Students are the future of animation. They are also the most innovative, daring filmmakers, not afraid to experiment with techniques and topics. The strand explores the creative diversity of European animation students.
Length: 72′
Otroci Črnega morja / Children of the Black Sea
Mihaela Mîndru (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Animation)France, 2026, 10'20''
In an isolated sanatorium on the shore of the Black Sea, a girl discovers a strange world governed by mysterious rules and unusual treatments. One day, feeling unwell, she is sent to a small white house, far from the other children. There, the boundaries between dream and reality begin to blur.
Momma Doesn't Notice Shit / Momma Doesn't Notice Shit
Sonya Nikitina, Vitaly Ushakov, Juliette Gangl (BAU · College of Arts & Design Barcelona)Spain, 2026, 4'14''
During a summer bike ride, two teenage boys face their fears when a game with a dead fish leads to their first, unexpected kiss.
Morska zvezda / Star Fish
Alissar Derwiche, Costa Micheletti, Yohji Suzana (Atelier de Sèvres)France, 2026, 7'07''
Nora and Thao, two friends finishing their studies, drift through surreal landscapes in a timeless journey. As they go, they laugh, have fun, discuss the future, and are surprised by feelings they did not
suspect.
Druga pot / Another Way
Uku Jürgenson (University of Nova Gorica, School of Arts)Slovenia, 2026, 1'23''
A man is on a roundabout but cannot choose the direction. He dives into his thoughts to find the answer. In the end, he creates his own way.
Skuliraj se / Chill Out
Magdalena Botor (The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz)Poland, 2026, 10'43''
Frustrated with her life, Zocha attends a student party where she is forced to confront her inner demons.
Tisoče ur / Thousands of Hours
Barbora Vanická (FAMU - Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague)Czech Republic, 2026, 6'19''
The collector has devoted thousands of hours to gathering thousands of objects. His mansion is inhabited by all the things he has ever tried to repair and save, and his collection offers a glimpse into his mind. This is a story of passion, time, and the thin line between what we own and what owns us.
Kot sončnica / Like a Sunflower
Antea Benzon (Akademija za likovno umetnost in oblikovanje (ALUO))Slovenia, 2026, 4'05''
Young poet and student Ljubica struggles with her writing when one night the ghost of poet Stanko Vraz appears to her and changes her perspective on poetry and art in general.
Evolucija junaškega dejanja / Evolution of a Heroic Act
Tara Klepac (Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb)Croatia, 2026, 4'23''
A little worm is looking through the window and sees a plane dropping a bomb on the city. His seemingly small action sets off a domino effect of chaotic and comical situations which save the city making him an unexpected and unknown hero.
Mati, o, mati! / Mother, oh Mother!
Niklas Reuse (Kassel School of Art)Germany, 2026, 5'56''
The short film explores the eternal cycle and the interdependence of life and death. When a rat acolyte’s newborn dies, her priest sends her on a pilgrimage to the All-Mother, the deity who oversees the cycle of life and death, to beg for the child’s life.
Mila moja / My Dear
Marta Margetić (Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb, Croatia)Croatia, 2026, 6'10''
In an old village house, little Mila is woken by her elderly caretakers and forced to do endless chores as punishment. Mila pushes their patience until the house descends into chaos. Consumed by rage, the women become trapped together like a giant carpet, and Mila turns the tables on them.
Čudni atraktorji / Strange Attractors
Beatrice Conte (Blow Up Academy)Italy, 2026, 3'40''
A lost astronaut explores a desert planet. Terrible creatures emerge from the dark..."Give us a body!" they ask.
Trajni mrk / Permanent Blackout
Nina Chubinishvili (LUCA School of Arts Campus Sint-Lukas Brussels)Belgium, 2026, 3'14''
A house without voices, rooms without people, objects without purpose. In the blackout of grief, memory becomes a wound that repeats itself in a haunted house.
Mom / Mom
Camille de Vulpillières (Atelier de production de la cambre)Belgium, 2026, 12'46''
Mom is the name of a young girl living her childhood in Cambodia. It is also the filmmaker’s mother. She remembers the sea, her mother, her sister, the Khmer Rouge…