SET 1: DEPARTURES HALL

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. 

 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.  

 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. 

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.  

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. 

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). 

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 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. 

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.