International Competition Programme
This programme presents, for your enjoyment, the best animated shorts from the Baltic-Nordic countries. 27 outstanding works from Denmark, Germany, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania are competing for the Best Animated Short Award, decided by an international jury.
2022 / Estonia / 14 min 10 s
The short animation "Til We Meet Again" tells the tragic history of the small island of Ruhnu. Fearing for their lives, the island's entire population abandoned their homes to escape the war in 1944. Decades later, they had a chance to finally return – only to find that strangers had settled in. In addition to charting the twists and turns of history, "Til We Meet Again" takes a deeper look at the meaning of home. Is it merely a location, or a place that gives one a peace of mind?
Directed by Ülo Pikkov Screenwriter: Ülo Pikkov Producer: Kerdi Oengo Company: OÜ Nukufilm
2021 / Germany / 6 min 8 s
It’s the future. Norman’s wife is dying. In her final moments, he calls for guidance – but what he gets is not what he asked for.
Directed by Lukas von Berg Screenwriter: Fabien Virayie Producer: Oliver Krause Company: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
2021 / France, Norway / 10 min 33 s
A little bear waits eagerly for his birthday guests to arrive. Slowly, he realises that he has been rejected. But the determination to celebrate his birthday remains strong. Free as a bird, his hunt for company begins.
Directed by Margrethe Danielsen Screenwriter: Margrethe Danielsen Producers: Jean-François Bigot, Camille Raulo, Lise Fearnley, Tonje Skar Reiersen Company: JPL Films, Mikrofilm
2021 / Denmark / 5 min 50 s
One city bus, three passengers, and a back-seat scenario they fail to address.
Directed by Elena Felici Screenwriter: Elena Felici Producer: Michelle Ann Nardone Company: TAW
2021 / Poland / 2 min 0 s
A character standing by the sea experiences an unusual meeting.
Directed by Alicja Liss Screenwriter: Alicja Liss Producer: Alicja Liss
2021 / Lithuania, France, Croatia / 12 min 27 s
Elena enjoys her life in the clouds, until she meets a charming red crane and a seed begins to grow inside her. Not ready for the changes and sacrifices the seed brings into her life, Elena rips it out of her body. Soon she will realise the consequences of doing so.
Directed by Birutė Sodeikaitė Screenwriter: Birutė Sodeikaitė Producer: Agnė Adomėnė Company: Art Shot
2021 / Estonia / 15 min 25 s
There exists a most exquisite man, or at least the world that surrounds him, labels and sees him as such. He has fantastic abilities, incomprehensible talent, he could even be called a genius, yet something within him is restless. Big questions utterly absorb him, leading him to a place where all he can do is surrender his life, in order to find that which gives him and the natural world undeniable purpose and concluding peace.
Directed by Jonas Taul Screenwriter: Jonas Taul Producers: Kerdi Oengo, Märt Kivi Company: Nukufilm
2021 / Germany, South Korea, USA / 6 min 16 s
This exploration of masculinity begins with the Minotaur, a mythical beast Picasso used to portray himself in a series of etchings. The Minotaur undergoes a violent struggle between being male and female. At last, the lines blur and the boundaries between the sexes disappear.
Directed by Chaerin Im Screenwriter: Chaerin Im Producers: Fabian Driehorst, Chaerin Im Company: Fabian&Fred
2021 / Estonia / 6 min 45 s
Thanks to facial recognition failure, deadbeat Igor-503 evades the cops detectors during a night of wild drinking.
Directed by Martinus Klemet Screenwriter: Martinus Klemet Producer: Martinus Klemet Company: Animartinus OÜ
2021 / Norway, Belgium / 13 min 35 s
A WW2 story that focuses on hair, not heroes. Five siblings and their hair salon offer the women of the small Norwegian town of Narvik a sense of normality in the midst of madness and despair.
Directed by Hanne Berkaak Screenwriter: Hanne Berkaak Producers: Tonje Skar Reiersen, Lise Fearnley, Viviane Vanfleteren, Veerle Appelmans Company: Mikrofilm, Vivi Film
2021 / Latvia / 5 min 30 s
When a natural disaster disrupts the ritual of the guard of honour, only one of the guards chooses – seemingly fruitlessly – to remain at his post.
Directed by Edmunds Jansons Screenwriter: Edmunds Jansons Producer: Sabine Andersone Company: Atom Art
2022 / Latvia / 4 min 38 s
While their parents are away looking for berries and honey, the baby bears stay at home with the sheep. The bear cubs have a wonderful time playing merrily with a ball of yarn, but soon enough the cubs find themselves all tangled up and everything is turned upside down! Luckily, the sheep help them put everything back in order. Based on the traditional Latvian lullaby, “Hush Hush, Little Bear” (‘Aijā, žūžū, lāča bērni’).
Directed by Māra Liniņa Screenwriter: Māra Liniņa Producers: Ieva Zeldere, Sabīne Andersone Company: Atom Art
2021 / Estonia / 4 min 0 s
A story, above all, about the responsibility our heads of state must show towards nature. Money and power make a person so greedy that they no longer realise the damage being done to the natural world.
Directed by Ida Lepparu Screenwriter: Ida Lepparu Company: Estonian Academy of Arts
2021 / Finland / 9 min 23 s
A family holiday at a zoo is interrupted when an unknown species tries to enter the area.
Directed by Kaisa Penttilä Screenwriter: Kaisa Penttilä Producer: Patrik Sigmundt Company: Kaiho Republic
2021 / Sweden / 2 min 34 s
A short, intense and fantastical tale about how love between two individuals can make the time stand still – and even conquer death.
Directed by Thomas Costa Freté Screenwriter: Thomas Costa Freté Producer: Thomas Costa Freté
2022 / Germany / 6 min 56 s
Based on the famous Chilean "Riot Dog", Negro Matapacos. A stray dog befriends María, a young protester. Together, they become radicalised. One day, both of them go a step too far. The pair are separated, and María is sent to jail. By the time she is released, her bravery and willpower have deserted her. But after discovering that the dog kept attending protests until he died – and furthermore, became famous for it – she finds new courage.
Directed by Karla Riebartsch, Lion Durst Screenwriter: Lion Durst Producer: Yili Baumann
2021 / Denmark / 3 min 41 s
The lives of a colourful ensemble of beasts are rudely interrupted by the arrival of a small group of humans, determined to subdue one of their number.
Directed by Erika Grace Strada Screenwriter: Erika Grace Strada Company: TAW
2021 / Lithuania / 10 min 5 s
Little Mora is sinking in an endless sea when she spies what looks like a little island, and turns out be a floating piano – her temporary salvation. Discovering she can summon the wind by pressing the keys of the piano, Mora begins her journey through a dormant world. Becoming acquainted with its features and creatures, Mora looks for ways to bring it back to life.
Directed by Jurga Šeduikytė Screenwriter: Jurga Šeduikytė Producer: Giedrė Burokaitė Company: Meno avilys
2021 / Germany, Qatar, Palestine, Jordan / 15 min 58 s
The dust of war keeps the eyes from sleep, but night brings peace to those in the ravaged town. Only the eyes of the missing child's mother remain watchful. Night must trick her into sleeping to save her soul.
Directed by Ahmad Saleh Screenwriter: Ahmad Saleh Producers: Fabian Driehorst, Jessica Neubauer, Saleh Saleh Company: Fabian&Fred, ses-studio
2021 / United Kingdom / 11 min 27 s
When a power cut ruins Ruby's bedtime routine, she finds herself haunted by some unwanted guests. The only way for Ruby to get a peaceful night of sleep is to confront her visitors.
Directed by Ida Melum Screenwriters: Laura Jayne Tunbridge, Hannah Kelso Producer: Danielle Goff
2021 / Denmark / 7 min 48 s
A loyal pack animal of a nomadic tribe has his courage tested, when taken down a challenging, unfamiliar path by his ailing human.
Directed by Anna Rueskov Schleicher Screenwriter: Anna Rueskov Schleicher Company: TAW
2022 / Finland / 4 min 47 s
A piece of paper flies away from artist Marja. She tries to tame the paper by any means necessary – but only by understanding the paper can she reveal its true nature.
Directed by Katariina Haukka Screenwriter: Katariina Haukka Producers: Katariina Haukka, Markus Hatakka Company: Turku University of Applied Scienses
2022 / Estonia / 9 min 3 s
A bittersweet story about a small bug called Peter, who dreams of performing in front of big crowds at the zoo. He leaves home to make his dream come true. Unfortunately, though, the people don't notice him due to his small size...
All's well that ends well, however – back home, he finds an audience of his own size.
Directed by Meelis Arulepp Screenwriter: Meelis Arulepp Producer: Kristel Toldsepp Company: A Film Estonia
2022 / Estonia / 1 min 9 s
A short story about a boy, a girl, a bee, a flower and the sun – each of whom rejects, or experiences all sorts of rejections.
Directed by Hleb Kuftseryn Screenwriter: Hleb Kuftseryn Company: Estonian Academy of Arts
2022 / Germany, Serbia / 1 min 37 s
The singularity: a hypothetical point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilisation.
Directed by Stanko Stupar Screenwriter: Stanko Stupar Producer: Stanko Stupar Company: Crumb Animation & Film UG
2021 / Germany / 10 min 27 s
This puppet animation tells the story of a dog who falls in love with a single gentleman. As a sign of his affection, he leaves a dog poop on the man's doorstep every morning. A story unfolds about misunderstandings, and the failure of gestures where there is no match. The film's cute aesthetics stand in stark contrast to the dramatic conflict in which both protagonists become embroiled.
Directed by Jule Körperich, Karin Demuth Screenwriter: Gregor Hennig Producer: Jule Körperich
2021 / Germany / 4 min 32 s
Haunted by a little thing, a man is driven to the edge.
Directed by Malte Stein Screenwriter: Malte Stein Producer: Malte Stein