BLON Animation and Games Festival logo (light)
Baltic Sea-Nordic Competition Programme

Discover the fresh spirit of the Northern animation! Dive into a vibrant mix of award-winning shorts from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Germany and Lithuania. From stop-motion to experimental animation, these films explore heartfelt stories of life challenges, relationships and variety choices. It’s a perfect pick for animation fans and curious cinema lovers alike — come laugh, reflect, and discover fresh voices from the Baltic Sea and Nordic region!

Films in the original language with English and Lithuanian subtitles.

N-13
Jury:
Kaz Prapuolenis

Kaz Prapuolenis

USA

Born in Hoboken, New Jersey to Lithuanian parents. Attended art school in New York City and studied comics with Art Spiegelman (Maus). Drew comics for various publications (The New Yorker, Raw Magazine). Created weekly comic strip, Underworld, that ran newspapers across the US. In 2001, started working in animation as a storyboard writer for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney. In 2015, shifted to writing animation scripts. In addition to TV work, has co-written 3 SpongeBob feature films.
Aušra Juknevičienė

Aušra Juknevičienė

Lithuania

Aušra Juknevičienė is the Director of Klaipėda Puppet Theatre. Over the past 20 years, she has played an active role in Klaipėda’s cultural and public life, initiating and organizing the puppet theatre festivals Spring of Puppets and Materia Magica, and actively contributing to the growth and development of Lithuania’s puppetry community.
Menghui Huang

Menghui Huang

Finland

Menghui Huang is a Helsinki-based XR director and visual artist from China, with a background in New Media Art and VR animation. Her VR project The Big Cube premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and has since screened internationally. Beyond VR, she is an award-winning visual artist recognized by the World Illustration Awards and ADC Annual Awards. Her work explores imaginary worlds and seeks new ways to tell stories through color, shape, and immersive experience.
Participants:
Ieva Lība Ratniece

Ieva Lība Ratniece

Latvia

Ieva Lība Ratniece is an animation filmmaker from Riga, Latvia. In her personal creative practise, she is interested in experimentation, exploration of materiality and textures, abstract forms of storytelling and the act of embodied listening and seeing through unique marriage of image and sound. She has graduated with a Master’s degree from KASK (The Royal Academy of Fine Arts) in Ghent, Belgium with specialisation in Animation film in 2024 and obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Art Academy of Latvia.
Dovydas Vilkelis

Dovydas Vilkelis

Lithuania

Dovydas Vilkelis is a 3D animation and VFX producer. After film management studies in Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Dovydas turned to the field of video post-production. Since 2011, the producer has been heading studio Animatrix, working in advertising, gaming and film industries. Studio is currently presenting a short film Stolen Colors and is working on Czech feature film Rosa & Dara. Dovydas is also a board member of the Lithuanian Animation Association and the Baltic Film & Creative Tech cluster.
Gaute Hesthagen

Gaute Hesthagen

Norway

Gaute Hesthagen holds a BA from The Norwegian Film School's directing program. His work ranges from comedy in a car to visual epics in space, including episodic tv, short films Bokaj, Nostalgia and Danny's Magical Potion, screened at international festivals. Global campaigns include Mastercard, LEGO, Coca-Cola, Volkswagen, IKEA, Schweppes, Tuborg and Vodafone. One of very few directors to have shot in zero gravity twice: for LEGO with NASA, and Mastercard's Guinness World Record football match.
Tomas Juchnevič

Tomas Juchnevič

Lithuania

Tomas Juchnevič is an animation director, CG artist, animator and rigger with over a decade of experience in the animation industry. He has worked on games, animated shorts, VR, TV commercials and LEGO animation projects. Passionate about character performance and storytelling, Tomas has developed his craft through workshops mentored by professionals from Pixar, DreamWorks, and Valve. At BLON, he presents Stolen Colors, where he served as co-director, animation director, rigger, animator.
Juho Maurinen

Juho Maurinen

Finland

Juho Maurinen is a filmmaker, visual artist, animator and musician from Helsinki Finland. He has deep roots in DIY culture and he’s been described as an “unstoppable genre bending creative force”. Maurinen believes in sincerity and personal intuition in all his work and he enjoys finding new ways of creating.
Lovisa Andersson

Lovisa Andersson

Sweden

Lovisa Andersson is a Swedish filmmaker who has spent the last 3 and 1/2 years studying Character Animation at The Animation Workshop. Doppelgänger is her directorial debut, being Lovisa and her teammate's graduation film. As a creator, Lovisa is very drawn to the internal lives and thought processes of people. To take private and personal emotions and force them to the surface.
Liisi Grünberg

Liisi Grünberg

Estonia

Liisi Grünberg is an illustrator and animation director who has worked on animated short films and commercials. She directed the short films Miisufy (2023) and Summer in the Office (2025), and is currently developing a new film. Her work explores the relationship between humans, nature, and animals.
Johan Edström

Johan Edström

Sweden

Johan Edström is a producer. He owns APPARAT Filmproduktion AB and is partner of THE CHAPEL FILMS AB.  He has since 1977 worked as an animator, director and producer in Sweden, Europe, Japan, the United States and Canada.  He has been a guest lecturer in Animation at SKH, Sörängen, Campus i12, Folkuniversitetet, North Park University, Den Danske Filmskole, and StopMotionLab. Johan is a co-producer of Ida Melum's film Ovary-Acting (2025) and the main producer of Anna Mantzaris film PLEASE (2026).
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Part I

Thursday, 09/10, 18:00 · Arlekinas Original language with English and Lithuanian subtitles
Saturday, 09/12, 14:00 · Arlekinas Original language with English and Lithuanian subtitles
Please
Please

2026 · Sweden, France, Czechia, Norway, Finland · 9 min

It is a dark comedy about humankind's desire to love and be loved. Told through a series of loosely connected, tender and absurd scenes, this animated short explores neediness, intimacy and romance. In a world that preaches self-control, the film reveals the vulnerable sides we try to hide, gradually forming a portrait of our shared longing for connection.

Director:
Anna Mantzaris
Screenwriter:
Anna Mantzaris
Producer:
Johan Edström, Erika Forzy, Caroline Audebert, Marc Bodin-Joyeux, Radim Procházka, Lise Fearnley, Tonje Skar Reiersen, Jani Lehto
Company:
APPARAT, Passion Pictures, Kuli Film, Mikrofilm, Böhle Studios
Dollhouse Elephant
Dollhouse Elephant

2025 · Finland · 11 min

In a world where community participation is expected, individual desires inevitably collide. A group of neighbours, each focused on their own goals, must learn to communicate and consider one another. But when small everyday actions trigger unexpected consequences, they are forced to interact in ways that challenge their independence.

Director:
Jenny Jokela
Screenwriter:
Jenny Jokela, Ylva Perera
Producer:
Jani Lehto
Company:
Böhle Studios
Doppelgänger
Doppelgänger

2026 · Denmark, Sweden · 5 min

A shot rings out in the quiet of space. Julie’s hand trembles as she grips her gun. A body lies dead on the floor, its appearance identical to her companion. Given no proof or reassurance that she shot the right person, Julie has to grapple with the possibility of having killed her best friend. Doppelgänger is a science fiction drama exploring the topic of grief and the human need for connection through the lens of a classic sci-fi trope.

Director:
Lovisa Andersson
Screenwriter:
Lovisa Andersson
Producer:
The Animation Workshop
Company:
The Animation Workshop
Ivar
Ivar

2026 · Norway · 4 min

After noticing her husband Ivar's new scent, Anne lies awake at night, haunted by a nagging question: should she leave him?

Director:
Markus Tangre
Screenwriter:
Signe Dammann Anker
Producer:
Rebekka Rognøy & Henrik Dyb Zwart
Company:
Bacon Pictures
Tears
Tears

2025 · Germany, Poland · 9 min

A film about the impossibility of making a decision. In a world full of possibilities, a lost woman begins to wonder whether she wants to choose at all.

Director:
Paulina Ziolkowska
Screenwriter:
Paulina Ziolkowska
Producer:
Karsten Matern
Company:
Wait A Second! GbR, Letko
Hearts and Spare Parts
Hearts and Spare Parts

2026 · Denmark · 5 min

Socially anxious Prim shuts themselves away, with only their personal care robot to keep them company and no human contact. But the robot has other plans. After an argument, the robot breaks down. Forced to venture into the city to get it repaired, Prim discovers that the robot mechanic is not nearly as frightening as they had imagined.

Director:
Adalie Mangelsdorf
Screenwriter:
Adalie Mangelsdorf
Producer:
Peter Dyring
Company:
The Animation Workshop – VIA University College
With Tapes and Toasts in the Car
With Tapes and Toasts in the Car

2025 · Germany, France · 15 min

In the face of her body fading into stardust, Shari realizes what truly matters to her.

Director:
Kiana Naghshineh
Screenwriter:
Kiana Naghshineh
Producer:
Henrik von Müller, Antoine Liétout, Ivan Zuber, Kiana Naghshineh
Company:
ManicMonday (DE), Laïdak Films (FR) & Kiana Naghshineh (DE)

Part II

Friday, 09/11, 14:00 · Arlekinas Original language with English and Lithuanian subtitles
Summer at the Office
Summer at the Office

2025 · Estonia · 1 min

Summer at the Office connects global warming with office work by exploring Excel spreadsheets during a heatwave.

Director:
Liisi Grünberg
Screenwriter:
Liisi Grünberg
Producer:
Aurelia Aasa
Company:
AAA Creative, Estonian Film Institute
The Sea Spirit
The Sea Spirit

2026 · Sweden · 6 min

A surreal and whimsical story about sacrifice and how you can’t gain something without losing something in return. In the story we follow two brothers living in a cabin above the sea, and a spirit trapped in a seashell.

Director:
Edwin Ivemark Kihlström
Screenwriter:
Edwin Ivemark Kihlström
Producer:
Edwin Ivemark Kihlström
Company:
Cartoonist
The Pool or Death of a Goldfish
The Pool or Death of a Goldfish

2025 · Poland · 14 min

It is a story about a possessive relationship between a mother and her daughter. The main character, through unexpressed anger and rebellion against her mother, transforms into a goldfish, the film's titular character. Unspoken words, gestures, and repressed childhood emotions manifest in harsh treatment of both herself and others.

Director:
Daria Kopiec
Screenwriter:
Daria Kopiec
Producer:
Justyna Rucinska, Tomasz Laptaszynski
Company:
Marmolada Films
Penguin
Penguin

2026 · Estonia · 14 min

Returning from Antarctica, a man brings his partner a rare gift. The gift causes a shift in their relationship, which is difficult to cope with. Has the man changed, or is it the woman who suddenly sees him differently?

Director:
Kaspar Jancis
Screenwriter:
Kaspar Jancis
Producer:
Kadriann Kibus
Company:
Rebel Frame, La Clairière Production
Wandering Dot and the Blank Square Page Universe
Wandering Dot and the Blank Square Page Universe

2024 · Belgium, Latvia · 5 min

An immersive visual poem about a journey within a blank page. Is a blank page ever really empty? Where does an artwork begin or end? Are you the one directing creative flow or is it leading you? One may feel a creative impulse, but confronting daunting emptiness is inevitable. The only thing left to do is to make the first step, first dot, line or movement, and suddenly the page transforms into something completely different, while the multitudes it contains take on a life of their own.

Director:
Ieva Lība Ratniece
Producer:
Brecht Vanelslande
Company:
KASK School of Arts
Stolen Colors
Stolen Colors

2026 · Lithuania, Norway, Bulgaria · 14 min

World's most colorful town festival is at stake when someone steals color capsules.

Director:
Gaute Hesthagen, Tomas Juchnevič
Screenwriter:
Paulius Rymeikis
Producer:
Dovydas Vilkelis
Company:
Animatrix

Partner

Norvegijos Karalystės Ambasada
Richard the Dream Cowboy
Richard the Dream Cowboy

2026 · Finland · 5 min

Richard goes on a cycling trip filled with freedom, fantasy and love.

Director:
Juho Maurinen
Screenwriter:
Juho Maurinen
Producer:
Juho Maurinen
Company:
Studio Maurinen