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.
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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
Film
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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
Film
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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
Film
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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
Film
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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
Film
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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
Film
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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
Film
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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
Film
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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
Film
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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
Film

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