Category – International Short Fiction
Selection
Dir: Sanjivani Kamble; 24:53 min; Short fiction; India
When Savi decides to leave behind the chaos of Bombay for a new job in Alibaug, her roommate Anu is left navigating the quiet storm of unspoken emotions. What begins as a simple farewell unfolds into a tender, introspective journey about love, and a friendship at the brink of change. It is a bittersweet coming-of-age story that explores the quiet ache of growing up, the choices we must make, and the bonds that shape us, even when they slip through our fingers.
Don’t Kill My Memory
Dir: Liquan Zeng; 23:00 min; Short Fiction; China
A 10-year-old girl of divorced parents glimpses the hidden complexities of the adult world while living with her father and his young girlfriend—unwittingly stepping into a harsh rite of passage.
Guanyin Hostel
Dir: Qiancao Xiao; 15:00 min; Short Fiction; China
After a typhoon, the unexpected arrival of a baby on a rainy night disrupted the tranquility of the Guanyindu Scenic Area.
Bob Wanna Kill
Dir: Y Yang; 19:20 min; Short Fiction; Norway
In a brutal world where breaking up means killing your partner, an arrogant and self-satisfied man contemplates murdering his lover, whose path no longer aligns with his own.
A dream like a dream
Dir: Linjie Sheng; 13:16 min; Short Fiction; China
A man, whose body has perished, finds his soul lingering in the remnants of daily life. Unaware of his own death, he feels no particular concern for his destination. An unexpected phone call forges a brief connection to the living world—a bond as fleeting as his mortal existence, where genuine engagement always eluded him.
Dissonance
Dir: Chaochen LI; 21:52 min; Short Fiction; China
Young Yangyang, not yet ten, obediently practiced the violin at his mother's behest for an upcoming exam. Meanwhile, Han Qin, his mother, felt the monotony of life eroding her once vibrant dreams of art and dance. Father Luo Guangzhi, trapped in a dull job, sought solace in weekend card games before facing an inevitable business trip, resigned to a stagnant existence. Teacher Xia, once esteemed, now a mere home instructor after the troupe disbanded, grappled with family conflicts and financial strain, teetering on the edge of collapse...
Unwritten Verses
Dir: Fathima Shanaz; 11:58 min; Short Fiction; Sri Lanka
Fathima, a 25 year old woman, seeks a divorce through the Quazi court. Her journey to obtain justice becomes challenging as she faces procedural delays, lack of support, and emotional hardship. The film follows her experiences within the system, highlighting the struggles many women encounter while trying to secure their rights. Fathima portrays one woman’s effort to find fairness and independence within the existing legal and social framework.
Astronauta
Dir: Giorgio Giampà; 16:00 min; Short Fiction; France, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico
Audely, 39, works as a lumberjack in the Guatemalan jungle. At home, his daughter Carol, 11, dreams of entering that same forest. Audely thinks about it, then goes to the moon.
Mounir
Dir: Xose Dopazo, Javier Rúa; 15:00 min; Short Fiction; Spain
Mounir is an irregular migrant who lives in constant fear of deportation, but also with the hope that this is the day he will finally get his "papers"
Monologue
Dir: Danae MOSSMAN; 13:25 min; Short Fiction; New Zealand
Mary has been ejected from her affluent marriage and stripped of her role as mother. Home alone on New Year’s Eve in the elegant apartment to which she has been exiled, her mind whirs, the psychic rubble of her privileged life threatens to overwhelm her. Tomorrow she will meet with her husband to discuss the terms of their unfolding divorce and the custody of their son – a battle that he is destined to win. Freely adapted from Simone de Beauvoir's novella Monologue (1968)
Memento Fabulam
Dir: Candela Núñez Gutiérrez; 22:00 min; Short Fiction; Spain
Memento Fabulam reconstructs the silenced memory of Jerez during the Francoist repression, guided by the figure of “ grandfather Viruta,” a carpenter who wrote down the names of those who disappeared. His grandson narrates this legacy while 22 families share their stories of absence, dignity, and resistance. The documentary culminates with a tribute to Viruta on July 18, 2024, in a city that, at last, begins to name its own.
Nur Sultan
Dir: Xoan Escudero; 14:00 min; Short Fiction; Spain
Nur Sultán is a matryoshka.
A city with many names: two years ago it was Nur Sultán, ten years ago Astana, thirty Akmolinsk, sixty Tselinograd, a hundred Ak Mola. The place is the same, but its meaning has constantly changed. This is not a film about geography or a list of exotic names—it's a first-person story about the time I spent there. A journey far from eurocentrism, where what took me 7,000 km from home wasn’t tourism or curiosity, but something else. Nur Sultán is also a film about trains, snow, cinema, and communism.
I want to come back
Dir: Sara Brun Moreno; 14:00 min; Short Fiction; Spain
Behind every adolescent suicide attempt lies a story of pain and disconnection. In adolescence, everything transforms: bodies, identities, and bonds shift without warning, and often no one truly understands. This short film forgoes explanations to focus on what remains: everyday objects, unanswered messages, rooms that fill with silence. Told through the eyes of those who survive the emptiness, we reveal how the promise of relief shatters, leaving guilt, questions, and a pain that spreads. The film offers a sober, precise gaze—an intimate observation that demands we listen before it is too late. We seek to awaken empathy: gestures can stop the fall; the film calls us not to normalize silence.
Puzzleak, The Rape Palace
Dir: Kote Camacho, Anonymous; 15:00 min; Short Fiction; Spain
Upon discovering nude photos of her as a child on the internet, Ane remembers moments she had erased from her mind. She was also video-taped, secretly like many other, during the sessions by a protected famous photographer from San Sebastián.
Knallrot
Dir: Elias Förderer; 6:49 min; Short Fiction; Germany
Where is the Perle Dorée? Charlie works as a butler for his long-time boss, Ms. Steinberg - an unequal yet symbiotic relationship. But as trust begins to crumble, the power imbalance begins to falter...
Milky Girl
Dir: Olga Dobromyslova; 15:00 min; Short Fiction; Russian Federation
A young couple of lovers gives birth to a beautiful blond girl. Everything goes well until it becomes clear that the father has faded into the background, and the mother is ready to practically disappear into the child.
Reliefs
Dir: Juan Manuel Gonzalez Fernandez; 17:40 min; Short Fiction; Mexico
Carlos is approaching midlife trapped in a personal crisis that has lingered too long. Rosa, his mother, suffers from disabling pain that is only mitigated by the warm waters of hydrotherapy. One night, she offers to make the ultimate sacrifice so that they can both transit to a better place. A short film about love, hope and relief we all long for.
Hunter Hunted
Dir: Balaji V; 13:40 min; Short Fiction; Germany
Dr. Hogel and her patient, Mr. Mundlos, are engaged in a session of psychiatric counseling, yet it is merely a facade. Beneath the surface, their conversation is a careful game of manipulation, where words conceal as much as they reveal. What seems like therapy may be something else entirely—after all, not everything is as it appears.
Saxo
Dir: C Tarun Arvind; 28:50 min; Short Fiction; Germany
When Mr. Savvel is compelled to work in a new city with order and hierarchy, he faces difficult situations while simultaneously hoping for a better life. When difficult moments are eliminated, so are joyous ones. Will his new life be more accepting, despite the ups and downs?
Awakening
Dir: Sonya Dukhon; 5:51 min; Short Fiction; Israel
An elderly couple decides to perform a ritual to bring their dead friend back to life and become young again.
Beneath the Veil
Dir: Hareem Fatima; 21:58 min; Short Fiction; United Kingdom
Aaliyah, a British-Pakistani pornographer navigates through sexuality, her relationship, and hate from her audience. It explores the control Aaliyah feels over her body autonomy, and how porn may affect this.
The film discovers attitudes towards women in Pakistan, and how this heritage affected Aaliyah’s upbringing - contributing to the very porn she currently creates.
