International Competition Programme

Travel across the world with this carefully curated programme of animated short films. Expect a bold and playful mix of styles and techniques — from sharp comedies to emotional dramas and thought-provoking documentaries, that explore life’s most complex experiences. Diverse, surprising, and poignant, this line-up is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Films in the original language with English and Lithuanian subtitles.

N-13
Jury:
Jana Kraft

Jana Kraft

Germany

Jana has a background in Cultural Studies and has worked for festivals such as the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and KURZSUECHTIG Leipzig. She then joined the programming team at DOK Leipzig, where she now coordinates the International Competition Animated Film and the German Competition Documentary Film. She also collaborated on the animated documentary focus at Mifa, which launched in 2025.

Fabian Driehorst

Fabian Driehorst

Germany

Fabian Driehorst is an animation producer, who's critically acclaimed films have been widely distributed. He was awarded the Producer Prize for International Co-Production at Filmfest Hamburg, and the Documentary Producer Prize at DOKfest Munich. He got admitted to the AMPAS, the European Film Academy and Deutsche Filmakademie. Fabian is a regular lecturer at international film schools and training initiatives.

Ieva Šukytė

Ieva Šukytė

Lithuania

Ieva Šukytė has worked as a film journalist since 2013. Her articles have been published by LRT, "Literatūra ir menas", and other cultural media outlets. Since 2020, she has been a Programme Curator at the Vilnius Short Film Festival. She is Lithuania's only member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). She has previously been a jury member at the Venice, Berlinale, and Oberhausen film festivals. Most recently, she worked as an Acquisition Manager at LRT.

Participants:
Stanley Miller

Stanley Miller

UK

Stanley Miller is an Illustration Animation Student from London studying at Kingston School of Art. There are around 331 known registered addresses in the UK with general weapons export licences to israel. This is what inspired the director to create his short movie Hind.

Abi Tucker

Abi Tucker

UK

Abi Tucker is an experimental animator and image maker from London.

Matěj Podskalský

Matěj Podskalský

Czechia

Matěj Podskalský is a Czech screenwriter, director, and editor. He studied at FAMU Prague and focuses on animated films. He wrote a script for animated short Red Shoes (Anna Podskalská, 2021), which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival (La Cinef). His short film Growth Project premiered at LIAF in London, was selected for ITFS Stuttgart (Trickstar Nature Award) and other festivals. He is now developing his animated feature film debut - Firebird - together with co-director Anna Podskalská.

Qingxiao Li

Qingxiao Li

China

Qingxiao Li is an animation director and designer currently based in Helsinki, Finland. Having studied and worked in China, USA, and Europe (BE/PT/FI), she brings an international perspective to her practice in visual storytelling. Her academic background and professional experience in animation span a wide range of media, including TV series, short films, commercials, and VR experiences.

Xinhui Ma

Xinhui Ma

China

Animation director working in the Advertising and TV industry, previous clients including Google, Sony, Disney, Pop Mart.

Siyi Chen

Siyi Chen

USA

Siyi Chen is an indie Chinese screen composer and guzheng performer based in New York. She is known for her continuous exploration of the intersection between music technology and cross-cultural music communication. Siyi's dedication extends to over 100 compositions for films, games, interactive media, and commercial music. Her music scores have been recognized at prestigious events such as the Cannes, Sundance.

Part I

Thursday, 09/10, 16:30 · ArlekinasOriginal language with English and Lithuanian subtitles
Saturday, 09/12, 15:30 · ArlekinasOriginal language with English and Lithuanian subtitles
Le Jardin Rossini
Le Jardin Rossini

2025 · France · 10 min

Hervé Rossini is a renowned artist who expresses himself through his surrealist garden. Tonight marks the opening of his final exhibition. As he unveils his last artwork to the public, his daughter, Rosalie, announces that she is leaving the garden forever.

Director:
William BURGER, Siméon JACOB, Odelia LAINE, Garance MONDAMERT, Tara REWAL, Mathilde VERGEREAU, Arthur WONG
Producer:
Cécile Blondel
Company:
Gobelins
Quantum Jump
Quantum Jump

2026 · Slovakia, Czechia · 10 min

A man falls in love with death, setting off on a surreal journey to shed all conditioning. As the world crumbles into fading echoes of meaning around him, he discovers renewal within the ruins of the universal self. A meta-modernist cinematic experience that immerses the viewer in a deeply atmospheric and introspective journey.

Director:
Šimon Mészáros
Producer:
Šimon Mészáros
Company:
Studio FAMU, Zoidberg projekt s.r.o
Hind
Hind

2025 · UK, Germany · 7 min

On January 24, 2024, Hind Rajab, her aunt, her uncle, and four of her cousins were killed by israel as they tried to flee their home in Tel Al-Hawa, Gaza. When paramedics were finally allowed to reach the scene, they too were murdered. The UK is actively participating in the israeli genocide of Palestinians. There are still around 331 known registered addresses in the UK with General Export Licences for weapons exports to israel. This hand-drawn oil pastel animation on paper tells the story of these events. It was created over 18 months in London and Hamburg.

Director:
Stanley Miller
Pajarito
Pajarito

2026 · USA · 14 min

In 1980s Spain, two sisters confront their complicated feelings about motherhood when the elder gives birth to her first child.

Director:
Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma
Screenwriter:
Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma
Producer:
Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma
Ball Face
Ball Face

2026 · United Kingdom, Canada · 4 min

Life throws curveballs whether you’re ready or not. Trapped in an elementary school gym class, a girl survives a chaotic ball game by adapting, even though all she ever wanted was to belong.

Director:
Laurence Thérien
Screenwriter:
Laurence Thérien
Producer:
Laurence Thérien
Company:
Royal College of art
Murmuration
Murmuration

2025 · Netherlands · 12 min

Piet, an elderly man living in a nursing home, finds his world becoming increasingly limited when he suddenly begins to transform into a bird. Although he is still accepted by those around him, he feels it is time to join a new flock.

Director:
Janneke SWINKELS, Tim FRIJSINGER
Screenwriter:
Janneke SWINKELS and Tim FRIJSINGER
Producer:
Peter LINDHOUT, Annemie DEGRYSE, Steven DE BEUL, Ben TESSEUR, Janneke SWINKELS, Tim FRIJSINGER
Company:
Spotted Bird, Beast Animation, Murmur Animation
Carcassone-Acapulco
Carcassone-Acapulco

2025 · France · 14 min

Chaos and confusion erupt as the crew enter a long and meandering debate regarding the stranger’s fate: should they open the door or not?

Director:
Marjorie CAUP, Olivier HÉRAUD
Screenwriter:
Marjorie CAUP & Olivier HÉRAUD
Producer:
Marianne CHAZELAS – Maxime FOSSIER
Company:
12 // 24 FILMS, Association 1071

Part II

Friday, 09/11, 17:00 · ArlekinasOriginal language with English and Lithuanian subtitles
two ice creams please
two ice creams please

2026 · Belgium · 12 min

During their holiday, two young women get lost in a rainforest. After wandering around for days, their irritation with one another grows. While dreams about ice cream increasingly creep into their reality, they become conscious of their own vulnerability.

Director:
Jasmine Elsen
Screenwriter:
Jasmine ELSEN
Producer:
Brecht Van Elslande
Company:
Animal Tank (BE), Ozu Productions (BE)
POOB
POOB

2026 · UK · 6 min

POOB is ready to LEARN and have FUN!

Director:
AJ Jefferies
Screenwriter:
AJ Jefferies
Producer:
AJ Jefferies
Company:
moonjam
Flamingo in the Garden
Flamingo in the Garden

2025 · USA, China · 12 min

Inspired by the director Xinhui Ma' s life story, this animated short film follows a young Chinese woman stuck in a hospital bed in Morocco after a surfing accident. Despite language barriers and physical limitations, she finds solace in the garden outside her window. Reshaping personal revelations on gender, sexuality, and cultural turmoil, the film pairs stunning visuals with dreamy storytelling.

Director:
Xinhui Ma
Screenwriter:
Xinhui Ma
Producer:
Siyi Chen
Company:
Umbrella ma'am Studio
Water Girl
Water Girl

2025 · France, Netherlands, Other · 15 min

Mia has spent her whole life freediving, fishing and gliding through seaweed and rocks. Time has passed, tracing its lines on her body, and shaping the landscapes around her. Loved ones have vanished. Tonight, Mia remembers.

Director:
Sandra Desmazières
Screenwriter:
Sandra Desmazières
Producer:
Jérôme Barthélemy, Daniel Sauvage, Olivier Catherin
Company:
Caïmans Productions, Valk Productions, Animais
God is Shy
God is Shy

2025 · France · 15 min

During a train ride, Ariel and Paul pass the time sketching their deepest fears. Their game takes an unexpected turn when Gilda, a mysterious passenger, joins them. Yet her relationship with fear seems far less innocent than their playful drawings.

Director:
Jocelyn Charles
Screenwriter:
Jocelyn Charles
Producer:
Joséphine Mancini
Company:
Remembers
Growth Project
Growth Project

2025 · Czechia · 9 min

We find ourselves scrolling through an ordinary social media feed. Except it is the year 2034, and humanity has just invented a possible solution to climate change: the Growth Project. A technology that allows forests to grow in a matter of minutes. People are voting and sharing their opinions on whether the Growth Project should be put into practice.

Director:
Matěj Podskalský, Anna Podskalská
Screenwriter:
Matěj Podskalský
Producer:
Adéla Růžičková, Tomáš Šimon
Company:
FAMU