All Oscar-Qualified Live Action Short Films 2026

Full List with Trailers, Festival Wins & Official Qualification Paths

Last Updated: 24th of November 2025

List of all 207 qualified Live Action Short Films 2026 (alphabetical order)

• 1 HIJO & 1 PADRE by Andrés Ramírez Pulido (France/Colombia)
• 22+1 by Pippa Bennett-Warner (UK)
• A IS FOR ANT by Jack Davison (UK)
• ABEL by Dekel Berenson & Paul Wesley (US/UK/Mexico)
• ADO by Sam Henderson (US)
• ADVENT by Rachel Bass (US)
• AFTER DARK by Iain Forbes (Norway)
• AICHA by Sanaa El Alaoui (Morocco)
• AL FRESCO by Ignacio Rodó (Spain)
• ALIŞVERİŞ by Vasile Todinca (Romania)
• ALMOST CERTAINLY FALSE by Cansu Baydar (Turkey)
• AMARELA by André Hayato Saito (Brazil)
• AMERICA by Aly Muritiba (US)
• AMÉRICA by Javier Arias-Stella (Peru)
• ANIMALS by Fabricio Heider (Argentinia)
• ÁNGULO MUERTO by Cristian Beteta (Spain)
• AUTOMAGIC by Ashok Vish (India/France)
• AZI by Montana Mann (US)
• BAD SURVIVOR by Alex Dvorak (US)
• B!TCH I'M EARLY (B.I.E.) by Jesse “Jeskid” Cowell (US)
• A BEAR REMEMBERS by Linden Feng, Hannah Palumbo (US)
• A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOL by Zaria (US)
• BEATRIX IS INVISIBLE by Alex Farias (US)
• BEFORE YOU by Lauren Melinda (US)
• BETWEEN WINTER AND SPRING by Seoan Kim (South Korea)
• BEYOND (Más Allá) by Bettina Lopez (Colombia/Canada/US)
• BEYOND FAILURE by Marissa Losoya (US) - Full Film Available
• BEYOND SILENCE by Marnie Blok (Netherlands)
• BIRTH CONTROL BOOTCAMP by Pamela Satterfield (US)
• BITTER CHOCOLATE by Sahar Sotoodeh (Iran/Germany)
• BLUE EVENING by Jett Jansen Fernandez (US)
• BOOTIE'S by Milana Vayntrub (US)
• BORDER HOPPER by Nico Casavecchia (US) - Full Film Available
• THE BOY WITH WHITE SKIN by Simon Panay (France)
• BOYFIGHTER by Julia Weisberg Cortés (US)
• THE BURNING NIGHT by Demon Wong (Hong Kong)
• BURUL by Adilet Karjoev (Kyrgyzstan)
• BUTCHER’S STAIN by Meyer Levinson-Blount (Israel)
• BUTTERFLY ON A WHEEL by Trevor Morris (Canada)
• CAKE
• CAMPING IN PARADISE by Eirik Tveiten (Norway)
• THE CANON by Martín Seeger (Chile)
• CARLOTA by Cecilia Moreira Pagés (Uruguay)
• CHANGING ROOMS by Violette Gitton (France)
• CHASING THE PARTY by Jessie Komitor (US)
• CHEW by Félix Dobaire (France)
• CLOUT by Jordan Murphy Doidge (UK)
• THE COCKROACH by Mary Pat Bentel (US)
• COEUR BLEU by Samuel Suffren (Haiti, France)
• COMPLICATED GRIEF by Julius Amedume (UK/Switzerland)
• COURAGE by Eric Michael Hernandez (US)
• DAD'S NOT HOME by Jan Saczek (Poland)
• DALIA'S TEA CASTS A SHADOW ON MOUNT FUJI by Oren Gerner (Israel)
• DALY CITY by Nick Hartanto (US)
• THE DAY SHE WILL BE BORN by Emil Spahiyski (Bulgaria/Romania)
• DER BADEANZUG by Amina Krami (Germany, Austria)
• DOMENICA SERA by Matteo Tortone (Italy)
• DON'T BE LATE, MYRA by Afia Nathaniel (Pakistan/US)
• DON'T LEAVE HOME! by David Japaridze (Georgia)
• DUST TO DREAMS by Idris Elba (Nigeria)
• ELLE/ELLE by Kelley Kali (US)
• EM & SELMA GO GRIFFIN HUNTING by Alexander Thompson (US)
• THE EMERGENCY CALL
• EXTREMIST by Aleksandr Molochnikov (Latvia)
• FACELESS by Assel Akhmetova (Canada)
• FAITHFUL by Lucy Linger (UK)
• FLIGHT 182 by Rippin Sindher (US)
• A FRIEND OF DOROTHY by Lee Knight (UK)
• FREYR by David Telles (US)
• F*CK THAT GUY by Hanna Gray Organschi (US)
• GAY, ASIAN, IMMIGRANT by Ushmey Chakraborty (US)
• GENDER REVEAL by Mo Matton (Canada)
• GENEALOGY OF VIOLENCE by Mohamed Bourouissa (France)
• GOODBYE SUN by Hakim Atoui (France)
• GRANDMA NAI WHO PLAYED FAVORITES by Chao Somnop Chet (Cambodia/France/US)
• HAINT by Jahmil Eady (US)
• HATCH by Alireza Kazemipour & Panta Mosleh (Canada)
• HEAVEN AND NATURE by Steven Fierberg (US) - Full Film Available
• HIGHWAY TO THE MOON by Letitia Wright (UK) - Full Film Available
• HIPPOPOTAMI by JJ Lin (China/Hong Kong)
• HOLD by Josiah Junqueira Spencer (US)
• HOLY CURSE by Snigdha Kapoor (US/India)
• HOMECOMING by Oscar Rudecindo (US)
• HONEY BARE by Jasmine J. Johnson (US)
• HOW TO SHOOT A GHOST Charlie Kaufman (US/Greece)
• HYMN OF THE PLAGUE by Ataka51 Collective (Russia/Germany/France)
• I HAVE MY REASONS by Mikey Altoft (UK)
• I'M GLAD YOU'RE DEAD NOW by Tawfeek Barhom (Palestine/France/Greece)
• IN THE CLOUDS by Alexandra Bahíyyih Wain (UK)
• THE INVISIBLE WINGS by Marco Trionfante (Italy)
• JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA by Julia Aks & Steve Pinder (US)
• JEDO'S DEAD by Sara Nimeh (US)
• JEFFREY EPSTEIN: BAD PEDOPHILE (US)
• JUST KIM (Solo Kim) by Javier Prieto de Paula & Diego Herrero (Spain)
• JUST LIKE A BOY by Bahar Pars (Denmark/Armenia/Sweden)
• JUST THE USUAL by Nanna Tange (Denmark) - Full Film Available
• KEY OF GENIUS by Daniel Persitz (US)
• KIKI by Naomi Sheridan (Ireland)
• KILLING JAR by Etzu Shaw (US)
• KOVARTY by Rohin Raveendran Nair (India) - Full Film Available
• KUBRICK, LIKE I LOVE YOU by Zefan (China/US)
• L'AVANCE by Djiby Kebe (France)
• LARGO by Max Burgoyne-Moore & Salvatore Scarpa (UK)
• LEA TUPU'ANGA | MOTHER TONGUE by Vea Mafile'o (New Zealand)
• LEAVING IKORODU IN 1999 by Rashida Seriki (UK/Nigeria)
• LIMINALITY by Tess Bliven (US)
• LITTLE ORANGE FLAGS by Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio (US)
• LITTLE REBELS CINEMA CLUB by Khozy Rizal (Indonesia)
• LIVING IN FEAR by Kayvon Derak Shanian (US)
• LONELY CITY
• LONG'S LONG LOST & MINI MART by Julian Doan (US)
• LOOK HOMEWARD by Artem Rachkelyuk (Poland)
• A LOVE LETTER TO M by Maria McIndoo (US)
• MAJONEZË by Giulia Grandinetti (Italy)
• MALKA by Stacey Maltin (US)
• MARQUE DOS by Asha Chai-Chang (US)
• MASHHAD by Sarah Solemani (US)
• MEDUSA by Sarah Meyohas (US, France)
• MELODIES OF BARKING DOGS by Daniel Huss (Germany)
• MERCENAIRE by Pier-Philippe Chevigny (Canada)
• MERCY by Hedda Mjøen (Norway)
• A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S TALE by María Herrera (Spain)
• MONEY TALKS by Tony Mucci (US)
• THE MONSTER OF FORTUNE by Manuel Castillo Huber (Spain)
• THE MOST PERFECT PERSON by Paul Trillo (US)
• THE MOST POWERFUL HUMAN ON EARTH by Andrew Richardson (UK)
• MOTHER by Mariia Felenko (Ukraine)
• MOTI by Yash Saraf (India)
• THE MOURNING OF by Merced Elizondo (US)
• MUSHROOM DAD by Michael Yuchen Lei (US)
• MY KIND OF PEOPLE by Joe Picozzi (US)

→ Continue to Part 2 (N–Z)

Get your personalised film festival strategy and submit with one click. Register now.

1 HIJO & 1 PADRE by Andrés Ramírez Pulido (France/Colombia)

🎬 Synopsis: People see Kevin as a troubled boy: he loses his temper when he’s made fun of. After yet another incident, Kevin gets sent to a behavioral therapy camp with his father… who refuses to go. Kevin’s stepfather joins him instead. 🌟 Qualified through: Best Live Action Short at 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival

22+1 by Pippa Bennett-Warner (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: An interracial couple navigate the grief of late term pregnancy loss, while confronted with the underlying layer of racism in the health system that tests their love. 🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://www.221film.com/

A IS FOR ANT by Jack Davison (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: A is for Ant is a surrealist journey through a children's alphabet book.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

ABEL by Dekel Berenson & Paul Wesley (US/UK/Mexico)

🎬 Synopsis: Shaken by a recent breakup, 17-year-old Abel retreats to the mountains to hunt deer. Finding grace in the solitude of nature, but no solace to his pain, he returns home to unexpectedly find comfort in the arms of his aging father, as the two reconnect over their shared sense of loss.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://www.abelshortfilm.com/

ADO by Sam Henderson (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Ms. Hopkins is rehearsing Much Ado About Nothing with her middle school theatre class when it is interrupted by a school shooter.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Short at BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/ado_shortfilm/

ADVENT by Rachel Bass (US)

🎬 Synopsis: When a man is visited by the spirit of death, he must alter his fate before Christmas arrives.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Narrative Short at the Pan African Film Festival

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/adventfilm_2024/

AFTER DARK by Iain Forbes (Norway)

🎬 Synopsis: On his way home one night, Kristian encounters a young woman in desperate need of help. He agrees to accompany her to the train station, but soon begins questioning her story. 🌟 Qualified through: Best International Short Film at the Foyle Film Festival 2024

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/afterdark/

AICHA by Sanaa El Alaoui (Morocco)

🎬 Synopsis: A 17-year-old girl grapples with her emotionally distant mother as her life takes a tragic turn. In an effort to confront her grief and the fractured bond with her daughter, the mother participates in a mystic ceremony.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://mad-distribution.film/movies/movie1115585.php

AL FRESCO by Ignacio Rodó (Spain)

🎬 Synopsis: Large room in a dream apartment. Unbeatable location. Ready to move in. Plenty of light.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

ALIŞVERİŞ by Vasile Todinca (Romania)

🎬 Synopsis: Tatiana, an unemployed woman, spends her days selling her personal things in order to survive. Today she has an important deadline and she might end up selling a piece of her body in order to keep a roof over her head.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Prize – Best Short Film at Curtas Vila do Conde

ALMOST CERTAINLY FALSE by Cansu Baydar (Turkey)

🎬 Synopsis: Having fled the war in Syria, Hanna and her young brother Nader are living in a run-down neighbourhood of Istanbul. Hanna's dreams and identity clash when she meets Ibo.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Film Award at Izmir International Short Film Festival 

AMARELA by André Hayato Saito (Brazil)

🎬 Synopsis: On the day of the 1998 World Cup final between Brazil and France, Erika Oguihara, a Japanese-Brazilian teenager who rejects her family traditions, experiences a violence that seems invisible and plunges into a painful sea of emotions.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/amarelashortfilm/

AMERICA by Aly Muritiba (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Tom is a Brazilian immigrant in search of the American dream. Josh is a writer chasing his next story. When the two meet, Tom's dream seems to come true. But in their way stands a police officer.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/fyc.america.fyc/

AMÉRICA by Javier Arias-Stella (Peru)

🎬 Synopsis: América, a 10-year-old girl from a remote Andean village, dreams of buying a bicycle so she’ll never be late to class again.

🌟 Qualified through: Jury Award, Best Live Action Short at New York International Children's Film Festival

ANIMALS by Fabricio Heider (Argentinia)

🎬 Synopsis: During the 1982 Falklands War, an Argentine soldier tends to a wounded British enemy. In a world ruled by fear and survival, a glimpse of humanity shines through, yet in war, we become animals.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

ÁNGULO MUERTO by Cristian Beteta (Spain)

🎬 Synopsis: After a failed marriage and the suicide of her son, the woman meets her husband in a secluded place. He goes to the meeting without suspecting the reasons: a video showing the bullying that her son suffered and a forceful request.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

AUTOMAGIC by Ashok Vish (India/France)

🎬 Synopsis: On his return home, androgynous-looking Madhu attempts to seduce Ratnakar, his rickshaw driver, who is practicing celibacy in preparation for a religious pilgrimage.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

AZI by Montana Mann (US)

🎬 Synopsis: During a weekend vacation with her best friend's family, 17-year-old Azi gets caught up in an unexpected game with another guest.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

BAD SURVIVOR by Alex Dvorak (US)

🎬 Synopsis: After being "broken up with" by her oncologists, a sarcastic young cancer patient, or should say survivor, struggles to adjust to life at home with her overbearing immigrant parents, hypochondriac sister, and MIA best friend, during her first day in remission. 🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.badsurvivor.com/

B!TCH I'M EARLY (B.I.E.) by Jesse “Jeskid” Cowell (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Two women, a generation apart, find themselves locked in an absurd battle for a coveted promotion. Desperate to outshine each other, the ladies escalate their rivalry from petty arguments to an all-out race to the office. 🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://bitchimearly.com/

A BEAR REMEMBERS by Linden Feng, Hannah Palumbo (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A local boy, Peter, is trying to find the source of the metallic sound that haunts the village. When he shares his footage with an old woman it sparks memories of a bear that roamed the hills during her childhood. 🌟 Qualified through: Best Drama at Aspen Shortsfest

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/a_bear_remembers_short_film/

A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOL by Zaria (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Model, Bunnie, wants what every girl is taught to want: eternal youth-- but she soon realizes eternity will cost her everything. 🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

BEATRIX IS INVISIBLE by Alex Farias (US)

🎬 Synopsis: When Beatrix finds herself feeling disconnected and insignificant, she reaches out to the world around her for meaning. Unsuccessful, she is called to step far out of her comfort zone to sense her place in the world again. 🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

BEFORE YOU by Lauren Melinda (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Looking back on her first pregnancy, a woman navigates the echoes of a life-changing loss. 🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/beforeyouthefilm/

BETWEEN WINTER AND SPRING by Seoan Kim (South Korea)

🎬 Synopsis: In the remote, snow-covered mountains of South Korea, a young woman seeks escape from the city and the weight of her past. On the brink of ending her life, she stumbles upon a middle-aged woman who recognizes her despair and invites her into her secluded, snow-bound home. There, she is introduced to a world where survival is intertwined with tradition—chopping wood, preparing fish and tofu for winter, and listening to tales of mountain spirits. As the older woman shares her unique perspective on life and the natural world, the young woman gradually begins to see beyond the cold and darkness. In the heart of winter, she confronts the harsh chill, finding warmth and discovering the promise of spring hidden within. 🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

BEYOND (Más Allá) by Bettina Lopez (Colombia/Canada/US)

🎬 Synopsis: MÁS ALLÁ is a coming-of-innocence tale about a young girl who guides migrants through a stretch of the Darien Gap - a virgin jungle between Colombia and Panama, which has become a footpath for human migration. Forced to abandon her childhood to survive this treacherous place, Zuli works for a coyote who exploits her with false promises. But when she stumbles on a portal which transports her to a magical land, Zuli is forced to reconnect with her innocence and her imagination, ultimately learning to be a kid again. 🌟 Qualified through: Best Live Action Short Film at Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival

🔗 https://www.masallafilm.com/

BEYOND FAILURE by Marissa Losoya (US) - Full Film Available

🎬 Synopsis: After falling down a YouTube hole, a woman thinks she can hip thrust her way out of dealing with her potentially harmful internal monolgue.

🌟 Qualified through: 1st Prize Narrative Short at Athens International Film + Video Festival

🔗 https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2025/04/14/beyond-failure/ (Full Film available)

BEYOND SILENCE by Marnie Blok (Netherlands)

🎬 Synopsis: Two women, two generations, same trauma. One has been silent for over thirty years, the other 'only' for a year and a half. Where one decides to remain silent after a confrontation, the other finds the courage to break the silence.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Narrative Short at Tribeca Film Festival

🔗 https://www.premium-films.com/catalogue/beyond-silence

BIRTH CONTROL BOOTCAMP by Pamela Satterfield (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Pam Satterfield’s short film follows a pair of well-intentioned parents who decide to teach their teenage children about responsibility by giving them lifelike baby dolls that need around-the-clock care. What begins as a chaotic family experiment turns into a surprisingly emotional journey of empathy and understanding. 

🌟 Qualified through: unknown

BITTER CHOCOLATE by Sahar Sotoodeh (Iran/Germany)

🎬 Synopsis: Yasi, a determined 16-year-old girl, has made it to the Capital from her hometown with the excuse of the IELTS exam, to illegally terminate her unwanted pregnancy before time runs out.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Live-Action Short Film Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

🔗 https://www.lightsonfilm.com/bitterchocolate.html

BLUE EVENING by Jett Jansen Fernandez (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Yasi, a determined 16-year-old girl, has made it to the Capital from her hometown with the excuse of the IELTS exam, to illegally terminate her unwanted pregnancy before time runs out.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.blueevening.com/

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/blueeveningfilm/

BOOTIE'S by Milana Vayntrub (US)

🎬 Synopsis: An overworked assistant who moonlights at a lap dance party is thrown when her day job boss comes into the club. As her worlds collide, the two are caught in a delightfully awkward game of social chicken and an unspoken power struggle that begs the question: who’s really in charge?

🌟 Qualified through: Jury Award: Best Short Narrative (Comedy) at Cinequest Film Festival

🔗 https://www.bootiesfilm.com/

BORDER HOPPER by Nico Casavecchia (US) - Full Film Available

🎬 Synopsis: When a Latinx filmmaker is offered a dream job abroad, she discovers a supernatural way to navigate the U.S. immigration system and get the coveted travel permit she needs. But what seems like a magic solution soon shows unexpected consequences.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2025/01/16/border-hopper/ (Full Film available)

THE BOY WITH WHITE SKIN by Simon Panay (France)

🎬 Synopsis: Entrusted by his father to a group of gold-miners, an albino child embodies all of their hopes.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Prix (France Télévisions) at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

🔗 https://www.theboywithwhiteskin.com/

BOYFIGHTER by Julia Weisberg Cortés (US)

🎬 Synopsis: As a father prepares to confront the greatest tragedy of his life, memories of his past as a bare-knuckle street fighter resurface—forcing him to reckon with how this shaped the destiny of his young son.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/boy-fighter/

THE BURNING NIGHT by Demon Wong (Hong Kong)

🎬 Synopsis: Speeding through the late-night streets of Guangzhou in 2008, teenagers vented their frustration with the external world. The troubles they caused unexpectedly dissipated amidst the bright fireworks welcoming the Olympics, and the fervour inspired by the nationwide celebration.

🌟 Qualified through: Asia International Best Short Award/Governor of Tokyo Award at Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia

BURUL by Adilet Karjoev (Kyrgyzstan)

🎬 Synopsis: A rural high school student Burul is interested in wrestling. The wrestling coach will not let her train at the boys’ gym, so she trains at home alone. Burul’s father believes that wrestling is not for girls and forbids her to do it. After several unsuccessful attempts to talk to Burul, a man from a neighbouring village kidnaps her to marry her.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

BUTCHER’S STAIN by Meyer Levinson-Blount (Israel)

🎬 Synopsis: As a father prepares to confront the greatest tragedy of his life, memories of his past as a bare-knuckle street fighter resurface—forcing him to reckon with how this shaped the destiny of his young son.

🌟 Qualified through: Silver Medal at Student Academy Awards

BUTTERFLY ON A WHEEL by Trevor Morris (Canada)

🎬 Synopsis: A gifted music student makes his way through the world with O.C.D.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.butterflythefilm.com/

CAKE

CAMPING IN PARADISE by Eirik Tveiten (Norway)

🎬 Synopsis: A woman and a man drive off the road and get stuck in a field. The couple is forced to spend a night at a nudist camp, bringing unwanted emotions to the surface.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Narrative Short at Santa Fe International Film Festival

THE CANON by Martín Seeger (Chile)

🎬 Synopsis: Jean, a Haitian immigrant in Chile, is admired everywhere he performs. Moreover, his body represents all the classic values of academy. However, in the anonymity of his existence, he is also a canon of marginality.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Prix at Tampere Film Festival

CARLOTA by Cecilia Moreira Pagés (Uruguay)

🎬 Synopsis: A small town boy falls in love with the portrait of Carlota Ferreira in a museum in Montevideo. Back home, he decides to see her again. His family does not understand him but the town prostitute helps him and they all travel to the capital. There they manage to meet again and share a love story.

🌟 Qualified through: Short Film Award at José Ignacio International Film Festival (JIFF)

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/carlota.shortfilm/

CHANGING ROOMS by Violette Gitton (France)

🎬 Synopsis: César is 12 when his older sister Lou is sexually assaulted. In his fencing class changing rooms, everything is measured by the yardstick of violence. César would like to take part in every fight, but he doesn’t have the weapons.

🌟 Qualified through: Best International Short Film at Flickerfest

CHASING THE PARTY by Jessie Komitor (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Melissa and Stephanie fantasize about becoming downtown “IT” girls , but their dreams come crashing down on them when the photographer they idolize is the one to lift the veil.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

CHEW by Félix Dobaire (France)

🎬 Synopsis: Young Celeste infiltrates her older sister Marie’s party incognito. Among the guests, a mysterious chewing-gum is circulating, causing strange transformations. Sticky lips, air bubbles under the skin: the party turns into a nightmare.

🌟 Qualified through: SOFC Best Short Film Award at Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival

🔗 https://moderatofilms.com/chew/

CLOUT by Jordan Murphy Doidge (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: Rebellious boarding school teen Oskar craves online fame, leading him on a dangerous path with tragic consequences.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.cloutshortfilm.com/

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/cloutshortfilm/

THE COCKROACH by Mary Pat Bentel (US)

🎬 Synopsis: After a body-altering accident, a woman must find a way forward in her new reality.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.thecockroachfilm.com/

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/thecockroachfilm/

Get your personalised film festival strategy and submit with one click. Register now.

COEUR BLEU by Samuel Suffren (Haiti/France)

🎬 Synopsis: Marianne and Pétion live in Haiti and wait impatiently for a call from their son in the USA. The promise of the American dream now seems to elude them, as the line between hope and reality becomes increasingly blurred.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://squareeyesfilm.com/shorts/blue-heart/

COMPLICATED GRIEF by Julius Amedume (UK/Switzerland)

🎬 Synopsis: A mysterious gift from beyond crosses continents to a secluded chalet, where the fate of a couple unfolds in an unexpected and unsettling way.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

COURAGE by Eric Michael Hernandez (US)

🎬 Synopsis: When a young Native American boy struggles with self-confidence and societal expectations, his uncle re-introduces him to the transformative art of Hoop Dance. Through this tradition, he discovers strength, resilience, and the courage to embrace his heritage. Inspired by true events, Courage is a heartfelt story about identity and empowerment.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.legacyvisionproductions.com/courage

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/couragethefilm

DAD'S NOT HOME by Jan Saczek (Poland)

🎬 Synopsis: Two underage brothers are hiding their father's frontotemporal dementia from the world. They have to take care of him and manage the household to stay together.

🌟 Qualified through: Student Academy Award

DALIA'S TEA CASTS A SHADOW ON MOUNT FUJI by Oren Gerner (Israel)

🎬 Synopsis: Dalia, a widowed retiree, receives an electric peeler in the mail, inspiring her to make a vegetable casserole. For the first time in years, she is lead to rediscover the vitality and passion in her life.

🌟 Qualified through: Ophir Award for Best Short Fiction Film at Israel Film Academy Award

DALY CITY by Nick Hartanto (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Daly City is an autobiographical story about an Indonesian boy and his mother who bring Chinese takeout to a church potluck and pretend itʼs a traditional family dish. The boy's quiet observations lead him to question his parents' behavior as they strive to find a sense of belonging in a new country.

🌟 Qualified through: Special Jury Award for Excellence in Directing at Salute Your Shorts Film Festival 🔗 https://www.nickhartanto.com/dalycity 🔗 https://www.instagram.com/dalycityshortfilm/

THE DAY SHE WILL BE BORN by Emil Spahiyski (Bulgaria/Romania)

🎬 Synopsis: Marta, a woman battling dementia, seeks refuge from the harsh reality of her illness and the confines of a nursing home. As her memories blur, she retreats into the warmth of her happiest moments, where the past offers the only escape from a world that no longer feels like her own.

🌟 Qualified through: Best National Film at In The Palace International Film Festival

DER BADEANZUG by Amina Krami (Germany/Austria)

🎬 Synopsis: On a day of summer, Noa gets gifted a Swimsuit that changes Noas perspective on the world irreversibly.

🌟 Qualified through: Austrian Short Film Award at Vienna Shorts

DOMENICA SERA by Matteo Tortone (Italy)

🎬 Synopsis: Sunday night. Alex is an ultras, his team has just lost a match and he is going home empty-headed. In the absence of his parents, he lives with his grandmother and sells Rivotril tablets to make some money. On a night that’s struggling to take off, Alex goes down to the basement and into a cellar where a bunch of people are gathered. A rap battle is in progress. Nemy is a girl with refined bars, who dances confidently and sinuously. She notices Alex and seeks him out. Together they venture into the night, driving in a stolen car. Two solitudes that recognise each other. Their bodies brush against each other in what seems to be the beginning of a story.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Short at David di Donatello

DON'T BE LATE, MYRA by Afia Nathaniel (Pakistan/US)

🎬 Synopsis: Ten-year old Myra is forced to walk home alone, dodging men harassing her on the streets of Lahore. Soon things escalate in this thriller where a sinister turn quietly awaits her.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/myra.shortfilm/

DON'T LEAVE HOME! by David Japaridze (Georgia)

🎬 Synopsis: In 2012, 82-year-old Data woke up one morning, expecting a visit from his granddaughter, daughter, and son-in-law. However, he noticed something unusual outside his house, marking the beginning of a tragic ordeal that separated him from his loved ones and home country.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

DUST TO DREAMS by Idris Elba (Nigeria)

🎬 Synopsis: A shy young woman inherits her mother's struggling Lagos nightclub, leading to an unexpected reunion with her estranged father. Through music and shared performances, they bridge their past and work to save the venue's legacy.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

ELLE/ELLE by Kelley Kali (US)

🎬 Synopsis: After holding a catastrophic dinner party, a long-term couple struggles for their marriage and identity, sparked by Elle's recent transgender disclosure to her homosexual husband, Fritz.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/elleellefilm/

EM & SELMA GO GRIFFIN HUNTING by Alexander Thompson (US)

🎬 Synopsis: In the Depression-ravaged countryside of 1930s America, adolescent girls are expected to fulfill a long-standing rite in which they hunt and slay a mythical beast of their mother’s choosing.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/emandselmagogriffinhunting/

THE EMERGENCY CALL

EXTREMIST by Aleksandr Molochnikov (Latvia)

🎬 Synopsis: A young Russian artist makes an anti-war statement by swapping food labels with pacifist messages in a Moscow supermarket, leading to her arrest and the threat of a 10-year prison sentence.

🌟 Qualified through: Jury Prize at New Hampshire Film Festival

FACELESS by Assel Akhmetova (Canada)

🎬 Synopsis: A burnt-out screenwriter Andy is struggling with writer’s block. Under the pressure of a blank page and a tight deadline, she turns to an AI tool, D.O.M., which offers her unoriginal stories based on existing iconic films. Disappointed in herself, Andy breaks down in crisis and experiences a key realization: she needs to stop comparing herself to other creatives and instead reconnect with her own creative core.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://facelessshortfilm.com/

FAITHFUL by Lucy Linger (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: This heart-warming live action short film focuses on the evolution of a young Scottish girl, a mythical faerie Cú-Síth, and a little-known Scottish folktale.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/faithful_scottish_fairytale/

FLIGHT 182 by Rippin Sindher (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A husband must choose between visiting his dying mother or heeding warnings from a separatist group threatening to attack Air India Flight 182, in a story based on the deadliest terrorist attack before 9/11.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/flight182film/

A FRIEND OF DOROTHY by Lee Knight (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: A lonely widow's quiet life is upended when a teenage boy accidentally kicks his football into her garden.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/afodorothy_film/

FREYR by David Telles (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Freyr aka Frank, was born with a third hand growing out of his chest. At his funeral, the only person who ever got close to him, Tom recounts the story of how they bonded over being different.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/freyr/

F*CK THAT GUY by Hanna Gray Organschi (US)

🎬 Synopsis: 1992 Connecticut. Determined to prove sex is no big deal, Frankie recruits her older, high-octane best friend to help her land a guy on the eve of her departure for college.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

GAY, ASIAN, IMMIGRANT by Ushmey Chakraborty (US)

🎬 Synopsis: When a privileged Gay, Asian, Immigrant lands a job by perpetuating a harmful stereotype, he must keep up the lie in front of his potential lover when his boss shows up at his doorstep.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

GENDER REVEAL by Mo Matton (Canada)

🎬 Synopsis: Rhys, a dedicated people pleaser, winds up at their boss' gender reveal party with their two partners. The trans throuple soon realize that they are dealing with more than they were prepared for and their ability to survive the event comes into question.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://travellingdistribution.com/en/film/gender-reveal-574

GENEALOGY OF VIOLENCE by Mohamed Bourouissa (France)

🎬 Synopsis: A young couple sits in a car when two policemen pull up to command a routine identity check. They ask the man to get out and proceed methodically with a pat-down, as he stands in front of the car, watched by his dismayed girlfriend.

🌟 Qualified through: Main Award of the International Competition at Kurzfilmtage Winterthur

GOODBYE SUN by Hakim Atoui (France)

🎬 Synopsis: Luna, 11 years old, lives with her big brother, Julien, 17, and her two adoptive fathers. It’s the end of summer and the heat is stifling. They are impatiently awaiting the solar eclipse that everyone has been talking about. The sun disappears behind the moon…it does not reappear.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Prix in International Competition at Busan International Short Film Festival

GRANDMA NAI WHO PLAYED FAVORITES by Chao Somnop Chet (Cambodia/France/US)

🎬 Synopsis: During her chaotic family’s Qingming visit, dead Grandma Nai sneaks away from her peaceful afterlife after overhearing that her queer grandson is about to get engaged to a woman.

🌟 Qualified through: Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction at Sundance Film Festival

🔗 https://www.lightsonfilm.com/grandmanai.html

HAINT by Jahmil Eady (US)

🎬 Synopsis: When gentrifiers suddenly begin dying mysteriously, a Gullah Geechee handywoman who recently lost her home, must decide whether to use her ancestral knowledge to save them or leave the newcomers to their fate.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/haint/

HATCH by Alireza Kazemipour & Panta Mosleh (Canada)

🎬 Synopsis: Naaji, an Afghan refugee boy, hides with his mother inside a moving water tanker trying to cross the border to safety. Losing his mother in the process, Naaji spends the rest of his life searching for a way to relive his last memory of her.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/hatch.shortfilm/

HEAVEN AND NATURE by Steven Fierberg (US) - Full Film Available

🎬 Synopsis: Set in the late 1950s, childhood sweethearts are confronted with the realities of their relationship as adults and are forced to acknowledge that situations are not always what they appear to be. They must ask themselves what they are willing to sacrifice to live the American Dream. Inspired by the melodramas of Douglas Sirk, Heaven And Nature includes LGBTQ characters, themes of class and privilege, and a glaring look at the gaps in our collective memory when we view history through a nostalgic lens.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

HIGHWAY TO THE MOON by Letitia Wright (UK) - Full Film Available

🎬 Synopsis: 'Highway to the Moon' is a coming-of-age fantasy drama that unravels the mysterious aftermath of young boys whose lives have been abruptly snatched away.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

HIPPOPOTAMI by JJ Lin (China/Hong Kong)

🎬 Synopsis: In the suburbs of a northern Chinese city undergoing urbanization, a quirky girl who wants to see animals in the zoo is taken for a ride which will forever change her perspective on life.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Fiction Award at Tampere Film Festival

🔗 https://www.lightsonfilm.com/hippopotami.html

HOLD by Josiah Junqueira Spencer (US)

🎬 Synopsis: An early morning phone call propels a mother and daughter on a path toward connection and the mysteries held in the act of letting go.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://www.holdshortfilm.com/

HOLY CURSE by Snigdha Kapoor (US/India)

🎬 Synopsis: During a visit to India, 11-year-old Radha grapples with their gender identity as their family subjects them to manipulative orthodox rituals, believing these will dispel an alleged ancestral curse affecting Radha’s thoughts.

🌟 Qualified through: Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at Tasveer Film Festival

🔗 https://www.snigdhakapoor.com/holy-curse

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/holycurse_film/

HOMECOMING by Oscar Rudecindo (US)

🎬 Synopsis: When their eldest son returns home from college after years away, a family must confront the estrangement caused by his sexuality, as conflicting cultural and religious beliefs threaten to tear them apart and external pressures challenge their chances for reconciliation.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

HONEY BARE by Jasmine J. Johnson (US)

🎬 Synopsis: After years of delighting fans as Honey the Bear, a beloved sports mascot must confront his identity as he prepares to leave the role behind.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/honey-bare/

HOW TO SHOOT A GHOST Charlie Kaufman (US/Greece)

🎬 Synopsis: Two newly dead young people meet in the streets of Athens, amid the pulsing cityscape and the ghosts of history. One a translator, the other a photographer, they were outsiders in life; in death they struggle with the residue of their longings and mistakes. They wander the city together, finding consolation in the difficult beauty of existence and its aftermath.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Short Narrative at Woodstock Film Festival

🔗 https://www.howtoshootaghost.com/

HYMN OF THE PLAGUE by Ataka51 Collective (Russia/Germany/France)

🎬 Synopsis: In an old Soviet recording studio, musicians attempt to record a composition based on Pushkin’s A Feast in Time of Plague.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://ataka51.com/Hymn-of-the-Plague

I HAVE MY REASONS by Mikey Altoft (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: I Have My Reasons tells the emotional story of Amanda, who's new colleagues question her choices while on a night out. She then tells the story of her childhood and how an event when she was 8 years old has shaped the rest of her life and how she decides to turn negativity into a beautiful positive.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

I'M GLAD YOU'RE DEAD NOW by Tawfeek Barhom (Palestine/France/Greece)

🎬 Synopsis: Two brothers return to their childhood island, long-buried secrets force them to confront a dark past that binds them together.

🌟 Qualified through: Short Film Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival

IN THE CLOUDS by Alexandra Bahíyyih Wain (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: Sara, a six-year-old Iranian refugee, sneaks out with her sister to explore their new London estate, but strange encounters blur the line between reality and imagination in a world shaped by loss.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/intheclouds.film/

THE INVISIBLE WINGS by Marco Trionfante (Italy)

🎬 Synopsis: "The Invisible Wings" is an intense and engaging short film that addresses the theme of autism with an authentic and moving perspective.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://lealinvisibili.com/en/

Get your personalised film festival strategy and submit with one click. Register now.

JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA by Julia Aks & Steve Pinder (US)

🎬 Synopsis: England, 1813. In the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. Her suitor, the dashing Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, and it soon becomes clear that his very expensive education has most certainly missed a spot.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Comedy at Aspen Shortsfest

🔗 https://janeaustensperioddrama.com/

JEDO'S DEAD by Sara Nimeh (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A young girl and her brother discover their grandfather's body during the aftermath of 9/11. They experience grief, loss, and rituals surrounding death through a child's perspective.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://jedosdeadmovie.com/

JEFFREY EPSTEIN: BAD PEDOPHILE (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A mockumentary from the team at “America’s Finest News Source” The Onion, which chronicles the life and crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and associates (such as Donald Trump, who promised to release the Epstein Files until he was told he was in them).

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

JUST KIM (Solo Kim) by Javier Prieto de Paula & Diego Herrero (Spain)

🎬 Synopsis: Rose Kim is a trans teenager. Although they long for it, they’ve never expressed their gender identity and navigate life in their assigned female body. Maybe because they’re alone in a country migrated to illegally. But mainly because they fear losing the only emotional connection that ties them to the world: Camila, a baby girl they care for daily.

🌟 Qualified through: 1st Prize - Ibero-American Danzante Award at Huesca International Film Festival

🔗 https://selectedfilms.com/solo-kim/

JUST LIKE A BOY by Bahar Pars (Denmark/Armenia/Sweden)

🎬 Synopsis: In a land where sexuality can mean life or death, a refugee girl must become someone else to survive.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

JUST THE USUAL by Nanna Tange (Denmark) - Full Film Available

🎬 Synopsis: In this film, we follow Ole Benny, an old-school barber, who is about to retire. It is a special day, and that calls for celebration. Things just don’t turn out quite as expected.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

KEY OF GENIUS by Daniel Persitz (US)

🎬 Synopsis: The incredible true story of blind, autistic savant Derek Paravicini and a piano teacher determined to unlock his musical genius.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

KIKI by Naomi Sheridan (Ireland)

🎬 Synopsis: When Adamma and her father, Jide, seek refuge in an asylum centre in Ireland they are greeted by angry protesters, but a dangerous situation threatens to become explosive when Adamma ventures out into the neighborhood alone in search of her missing cuddly toy, Kiki.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Live Action Short at Cleveland International Film Festival

KILLING JAR by Etzu Shaw (US)

🎬 Synopsis: After her mother's death, an entomologist struggles to process her grief while working.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/killing-jar/

KOVARTY by Rohin Raveendran Nair (India) - Full Film Available

🎬 Synopsis: In the early 1980s in a government office somewhere in Kerala, a brand-new typewriter loses its heart to Daisy, the young typist of that office.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

KUBRICK, LIKE I LOVE YOU by Zefan (China/US)

🎬 Synopsis: Having decided to break up but constantly hijacked by past memories and melancholic vision, FEI spent the last day with his unsuspecting girlfriend.

🌟 Qualified through: Bronze Award at Student Academy Awards

🔗 https://zefanwang.com/kubrick,-like-i-love-you

L'AVANCE by Djiby Kebe (France)

🎬 Synopsis: After selling a painting depicting his late mother to a respected collector, Aliou must contend with the hidden costs of this exchange.

🌟 Qualified through: Golden Starfish Award – Narrative Short at Hamptons International Film Festival

LARGO by Max Burgoyne-Moore & Salvatore Scarpa (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: A young Syrian refugee living in the UK without his parents decides to build a boat and sail home to find them.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/largo.film/

LEA TUPU'ANGA | MOTHER TONGUE by Vea Mafile'o (New Zealand)

🎬 Synopsis: A young speech therapist disconnected from her Tongan heritage lies about her Tongan language skills to get a job. Out of her depth, she must find a way to communicate or risk her patient's life.

🌟 Qualified through: Best NZ Film Award at Show Me Shorts Film Festival,

🔗 https://www.runcharliefilms.com/lea-tupu-anga-mother-tongue-short-film

LEAVING IKORODU IN 1999 by Rashida Seriki (UK/Nigeria)

🎬 Synopsis: As ten-year-old Momo embarks on a road trip to the airport with her aunt Fade and uncle Mahmoud, uncertainty drives them all to question whether Momo's departure from Nigeria is truly for the best.

🌟 Qualified through: City of Melbourne Grand Prix for Best Short Film at Melbourne Film Festival

LIMINALITY by Tess Bliven (US)

🎬 Synopsis: In 2006 Berkeley, amidst the throes of first love, queer teens Nina and Jay grapple with understanding Jay's uncharted trans identity.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://shuffle.do/projects/liminality

LITTLE ORANGE FLAGS by Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Iris is sent to live on Nana and Pruey's farm in rural Pennsylvania after an encounter with her mom's boyfriend.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

LITTLE REBELS CINEMA CLUB by Khozy Rizal (Indonesia)

🎬 Synopsis: Set in 2008, Doddy, a 14 year old boy, tries to recreate an iconic scene of a zombie film with three of his best friends, using a handycam belonging to Anji, his sad and angry emo brother.

🌟 Qualified through:  Best Live Action Short Award at Raindance Film Festival 

🔗 https://www.lightsonfilm.com/littlerebelscinemaclub.html

LIVING IN FEAR by Kayvon Derak Shanian (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Living in Fear is a poignant exploration of the human spirit amidst the shadows of prejudice and trauma, told through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy navigating the aftermath of 9/11.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

LONELY CITY

LONG'S LONG LOST & MINI MART by Julian Doan (US)

🎬 Synopsis: In the back of a Little Saigon convenience store, a customer seeking closure reanimates his dead father for one last conversation. When his expectations are upended, the no-nonsense clerk must deal with the fallout.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/lllmm/

LOOK HOMEWARD by Artem Rachkelyuk (Poland)

🎬 Synopsis: When the war broke out in Ukraine, the parents sent Vlad and his sister to Poland to ensure their safety. They themselves remained in the conflict-torn country. Vlad is expected to look after his younger sister, but his thoughts constantly flee to his homeland.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

A LOVE LETTER TO M by Maria McIndoo (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Set in Brooklyn, “A Love Letter to M” paints a contemporary portrait of love on Max and Sasha’s wedding day. Exploring the idea that family and belonging are choices we make, this is a love story with a happy ending.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/alovelettermovie/?hl=de

MAJONEZË by Giulia Grandinetti (Italy)

🎬 Synopsis: Elyria lives in a family ruled by her strict father in a remote mountain village in Albania. Trapped in this oppressive society it becomes harder and harder to hide her growing anger. Then one day her desire to rebel takes over.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Jury Prize at AFI FEST and Grand Prix Award at Brussels Short Film Festival

🔗 https://www.lightsonfilm.com/majoneze.html

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/majoneze_shortfilm/

MALKA by Stacey Maltin (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Malka, a Holocaust survivor, starts to see visions of her life at the camps during a present-day family seder. As time falls in on itself, Malka must find the hope in the present that she did in the past in order to survive.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Narrative Short at Cinequest

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/malkafilm/

MARQUE DOS by Asha Chai-Chang (US)

🎬 Synopsis: As Amira eagerly pursues a promotion in the marketing industry, she must face her own and other people's limitations on which box she fits into. With her own flair, it's her roots that keep her grounded and guide her towards embracing her identity and culture.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 http://www.marquedosfilm.com/

MASHHAD by Sarah Solemani (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Set in the holy Islamic city of Mashhad in Iran, the film follows a spirited young ghetto girl, naive to the great lengths her family must go to keep their identity a secret. Unbeknownst to her, an innocent day of play with a neighborhood friend puts her and her family's life in jeopardy. What unfolds is an extraordinary story of religion as oppression, and faith as survival, and a retelling of Iran's long lost ethnic group.

🌟 Qualified through: Screening

🔗 https://rebooting.com/article/mashhad/

MEDUSA by Sarah Meyohas (US/France)

🎬 Synopsis: After a young Swedish perfumer is stung by a jellyfish in the South of France, an attractive older man comes to her aid.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Jury Prize forLive Action Short at Seattle International Film Festival and Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under at Palm Springs International ShortFest

MELODIES OF BARKING DOGS by Daniel Huss (Germany)

🎬 Synopsis: A group of young people spend the evening in the clubhouse. One of them is Toni, who, as usual, keeps to the background. In the stuffy air of the wood-panelled room they drink, gossip and embarrass each other, while pop songs play in the background. Business as usual. As the night goes on, Toni watches an older couple dancing and starts to wonder what he really wants.

🌟 Qualified through: Winner of German Short Film Award

MERCENAIRE by Pier-Philippe Chevigny (Canada)

🎬 Synopsis: An ex-convict hired at a pig slaughterhouse through a social reintegration program desperately tries to find another job while repressing his inner violence.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/mercenaire.shortfilm/

MERCY by Hedda Mjøen (Norway)

🎬 Synopsis: Guro (37) stumbles upon her old best friend Petter (41). Petter is recently accused of rape and Guro is unsure wether she can still be friends with him, without picking a side in the case.

🌟 Qualified through: The Golden Chair for Best Norwegian Short Film at Norwegian Short Film Festival

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S TALE by María Herrera (Spain)

🎬 Synopsis: Although they barely know each other, Inés and Guille quickly connect on their first date, wanting to watch the sunrise together before falling asleep on a sweltering summer night.

🌟 Qualified through: First Award for Best Short at ALCINE - Festival de Cine de Alcalá de Henares

MONEY TALKS by Tony Mucci (US)

🎬 Synopsis: On the day of Reagan's inauguration, a $100 bill travels through the underbelly of 1981 New York City.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/moneytalksthefilm/

THE MONSTER OF FORTUNE by Manuel Castillo Huber (Spain)

🎬 Synopsis: Madrid 1635. Queen Isabel of Borbón invites writer Calderón de la Barca to her chambers for a dangerous assignment, exploring secret relationships and sexual tension between intellectuals and power.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

THE MOST PERFECT PERSON by Paul Trillo (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Under the pressures of fame and parasocial demands, pop star Poppy relinquishes control to Aura, an AI clone trained on her past content. As Aura begins dictating her every word and action, Poppy battles to reclaim her autonomy.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

THE MOST POWERFUL HUMAN ON EARTH by Andrew Richardson (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: Following chronic depression, Adam suddenly believes he's becoming a superhero; his baffled partner takes him to a couples therapist to address this growing delusion.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

MOTHER by Mariia Felenko (Ukraine)

🎬 Synopsis: At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Katya decides to leave her hometown and take her mother, but mother is getting her nails done.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/film.mother/

MOTI by Yash Saraf (India)

🎬 Synopsis: At the start of the pandemic, a family in Kolkata discovers their pet dog Moti has turned into a boy – leading to a journey of ridiculous science and absurd evolution, all in search of a new normal.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/moti_themovie/

THE MOURNING OF by Merced Elizondo (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A woman grieves her mother's death by secretly attending strangers' funerals, but her inability to move on finally catches up with her.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Live Action at St. Louis International Film Festival

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/themourningofmovie/

MUSHROOM DAD by Michael Yuchen Lei (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A young chef must care for his Chinese-immigrant father who accidentally consumes psychedelic mushrooms on opening night of his restaurant.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/mushroom-dad/

MY KIND OF PEOPLE by Joe Picozzi (US)

🎬 Synopsis: After a DNA test uncovers his father's adoption, a proud paesano from Providence, Rhode Island grapples with the revelation that he's not actually Italian American, and never has been.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

→ Continue to Part 2 (N–Z)

Get your personalised film festival strategy and submit with one click. Register now.

Related Pages:

• Complete List of Oscar-Qualified Animated Short Films 2026
• How to Qualify for the Oscars (Live Action Short Films)