize, and have been screened internationally at various film festivals. He also teaches workshops in documentary filmmaking.
HOW TO LISTEN TO FOUNTAINS
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / SLOVAKIA /
2025 / 10’07’’
This film is about public space. This film is about the destruction of culture. This film is about fountains that have had enough. What would happen if fountains could talk?
Director: Eva Sajanová
Writer: Eva Sajanová
Cinematography: Hugo Činčala
Composer: God and Eve
Editor: Rastislav M. Fabian
Producer: Anna Mária Zimová
Cast: Silvia Sviteková
EVA SAJANOVA (2002) is a music composer and documentarist from Slovakia. She writes music for films, dance performances, plays in bands, and listens to the fountains. She studies documentary film directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and deals with the creative treatment of actuality through sound.
JEHONË
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / ALBANIA / 2026 / 09’00’’
The documentary follows one of the last remaining female iso-polyphonic groups in Albania today. In the rhythm of rehearsals, conversations unfold around womanhood, collectivity, and resistance.
Director: Eva Gkiokrousi
Writer: Anisa Xhomaqi, Enxhi Kllogjiri
Cinematography: Eva Gkiokrousi, Anisa Xhomaqi
Composer: Enxhi Kllogjiri
Editor: Eva Gkiokrousi
Producer: Eva Gkiokrousi, Anisa Xhomaqi
EVA GKIOKROUSI is a filmmaker from Albania and Greece working with poetic audiovisual approaches. She studied History and Philosophy of Science and holds a Master’s in Cultural and Film Studies. As a second-generation immigrant, her work moves through themes of belonging, memory, and displacement.
PRACTICAL ITALIAN GRAMMAR
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY
/ CUBA, COLOMBIA, GERMANY / 2025 / 12’40’’
Miguel and his family are preparing to emigrate from Cuba to Italy where his mother already lives. While they wait, they begin to take the first step in the life of every migrant: learning the language of the country they want to go to.
Director: Daniel Cortés
Writer: Daniel Cortés
Cinematography: Daniel Cortés
Sound Design: Guateque Cine
Editor: Jesús Minchón
Producer: EICTV, Daniel Cortés
Cast: Miguel Pérez, Yanaisa Acosta, Branlis Pérez Acosta
DANIEL CORTÉS has studied Film Studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany, as well as the Master in Theory and Practice of Creative Documentary at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He specialises in cinematography and non-fiction film directing. In his personal work he focuses on themes such as migration and experimentation with the non-fiction film form, while combining his creative work with his work as an independent producer of short and feature-length documentaries.
What memories lie hidden in abandoned houses? Who were the people who once called this place home? All that remains is the echo of their existence: An invisible imprint on the walls, in the dust, in the silence. It is the spirit of the place, floating between decay and oblivion. It murmurs through the faded wedding photograph, drifts through the scattered notes on the desk, and lingers in the wine glass covered in ash. What endures is fertile ground, breathing new life into the space.
Director: Michèle Widmer
Cinematography: Michèle Widmer
Editor: Michèle Widmer
Producer: Michèle Widmer
MICHÈLE WIDMER (born 1999 in Basel) is a Swiss editor and filmmaker with a background in theatre. Her work focuses on socio-political cinema, disability studies, and both documentary and fiction film editing. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Film at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in 2025 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Film Editing at the same institution.
The weight of history becomes light in the hands of children. A group of kids becomes an interviewing team in a Budapest park, a graveyard of enormous old communist statues. Their questions and observations awaken forgotten echoes, and through playful editing, the film captures in this limited space the magnitude of a country’s past and present.
Director: Thais Fernandes
Writer: Thais Fernandes
Cinematography: Thais Fernandes
Editor: Thais Fernandes
Producer: Thais Fernandes (Docnomads)
Cast: Anna Flora Szekeres Borbala Blanka Szekeres Felix Lengyel, Simon Lengyel
THAIS FERNANDES is a documentary filmmaker. Her works include the award-winning short A FEMALE BODY (BFI 2018), the feature PORTUÑOL (48th Gramado Film Festival), and the series AFTER ALL, WHO IS GOD? (Prix Jeunesse 2020). In 2026, she premiered the short STATUES ALSO DIE? (IFFR) while developing the series IT’S (ALMOST) ALL ONLINE (BUT HOLD ON) (EBC/TV Brasil).
STILL SEXY
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / GERMANY / 2025 /
16’01’’
When 70-year-old Maria discovers intimate details about a friend’s sex life, the film accompanies her and her husband on a journey to explore the meaning of sexuality in their relationship and how it changes with age.
Director: Panos Zygouros
Writer: Ina Hout, Moritz Sachau
Cinematography: Vanessa Linden
Composer: Jan Krišs Möhlmann
Editor: Camilo Eimbcke González
Producer: Niklas Brenner
PANOS ZYGOUROS graduated in 2018 from the Drama School of the National Theatre of Greece and has since been involved in numerous theatre and film productions. In 2024, he was nominated in Greece for the award for Best Emerging Actor. In 2024, he co-directed his first play FEET with Mariam Rukhadze and in 2025 they directed his new play BACK TO THE FUTURE. He now studies Film directing in Film University Konrad Wolf Babelsberg and STILL SEXY is his first documentary film.
THE MOST HONEST ACTOR
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY
/ CZECH REPUBLIC / 2025 / 16’25’’
After a traumatic encounter shatters a young director’s relationship with men, she stages a casting call as an experiment—using performance, observation, and dark humour to interrogate masculinity and her proximity to it.
Director: Carson Beale
Cinematography: Florentine Fogh Lassen
Editor: Zeina Mashhour
Producer: Kristýna Cabalková
CARSON BEALE is a 21-year-old director from San Francisco, USA, currently based in London. She studied documentary directing at FAMU (Czech Republic). Her work has been featured at international film festivals and the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
WE USED TO BE FRIENDS
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / GERMANY / 2024
/ 05’47’’
For a long time, they were an integral part of our society, today they live neglected in our cities and are deemed a problem. The pigeon is a relic of the past that still affects us today.
Director: Lena Dandanelle, Carolin Kubut, Lea Majer
Writer: Lea Majer
Cinematography: Lena Dandanelle, Carolin Kubut
Editor: Lena Dandanelle, Carolin Kubut, Lea Majer
Producer: Lena Dandanelle
LENA has been studying film and art in Flensburg since 2022. She creates films exploring environmental and feminist themes. Her work has been screened at several film festivals. Alongside her studies, she enjoys photography and is currently developing her next film project.
Nestled by the Soča River, the village of Anhovo carries a buried legacy. Over 100 years ago, an asbestos cement factory was built, surviving shifts from fascism to socialism to capitalism, and from Italy to Yugoslavia to Slovenia. It brought jobs and hope, but also illness and death. Today, it still emits smoke. The film gives voice to those silenced by progress and asks what remains when the skies finally clear.
Director: Žiga Ciber
Writer: Žiga Ciber
Cinematography: Žiga Ciber
Editor: Žiga Ciber, Gabriela Basek
Producer: National Film School at IADT, Žiga Ciber
Cast: Nadja Velušček, Miloš Kumar, Jasmina Jerant, Anastazija M. Bevčar
ŽIGA CIBER is a Slovenian filmmaker based in Ireland, studying at the National Film School at IADT. In 2021, he interned at the Austrian Film Museum, gaining experience in film restoration and preservation, and contributing to plans for climate control in film storage depots. His first-year film LOSING MY BODY received multiple international awards and screened at BAFTA-qualifying festivals including Bolton and Aesthetica. His second-year film WHITE VEIL premiered at INTERFILM Berlin and screened at Poitiers Film Festival and Zlín Film Festival.
ZRYWKA
STUDENT DOCUMENTARY / POLAND / 2025 / 11’03’’
A harsh, callous environment, a forest covering the mountain slopes and the thunderous crash of falling trees, interrupted only by the heavy breathing of horses. In these conditions, the relationship between humans and animals is put to the test. Where is the line between exploitation and humane treatment? How do we define our place in the natural world? This film certainly does not provide clear answers.
Director: Aram Jesajan
Writer: Aram Jesajan
Cinematography: Aram Jesajan
Editor: Aram Jesajan
Producer: Krystyna Dokotorowicz, Dean of Krzysztof Kieślowski Film
ARAM JESAJAN (born in 1998 in Cieszyn) is a student at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School at the University of Silesia in Katowice. He is studying film and television cinematography and photography. Fascinated by visual art and the possibilities that images offer in storytelling.
SpeCIaL PRoGram
LAZYBONES THE GIANT
ON FOCUS / BULGARIA / 2025 / 15’28’’
An animated short film for everyone, young and old, who wonders what to do when they reach the top of a mountain. Along the way, you’ll meet Grandma Lazylana and learn her recipe for Giant Cookies, get to know the two dwarfs, Trudge and Trot, and discover why our Giant is called Lazybones.
Director: Yassen Grigorov
Writer: Yassen Grigorov
Cinematography: Yassen Grigorov
Animation: Yassen Grigorov
Composer: The Flying agency
Editor: Yassen Grigorov
Producer: Korund-X
YASEN GRIGOROV was born on July 16, 1974 in the town of Sevlievo, Bulgaria. He graduated in Comics and Narrative Arts (Ecole europeenne superieure de l’image, Angoulême, France), Visual Communications and Art Direction (Ecole superieure d’arts appliques, Geneva, Switzerland), Illustration and Book Layout (National Academy of Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria) and specialized in Film and Television Directing with Academician Lyudmil Staykov (NATFIZ, Sofia, Bulgaria). Yasen Grigorov is an awarded director of feature films, has experience in documentary film, television and maintains active creative activities as an illustrator and writer of children’s books, as a director of music, advertising and social clips, as well as animated films.
THE END OF HUMAN RACE | PART ONE
ON FOCUS / AUSTRIA / 2025 / 11’25’’
THE END OF HUMAN RACE is a fast-paced cinematic documentary about the highest art exhibition in the world at 2,675 meters by director Vesely Marek, exploring the tension between humanity and nature, told through the artistic intervention of Alexander Maria Lohmann. It follows the creation and installation of seven large-scale artworks embedded in the permafrost soil beneath the Rettenbach Glacier in Tyrol. Thematically, the documentary spans the arc from human exploitation of the planet to nature’s reclaiming of its space — a visual poem about time, transience, and responsibility.
Director: Vesely Marek
Writer: Vesely Marek, Alexander Maria Lohmann
Cinematography: Vesely Marek, Nicole Frisch
Composer: Ian Locke
Editor: Vesely Marek
Producer: Vesely Marek
VESELY MAREK is a director, created in Kosice, Slovakia, moved to Vienna, Austria, where he discovered his feelings for motion pictures. His focus lies on music videos and narrative work.
THEY
ON FOCUS / BULGARIA / 2026 / 18’12’’
A charismatic young professor begins to struggle at his new job at Sofia University after an awkward encounter with the older chairman of the department threatens to expose a mutual secret.
Director: Kosta Karakashyan
Writer:
Simeon Todorov, Kosta Karakashyan
Cinematography: Ivan Tsutsumanov
Composer: Angel Radev
Editor: Volen Penev
Producer: Noura Al Kadri, Kosta Karakashyan
Cast: Veselin Anchev, Kal Minev
KOSTA KARAKASHYAN is a Bulgarian-Armenian director, choreographer, and writer known for blending emotional intimacy with bold visual storytelling. A Columbia University graduate and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, his work spans narrative film, commercials, and music videos with a focus on queer identity and resilience. Having screened at over 50 festivals worldwide, Kosta is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents and a member of the European Film Academy.
