International Short Film Competition

The International Short Film Competition selection is made up of 7 World premieres and 3 International premieres representing UK, Iran, Slovakia, Canada, China, Netherlands, USA, Germany, Spain, Georgia, Turkey, Russia and Croatia. Brimming with creativity and pushing the boundaries of the form, these shorts present some of the most exciting voices in documentary.

Can I Hug You?

In this astoundingly intimate film, Hossein brings his parents together to confront a difficult secret from his past.

Elahe Esmaili
2023
Film Programme

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Cold and Dark

A group of loggers and their horse embark on a delirious journey to gather firewood deep in the Slovakian mountains.

Peter Hošták
2023
Film Programme

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Flower Chasers

Following the seasons as flowers bloom across China, a family of beekeepers try to sustain their traditional lifestyle in the face of a global ecological crisis.

Zhiqi Pan
2023
Film Programme

Following Valeria

After the Russian invasion, a young Ukrainian woman becomes an accidental TikTok star when sharing her funny takes on an awful situation.

Nicola Fegg
2022
Film Programme

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A Maiden Sings

After a lifetime of service to one household, a maid finds herself replaced. At 87, she starts to question her role in the family.

Max Torrés Altés
2023
Film Programme

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Metabolism

Machines milk cows and robots serve diners. In this quiet observation on the mechanisation of labour, humans feel increasingly irrelevant. Empathy passes to the machines.

Misho Antadze
2023
Film Programme

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The Mineral Dreams

A rock dreams of a man. A fleeting thought. This stone is the god of time, pointing out to man his relativity.

Timofei Zubrov-Andreev
2023
Film Programme

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The Takeover

Filmed in 2021 and 2022, as the Taliban retake control of Afghanistan, this film documents the country’s rapid transformation and the women who refuse to lose their rights.

Anders Hammer
2023
Film Programme

Valerija

A filmmaker travels to the island where her grandmother is buried. This experimental journey takes us back through her lineage of female ancestors.

Sara Jurinčić
2023
Film Programme

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Y arquitectura un sueño de palmera

Inspired by frescoes in a simple 10th-century Spanish dwelling, this film weaves thoughtful and unexpected threads between a hermitage, a museum and a spa.

Patxi Burillo Nuin
2023
Film Programme

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