Which films will be in the running for a fast track to the Oscars?

Which animations are in the running for the 2026 Animator Grand Prix? We reveal the programme for the International Short Film Competition – the festival’s most important competition section.

The winning film will receive the Golden Pegasus and a fast-track to an Oscar nomination. This year’s selection includes films by established filmmakers as well as new talents from the world’s leading animation schools and festivals.

Discover the programme:

SET I | DEPARTURES HALL

Cosmonauts, reż./dir. Leo Černic, Słowenia, Włochy / Slovenia, Italy 2026, 14’ 

On an intergalactic cruise for singles, lonely souls chase a kiss, a caress, or just a glimpse of love among the stars.  

Leo Černic (Čino) is a Slovenian-Italian filmmaker, graduated in Film and Television Directing at AGRFT Ljubljana and Animation at CSC Turin. He has since worked as an independent author, exploring weird, quirky characters and their vulnerabilities, crafting stories that blend humor, emotions, and absurdity. 

Murmuration / Zwermen, reż./dir. Janneke Swinkels, Tim Frijsinger, Niderlandy/Netherlands 2025, 12’30’’ 

Piet, an elderly man in a nursing home, finds himself limited in his actions when he suddenly begins to transform into a bird. Although he is still accepted within the group, he feels that it's time to join a new flock.  

Janneke Swinkels (1986) and Tim Frijsinger (1983) live and work together in Maastricht, creating animations and illustrations, mostly on commission. They met during the Video program at the Maastricht Institute of Arts. After graduating in 2009 and 2010, Janneke completed a master’s degree in Animated Film at KASK in Ghent. Her graduation film, Zonder versnelling, about her grandfather who lived in a care home, planted the first seed for Zwermen, their first stop-motion short film.  

Kyiv Cake, reż./dir. Mykyta Lyskov, Estonia, Ukraina / Estonia, Ukraine 2025, 22’10’’ 

The events of the movie unfold in modern Ukraine. A child is born into a poor family, the parents do everything possible to survive, but just when the crisis reaches its peak, a new danger flares up. 

Mykyta Lyskov – started his career in the early 2000s as a classical painter but later worked as a designer in the advertising business. Since 2007, the help of absurdity and black humor. Collaborates with musicians, creating visual accompaniment for live performances, works as a VJ. of computer technology. Since 2015 making lections and animation screenings in Ukraine. 

Ducks, reż./dir. AJ Jefferies, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2025, 4’45’’ 

A perfectly normal day in the park. 

AJ Jefferies is an independent multi-disciplinary director, animator, illustrator and designer. He has been creating images, characters and animations for the advertising, gaming and entertainment industries professionally since 2001. In 2018 he started to work on his own films, most notably 'H O R S E' (2020), which earned a Vimeo Staff Pick, among other awards. AJ has worked with clients such as Netflix, MTV, Sony, Apple, Universal Music and many more. He really likes trying to make people (and kids) laugh, and nothing in the world is going to stop him.  

This Is Your Captain Speaking, reż./dir. Nienke Deutz, Digna Van Der Put, Niderlandy / Netherlands 2025, 14’13’’ 

If you could fly for one day, what would you do? A group of neighbours answers this question and we follow their flight. Along the way, we get to know the characters and it becomes clear this fantasy has a different meaning for everyone.

Nienke Deutz is a director and animator based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In her films, she explores the narrative and visual possibilities of animated film and strives to combine different animation techniques and storytelling methods. Her work often revolves around human experiences, with alienation and discomfort being recurring themes. Her films Bloeistraat 11 (2018) and The Miracle (2023) received global recognition, winning numerous awards, including the Cristal for best short film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the Grand Prix at Animafest Zagreb. In 2023, Deutz, in collaboration with filmmakers Alice Saey and Wiep Teeuwisse, established Tinsel Studio – a collective dedicated to directing and producing independent animation films. 

Contact, reż./dir. Anna Belová, Czechy/Czechia 2026, 14’20’’ 

A short animated film “Contact” reflects on the ability to express and accept love. Living far away as an emigrant, young woman learns about her beloved grandmother’s death and dives into deep reflection. On the flight to the funeral, she must choose to repeat her parents’ cold pattern or embrace the warmth her grandmother taught her. 

Anna Belova (1997) is an animator and director based in Prague. Graduate of Moscow International Film School, SHAR Studio, and FAMU. In her work she experiments with form, color, and the nature of animation. She animated films such as HUN TUN (2023), After the Silence Was Broken (2023), Franz (2025), and Creatura (2025).

Making It Fit, reż./dir. Mariana Leal, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2025, 4’30’’ 

A short documentary film about how the LGBTQIA+ community has been reinventing funerary and remembrance rituals to better support and reflect the way people live in community. 

Mariana Leal is a Portuguese animator based in London. Her work explores inner worlds and lived experiences through animated materials. She studied animation at the University of the Arts London and has an MA in Film Studies from King’s College London. She has been working in short form documentary and fictional animation, and compositing for long form film and television. 

Death, reż./dir. Julia Urszula Medoń, Polska/Poland 2025, 4’37’’

It is an animation based on poem about death. 

Julia Medoń – the short film “Death” is a graduation film, a culmination of her studies in the graphic arts department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Besides art, the filmmaker is also interested in mountain climbing and sea sailing. 

SET II | BRIDGE

Living with a Visionary, reż./dir. Stephen P. Neary, USA 2025, 14’58’’ 

Narrated by Academy Award nominee James Cromwell (Babe, L.A Confidential), and based on John Matthias’ memoir first published in The New Yorker, Living with a Visionary is a soulful, bittersweet reflection on John’s fifty-year marriage to Diana, an art curator grappling with Parkinson’s. As Diana’s medication besets her with vivid, often beautiful hallucinations, John, now her caregiver, adapts to her imaginary world. When the Covid-19 pandemic separates them, John is forced to admit he can no longer care for Diana, and struggles to free himself from a psychiatric ward. In John’s final phone conversation with a Covid-positive Diana, he reads her the first poem he ever wrote for her, and is left with the memories of her visions.

Stephen P. Neary is a Hoosier-born writer, director, and storyboard artist living in Los Angeles. Stephen created The Fungies! for Cartoon Network and HBO Max, serving as Executive Producer for the show's three seasons, which premiered in 2020. Prior, Stephen served as Supervising Producer for seasons two and three of Cartoon Network's Annie nominated show, Clarence. Graduating NYU in 2008, Stephen was a feature story artist at Blue Sky Studios for five years on franchises such as Ice Age, Rio, and The Peanuts Movie. In 2012, his independent short, Dr Breakfast, animated on his daily commute from Brooklyn to Connecticut, was an official selection in The Sundance Film Festival. Stephen currently works as a story artist for clients including Netflix, Illumination, Annapurna, and Sony, most recently on KPop Demon Hunters. Stephen teaches at CalArts, and paints goofy little autobio comics about his family, which you can read on his Instagram. 

Boundaries, reż./dir. Seun Yee, Korea Południowa / South Korea 2025, 10’10’’ 

A passenger on a bus reclines their seat too far back. This small gesture shifts the balance of the space, leading everyone on board in an unexpected direction.

Seun Yee - she is an animation filmmaker whose practice moves between the abstract and the figurative, exploring visual storytelling through hand-crafted 2D techniques. After graduating with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from art school, now she lives and works in Korea. 

S The Wolf, reż./dir. Sameh Alaa, Francja/France 2025, 10’24’’ 

A man recounts his capillary peregrinations through his adolescence - from the barber’s trauma to his first love to the loss of his hair and eventually his father. Through this, we see a construction of a masculinity in the making.  

Sameh Alaa (Cairo, Egypt) finished his MA in filmmaking at EICAR Film School, Paris. His first short film FIFTEEN premiered at TIFF ‘17 and won several awards around the world. His recent film, I AM AFRAID TO FORGET YOUR FACE, is the first Egyptian film in 50 years to be selected for the Official Short Film Competition at Cannes Film Festival. Sameh is currently developing his debut feature film. 

When The Tide Comes, reż./dir. Fêt-Nat Bailly, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2025, 10’18’’ 

Within the dunes, a sand creature and a baby sea turtle meet by a sudden turn of events. Together they will journey to the ocean where they will both learn what it is to be a part of their world.

Fêt-Nat Bailly is a French animation director who has grown up between the UK, France, and Belgium. She is a recent graduate of the National Film and Television School where she directed and animated the 2D animated film “When the Tide Comes”. Her multicultural roots feed into her storytelling which often ties itself around themes of belonging within communities and the larger world. With past experiences in animation, concept art, and design she focuses on strong visual language in both her art style and characterful animation. 

Ball Lightning, reż./dir. Catriona Trina Baker, USA 2025 

Ball Lightning is the true story of a refugee who fled the personal and social effects of Soviet run East Germany after the end of WWII and immigrated to the United States in the 1960s. The story is told through the eyes of the surrogate daughter that she raised after she was forced to give away her own infant daughter as the iron curtain rose. Gusta serves as an example of survival, kindness and the fortitude of human resilience. The film is dedicated to her lost daughter, Esther, a reminder that the children separated from families because of war are never forgotten by those who love them. 

Catriona Baker is an Associate Professor of Animation & VFX at Lesley University’s College of Art and Design. She is an animator, book artist, and painter. Her work predominantly discusses themes of social justice, specifically: sexual assault and domestic violence awareness, female empowerment, and immigration. Her animations explore the visual juxtapositions between traditional mediums and digital processes. She holds a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, a B.F.A. from Maine College of Art, and an M.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania where she studied both animation and painting. She has been awarded several grants, and her work has been shown nationally in galleries, and in both private and corporate collections. Her animations have received national and international accolades, including an International Platinum Pixie award and two International CINDY (Cinema in Industry) awards. 

Blau, reż./dir. Antonia Rehnen, Niderlandy/Netherlands 2025, 11’48’’ 

Blau reflects on the solitary confrontation with loneliness, in which nature and the aesthetic beauty and depth of a color offer comfort.

Antonia Rehnen - in my art practice the medium collage forms the basis. By adding stop-motion animation, digital media and printmaking my work eventually results in collages, films and artist’s books. I approach my work as a vizualisation of thought streams which serve as starting points to build a world around. 

HUGS, reż./dir. Nicolas Fong, Francja/France 2025, 6’30’’ 

During a bike ride, someone catches two people tenderly embracing. He let himself be carried away by daydreams, imagining all sorts of cuddles... And so begins a journey through multiple hugs: hugs of comfort, compassion, tenderness, but also muscular hugs, soft hugs, explosive hugs and then group hugs, or the self-hug... at the end of this journey, our cyclist feels quite alone, but is he really as alone as he thinks he is?

Nicolas Fong - born in 1982 in Paris. He currently works in the animation sector in Brussels. He animates for TV series such as “Mysterious Cities of Gold” “flippé” and feature films such as “le tableau” by J.F. Laguionie, “Petit Vampire” by Joan Sfar, “Icarus” by Carlo Vogele, “Sirocco” by Benoit Chieux. He regularly performs commissioned films for New-York or Luxembourg agency. The director/artist Nicolas Fong creates evolving animations, psychedelic swirls in transformation, to invite the viewer's fascination. This “big fat bearded”, in constant search of hallucinatory visual games between the magical and the creepy, operates his experiments for clips and short films. In 2017, he finished “Yin”, his first professional short animated film. 

Innego końca nie będzie, reż./dir. Piotr Milczarek, Polska/Poland 2024, 8’04’’ 

A social satire in five acts about ourselves, about society, its behaviour and its flaws. Presented in a light-hearted and visually engaging style, the story serves as a warning against the consequences of stupidity, a lack of empathy and a lack of responsibility.

THEY, reż./dir. Renée Zellweger, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2025, 8’23’’ 

As townsfolk rage in their fog of negativity, our hero and his dog aim to encourage a return to better days! The opposite effect leads to an unexpected calamity which galvanizes the masses.

Actor and producer Renée Zellweger makes her directorial debut with the animated short film “They.” She first gained widespread attention for her role in “Jerry Maguire” (1996) followed by “Bridget Jones's Diary” (2001), which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. She was nominated for another Academy Award for her performance in “Chicago” (2002), and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Cold Mountain” (2003). Zellweger’s additional films include “Judy” (2019) for which she won a Best Actress Oscar. Recently, Zellweger starred in “The Thing About Pam” (2022) and “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” (2025). 

SET III | WAITING ROOM

Atomik Tour, reż./dir. Bruno Collet, Czechy, Francja/Czechia, France 2025, 13’02’’ 

For Hugo, visiting the forbidden area of Chernobyl is not a commemorative trip. If this young tourist wanders through radioactive ruins, it is mainly to feed his Instagram account. This absurd quest will lead him to discover the history that haunts The Zone... 

Bruno Collet - born in 1965 in Saint-Brieuc, France, Bruno Collet got his Art Degree from The Fine Arts of Rennes in 1990. From 1993, he worked as a set designer on numerous productions in stop-motion before starting, in 2001, his career as an author-director. He was nominated to the Oscars in 2020 with his film Memorable. 

The little girl with the apple / La petite fille à la pomme, reż./dir. Rose Denis, Belgia/Belgium 2025, 5’18’’ 

Ten-year-old Lou waits in the emergency room. Usually, by this time, she and her little sister have already eaten. Lou could really use a snack to forget the memories of the afternoon at the pool that keep unsettling her. 

Rose Denis is a writer and director. She studied Romance languages and literature, scenography and criminology and worked as an actress for about ten years. She is the author of a collection of short stories (“Encounters with my shadow” self-published in 2014), a play (“Murders at Cripple Creek”, which received a P’tit Molière in 2012) and a photo exhibition (“House of souls”), among others. She has also trained as a director, and has written several feature and short films, made a music video and short fiction films. In 2024, she directed her first animated short film, “The Little Girl with the Apple”, supported by the MiCROFiLM call for projects from the Camera-etc studio. She is currently working on several projects in parallel: a short and a feature film, a series, a youth album, and a documentary. 

35 Days, reż./dir. Heidi Kumao, USA 2025, 6’49’’ 

“35 Days” is an experimental, stop motion animation about what happens when a coalition of strangers answers the call to locate a missing cat during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. Created frame-by-frame using fabric cutouts and thread.  

Heidi Kumao is an award-winning visual artist who creates animations, stitched fabric works, video installations, photographs, and machine art to give physical form to the emotions underlying everyday conversations and relationships. She has exhibited her artwork in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally and has been awarded fellowships and grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, Creative Capital Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her film, “Swallowed Whole,” about breaking her back, screened in over 25 film international film festivals and was awarded “Best Experimental Film” at the Seoul International Extremely Short Film Festival, and Humboldt International Film Festival. The publication, “Heidi Kumao: Real and Imagined” (2022), documents her solo exhibition of narrative fabric works and animations and received a Gold Award from the Midwest Book Awards. 

Ivar, reż./dir. Markus Tangre, Norwegia/Norway 2026, 4’23’’ 

Noticing her husband Ivar's new scent, Anne lies awake at night with a nagging question: should she leave him?

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_k1ng to his debut short film Ivar. 

A Grieving Heart, reż./dir. Wendy Cong Zhao, USA 205, 12’17’’ 

An immigrant woman examines her past in the wake of her American ex-boyfriend’s death. The film explores how love and loss impact the ways she confronts her identity, memories, insecurities, and regrets. 

Wendy Cong Zhao - I am an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. I have been working and teaching in the independent animation field since 2011. I received a BFA in Painting and BS in Film Production from Boston University. I then moved to New York City and started my career as an editor on Signe Baumane's feature film “Rocks In My Pockets”. From 2013 to 2018, I worked as the senior producer at indie director Bill Plympton's studio. Since 2016, I have been teaching animation production, storyboarding, and motion graphics at various CUNY campuses. I went back to school and completed my MFA at Hunter College's Integrated Media Arts program in 2025. “A Grieving Heart” is my MFA thesis film. My first animated short “Pangs” premiered at Slamdance Film Festival in 2016. In 2020, my animated short “My First Sessions” was published by The New Yorker Documentary. I have directed three music videos for Verve Label Group and Decca Records, including “Cheek to Cheek” by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, and “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” by Christopher Tin. I am a two-time recipient of the National Board of Review student grant, and a 2023 winner of the Princess Grace Award in Film and Animation.

Bisou Sauvage, reż./dir. Bahij Jaroudi, Kanada/Canada 2026, 2’50’’ 

As world tragedies pile up, a bored couple is looking for their next distraction. This explosive dark comedy is a blunt take on the privilege of boredom and the dissonance that is needed to pretend everything is okay. Lebanese-Canadian illustrator and animator Bahij Jaroudi compels us to recognize our own apathy in this relatable black-and-white animated short. 

Bahij Jaroudi - born in 1981 in Lebanon and recently relocated to Toronto, this award-winning illustrator and animation filmmaker has collaborated with major clients like Netflix, Cartoon Network Arabia and The New York Times. After earning an MA in Animation from Kingston University (UK), he built a prolific career spanning animated ads, short films and children’s books, and has taught animation at the Lebanese American University. He spends his time deriving pleasure from the act of drawing and hopes to do so for the rest of his life. 

Tears of the Mountain, reż./dir. Luke Ashworth, Yehor Bondarenko, Alp Kurdoglu, Romane Talva, Ange Yajima, Francja/France 2025, 7’38’’ 

Jaya sets out to hunt the spirit of the mountain, a sacred beast with valuable feathers. As she approaches the heart of the mountain, she’s interrupted by her younger sister, Amala, devout on protecting the spirit.

Luke Ashworth, Yehor Bondarenko, Alp Kurdoğlu, Romane Talva and Ange Yajima graduated from Gobelins in 2025.  

Tears of the Mountain is a multicultural team with varied tastes and sensitivities who gathered around a project that would blend their interests and influences: dramatic narratives, nature, history, culture, and dinosaurs. Since the first year of the masters program, we forged our bond through tea and biscuits by hosting a ritual of afternoon tea breaks every day. A mountain was climbed together whilst having fun and trusting one another.

I'm painting a self-portrait, but all I see is my sister's face / Maluje swój autoportret, a wychodzi mi moja siostra, reż./dir. Helena Stańczyk, Polska/Poland 2026, 10’40’’ 

A short animated documentary film about Alicja and Bożena Wahl - twin sisters and visual artists active in the second half of the 20th century. The film is based on excerpts from Alicja’s diaries and the work of both artists. It is a story of sisterhood, collaborative creation and a relationship that became the centre of their private and artistic lives. Alicja’s diaries, an intimate, never-ending dialogue with Bożena, offer a glimpse into the sisters’ world, full of closeness and tension. 

Helena Stańczyk - animation director and comic book author. A graduate of the State School of Fine Arts in Warsaw, she is currently a final-year student of animation and special effects at the Łódź Film School. Her short animated documentary “49 385” has been screened and awarded both in Poland and abroad. Her debut comic book “Ni pies, ni wydra” was named among the 150 best children’s books at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2025. Privately, she is the great-granddaughter of Alicja Wahl. 

Hind, reż./dir. Stanley Miller, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2025, 7’ 

On the January 24th 2024 Hind Rajab, her aunt, her uncle and 4 of her cousins were killed by israel as they tried to flee their homes in Tel-Al Hawa, Gaza. When paramedics were finally allowed to attend the scene they too were murdered. The UK is actively participating in the israeli genocide of Palestinians. There are still around 331 known registered addresses in the UK with general weapons export licences to israel.

Stanley Miller is a final year illustration Animation student from London studying at Kingston School of Art. he is an experimental animator, film maker and performance artist. In the last few years Stanley has primarily made work about the ongoing Israeli genocide in Palestine. 

SET IV | STAIRS

Ploo, reż./dir. Jon Frickey, Niemcy/Germany 2025, 15’08’’ 

“If it keeps starting over, it must be forever,” says the white moth. But a gentle whisper breathes in each dawn, “one day, all days will be gone.” Ploo blends attributes of vector graphics and screen display technology with the human condition. 

Jon Frickey was born 1979 in Stade, Germany to American parents. After being awarded his Diploma in Communications Design from the HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, he worked as Art Director with Scholz und Friends Berlin. Since 2006, he has been a freelance animation director. His short film CAT DAYS/NEKO NO HI premiered at the 2018 Berlinale, was internationally acclaimed and qualified for the Academy Awards. His short film ZOOPTICON, an animated musical collaboration with Thies Mynther and Sandra Trostel, has received numerous international awards and deals with almost every topic the filmmakers could think of. Jon also works for German televions networks. He writes and animates for the political satire show “extra3” (ARD) and acts as showrunner for the WDR production “OhneTitel3000”. Jon lives in Hamburg, Germany. 

Shorts From The Box – Personal Space, reż./dir. Géza M. Tóth, Węgry/Hungary 2025, 7’15’’ 

Everyone needs a place where they can be completely themselves. A place that can become our own, unique and unrepeatable universe.

Géza M. Tóth - Oscar nominated filmmaker, university professor and head of KEDD Animation Studio. He works in several artistic fields: producer and director of short films (e.g., Icarus, MAESTRO, ERGO, MAMA) and animation tv series (e.g., Berry and Dolly, The Kuflis). He also works as a director and visual designer for theater and operas (e.g., the Ring cycle, The Miraculous Mandarin, The Bluebeard’s Castle), illustrating books, lecturing, scriptwriting. 

Paper Trail, reż./dir. Don Hertzfeldt, USA 2026, 14’ 

Don Hertzfeldt’s new animated short film, “Paper Trail”, is a 14-minute high-speed study of someone's life, seen only through pieces of paper. New animation techniques were developed to create the film's unique look and pace.  “Paper Trail” had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Prize for Creative Vision. 

Don Hertzfeldt is an American independent filmmaker whose animated films include “It's Such a Beautiful Day”, the “World of Tomorrow” series, “ME” and “Rejected”. His work has received two Academy Award nominations, two Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prizes, and in 2014 made a special appearance on “The Simpsons”. 

At Night, reż./dir. Pooya Afzali, Iran 2025, 4’35’’ 

In the midst of war, a man watches his beloved one by lighting the three matches he has left. Then, in the pitch darkness, a forest grows from their lovemaking and protects them from the war.  

Pooya Afzali - writer, director, and animation producer, born in 1983, Iran. He studied Industrial Design at the Tehran University of Art. His debut work as a writer and director was the animated feature film “Dracula in Tehran”, released in 2012. He continued his journey in the field by creating several short animated films. In 2025, he received the France TV Award at the Annecy Festival for “At Night”. 

Thank You Dr. Farsi, reż./dir. Samaneh Shojaei, Iran 2025, 8’09’’ 

On the occasion of the 27th birthday of Minoo, we join her to observe the disorders and mental illnesses of her friends from her point of view. But this is not an ordinary birthday.  

Samaneh Shojae - born in Tehran, Iran (1986) animation filmmaker. She has cultivated her artistic vision through 12 years as a professional animator. Her journey began with a B.A. in Painting. Seeking to deepen her understanding of time-based media, she completed a Master's in Animation Directing at Tehran Art University. Her 2017 graduation film, “Ascribed Achievements,” achieved significant international acclaim, screening at renowned festivals like Annecy and numerous Oscar-qualifying film festivals. The enthusiastic reception of this film encouraged her to produce “Gray Body” (2019), which win awards at both national and international festivals. Her latest work, the 8-minute psychological drama “Thank You Dr. Farsi,” has completed in January 2025, will be screening in Annecy animation festival 2025 in short competition. Currently, she is enrolled in the Erasmus Mundus Re:Anima program, a joint Master's degree holding in Belgium, Finland, and Portugal, where she specializes in expanded VR technology to incorporate into her next film. 

Dipolar Bipolar, reż./dir. Quankai Li, Japonia/Japan 2025, 8’50’’ 

Inside my head, there's a cat, a dog, and a pile of rocks. The title of this film is “Dipolar Bipolar” which means “two extremes”. It symbolizes the two extremes of bipolar disorder. 

Mycardiumopathy, reż./dir. Jess Chowdhury, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2025, 3’10’’ 

An experimental documentary that explores heart muscle disease and the impact a diagnosis can have on a young person’s outlook on life.  

Jess Chowdhury is a stop-motion animator and sculptor. Her thesis film “Early Grief Special” was showcased at the BFI Future Film Festival in 2021 and nominated for best animation. 

Praying Mantis, reż./dir. Joe Hsieh, Tajwan/Taiwan 2025, 18’09’’ 

A praying mantis mutant seduces and preys on men out of desperation to save her child. A failed mission led to revelations of her past and dark secrets as the story unfolds.  

Joe Hsieh is an independent Taiwan animation director whose works often explore the dark side of human nature and filled with horror and suspense. His films have captured attentions in many international film festivals. Meat Days (2006) was nominated in the Hiroshima Animation Film Festivals. The Present (2014) was nominated in the Sundance Film Festival. He collaborated in the production of No. 7 Cherry Lane (2019) which won Best Screenplay in the Venice International Film Festival. Night Bus (2020) was awarded Best Animated Short Film at Sundance Film Festival, Grand Prix Best Short Film at Animafest Zagreb, and received Public Prize at Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, and nominated for Best Short Subject at the Annie Awards. 

Small Hours, reż./dir. Oscar Wyndham Lewis, Wielka Brytania / United Kingdom 2026, 9’56’’ 

Struggling with alcohol addiction and mental illness, an artist reaches out to an old friend. “Superb” – Julian Waite, “Brilliant” – John Robins, “Magnificent” – Stephen Fry.

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. With New York-based A Closer Look Inc., he served as animation director on SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENED TO JOEY. The animated short film about childhood trauma and healing won multiple awards and was selected for inclusion in the PBS Learning Center, making the film accessible to every school across New York state. Wyndham Lewis recently completed a follow-up film with A Closer Look Inc., A MEDITATION ON A SHOESTRING, which he co-directed. 

SET V | SHELTER

A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers, reż./dir. Yoo Lee, USA 2025, 13’02’’ 

Jung Myung Kim, a photographer who has dedicated over 40 years to capturing wildflowers in Korea, shares his story of pursuing his passion for capturing flowers. Kim finds meaning and happiness in reflecting on his body of work, and his desire to take more pictures keeps him going as he battles an illness.

Yoo Lee is a Korean-American writer/ director/animator residing in Los Angeles. She has written and directed 5 stop motion animated shorts in 4 years before obtaining her MFA at USC in animation and digital design. She is a Film Independent Laika Animation Fellow and a Fox Fellow, and her work have been distributed through the New Yorker Screening Room and HBOMAX. Her latest project is a proof of concept documentary, A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers, made possible by Proof of Concept and incubated by Dirty Films, Netflix, and USC Annenberg. 

Things that i was gathering, reż./dir. Ekaterina Zhuzhleva, Belgia, Finlandia, Portugalia / Belgium, Finland, Portugal 2025, 6’29’’ 

 I am gathering things for my detained friends, who were protesting against the war – books, plush toys, food. once, twice. now the list never ends, and i am gathering my own things.  

Ekaterina Zhuzhleva is an animation director, activist and researcher from Russia, currently living in Finland. She has a Master degree in Animation from Re:Anima EMJM, and had worked as an independent audiovisual artist and teacher since 2018. Currently, her main focus is on art-based research and autoethnography. Her animated films are taking/took part in such festivals as Tampere Film Festival, ANIMA Brussels, Fest Anča, Animakom, Festa Mundial da Animação, Insomnia, Kino Otok, Slovenian Film Festival, and more. 

What We Leave Behind / Ce qu’on laisse derrière, reż./dir. Jean-Sébastien Hamel, Alexandra Myotte, Kanada/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.

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. Un trou dans la poitrine (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.

Lily, reż./dir. Kate Siegel, USA 2024, 9’50’’ 

After being embarrassed by a vicious teacher in front of his classmates and secret crush, a young third grader discovers a hungry tiger in his school bathroom. Written by Stephen King, Directed by Kate Siegel, Designed and Animated by Pete Scalzitti.  

Kate Siegel IAFFA BioKate Siegel recently directed the 7th installment of Shudder’s series “V/H/S/Beyond,” which earned a 2024 Critics Choice Award Nomination (Best Movie Made for Television). Siegel is best known for starring in Netflix’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Haunting of Hill House,” along with films “Oculus” and “Hush,” the latter she co-wrote with Mike Flanagan. She’s an advocate for strong female representation in horror and embraces the genre’s capacity to explore themes of fear and resilience.

Pete Scalzitti is an American filmmaker and accordionist. He recently animated the characterSnackatron in Hulu’s “Pizza Movie,” (2026), and co-directed/animated “The Scariest Skeleton” short with Mali Elfman (2024). He toured with Ukrainian refugees to create documentary featurettes for the Met Opera's PBSprogram “The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra at the Kennedy Center,” (2022). Pete taught Daniel Radcliffe to play accordion for his portrayal of Weird Al in “Weird: The AlYankovich Story,” (2022).  

Chère fin, reż./dir. Khéma Cousin, Lien Franckel, Laora Le Boursicot, Alissende Masson, Joséphine Mounier, Clément Saden, Francja/France 2025, 7’49’’ 

An old postman goes through his last tour of deliveries in the archipelago that he worked in his whole life, gliding on water with his old bike. He finds himself confronted to the reality of his coming retirement. As his retirement approaches closer and closer with each delivery, Ben’s emotions surface, dragging him into a melancholic exploration of his memories. Helped by the kindness of the residents, Ben realizes that the end of this cycle only sublimates his experiences and prepares for a new beginning.

Six Gobelins graduating students, united by a common passion for foosball, came together around the original pitch to co-direct this film, all wanting to create a poetic, sensitive and visually striking film with a subtle narrative, each bringing something different to the team so that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. 

Who Killed Narin G***** reż./dir. Ayce Kartal, Francja/France 2025, 4’41’’ 

She was 8 when she went missing. The investigation revealed her family's involvement. Narin saw something she shouldn't have. Everyone in the village knew, but no one dared to speak out.

Ayce Kartal graduated from the Animation Department of Fine Arts at Anadolu University in Eskisehir in 2010. In 2018, with his short film WICKED GIRL, he became the first director to win the Grand Prize in Clermont-Ferrand festival with an animated film, before winning the César for Best Animated Short Film in 2019. Ayce is currently developing his first feature film, All the softness in the world. 

Da Mor Ghag (The Voice Of Mother), reż./dir. Mian Ijlal Ahmad, Pakistan 2025, 4’07’’ 

A delivery rider spends an ordinary day navigating a city far from home, trapped in a cycle of work that feels endless and unseen. As voice notes from his mother punctuate the hours, her distant warmth briefly softens the rhythm of survival. The Voice Of Mother reflects on quiet burdens and the simple comfort of being remembered. 

Mian Ijlal Ahmad is a Pakistani director, animator, and graduate of the prestigious National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore. He is known for creating animated short films, including the acclaimed "Da Mor Ghag (The Voice of Mother)." His unique style, combining narrative with animation, has been recognized at international festivals (including Paris) and local art festivals. 

Acid City, reż./dir. Jack Wedge, Will Freudenheim, USA 2026, 12’30’’ 

Acid City is a documentary about a fictional city in the middle of a great acidic ocean. The film follows a film crew over the course of one day, as they interview and document what life is like in the isolated city. Acid City is composed of real interviews conducted across NYC, ranging from regular people on the street, to water scientists and emergency responders, as well as invented characters. The film is an exploration of the city's resilient and self-sufficient nature, as well as its relationship to water and extreme heat through both a practical and spiritual lens.  

Jack Wedge is an award winning filmmaker and animator from New York. His work focuses on environmental storytelling and worldbuilding, seeking to portray environments as not just a setting, but a living character. Jack has been making animated films since a young age. Jack studied at the NYU Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, graduating in 2019. In 2020 he created a 6 episode web series for Adult Swim called "Domo Dreams". In 2021, Jack co-founded Laser Days Studio. He has created short films, music videos, and installations which have screened around the world.  

Will Freudenheim is a game designer and researcher based in New York. His work focuses on creating experimental games and virtual environments that bring together human, artificial, and biological participants. Drawing from both game design and experimental music composition, Will brings forms of interaction and play into the process of producing digital animation, creating experiences that blur boundaries between various media forms. His projects cultivate shared digital worlds as experimental spaces for play, collaboration, and knowledge production. Currently, Will is developing "Biotopy," a biodigital project that connects a physical bioreactor with Unreal Engine to create a living Tamagotchi-like interface. His work as a game designer has enabled Laser Days to create interactive live performances, digital puppets, and physical installations. Will holds a Master's degree in Media Studies from MIT and is the editor of Interplay, a newly published book on game engines, machine creativity, and inter-species collaborative design. He has shared work at game festivals, exhibited in art galleries, and spoken at film festivals and universities around the world. 

Fanatic, reż./dir. Mateusz Jarmulski, Polska/Poland 2026, 9’ 

A fair-haired knight, craving for another victory, delves into a mysterious maze. The deeper he ventures, the more he discovers the meaninglessness of his quest. In the depths, the hero gets involved in an absurd fight losing sight of the real danger. To triumph, he must rid himself of everything that has defined him so far. 

Mateusz Jarmulski is a director and writer of animated films and an animator. He graduated from the Film School in Łódź with a degree in animation. He is also the author of music videos and concert visuals. His films have been broadcast on television and screened and awarded at festivals including Stuttgart, Seoul and Hiroshima. His previous short films “The Hunt” and “The Visit” went to more than 40 festivals around the world. He seeks variety in various 2d forms and is interested in the possibilities of the animation language. 

I can see Jay there, reż./dir. Miguel Domingues, Portugalia/Portugal 2025, 14’58’’ 

I first met Jay at Kanaal40, a bar located in the heart of Amsterdam's Warmoesstraat. I worked behind the bar, Jay worked as a security guard at the door. Through their bold remarks and warm, personal approach, Jay gradually cultivated a close-knit community in the smoking area while I watched from behind the bar. At the threshold of the club, Jay found a sense of security: a space to express themselves and explore who they want to be. Even after the bar closed its doors, the experience continued to shape Jay’s life in deeply personal ways.

Born in Lisbon, PT, Miguel Domingues (he/him) is a visual artist and animator currently based in Amsterdam, NL. Having studied graphic design at Escola Artística António Arroio in Lisbon and at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, his work explores the intersection of graphic design, illustration and animation, drawing inspiration from the community around him. Miguel specializes in combining different styles of illustration and animation through thought-provoking narratives that are raw yet accessible. Through an intuitive practice of layering, juxtaposing, cutting, and assembling, he explores innovative ways of documenting and communicating that transcend the limitations of conventional methodologies. His graduation work “I can see Jay there” was showcased as an installation at Dutch Design Week, shared on an intimate club night at Garage Noord and selected for Kaboom Animation Festival 2026. Currently he works as a freelancer and is open for collaborations.