The Fling
Country: Australia
Directed by: Jemma Cotter
Produced by: Brett Tinning, Jemma Cotter
Synopsis: This hybrid stop-motion horror rom-com about two women at a fancy restaurant shows us that love is a many tentacled thing.
Qualifying win: Yoram Gross Animation Award at Sydney Film Festival
Forevergreen
Country: United States
Directed by: Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears
Produced by: Steph Gortz, Jennifer Gandrup Sackheim
Synopsis: An orphaned bear cub finds a home with a fatherly evergreen tree until his hunger leads him to danger.
Qualifying win: Best Animated Short at AFI Fest
Fracti
Countries: Romania, Switzerland
Directed by: Lavinia Petrache
Produced by: Lavinia Petrache
Synopsis: Humans live their routines inside an ethereal village floating in the sky. What happens when one of them causes the world to end?
Qualifying win: Best Romanian Film at Animest International Animation Film Festival (Romania)
Free the Chickens
Countries: Slovakia, Czech Republic
Directed by: Matus Vizar
Produced by: Tomáš Hrubý, Jakub Viktorín; Nutprodukce, 365 Production
Synopsis: When their mission to free some chickens goes wrong, four animal activists are forced to flee into the jungle, where they face a variety of extreme situations and discover that nature is not always the best place for animals.
Qualifying win: Best Animated Short Film at Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia (Spain)
Gigi
Country: France
Directed by: Cynthia Calvi
Produced by: Luc Camilli; XBO Films
Synopsis: From the tormented little mermaid to the fulfilled woman she is today, Gigi tells us about her gender transition with humor and sensitivity.
Qualifying win: Helen Hill Animated Short Jury Award at New Orleans Film Festival
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Country: Canada
Directed by: Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski
Produced by: Julie Roy, Marc Bertrand, Christine Noël; Clyde Henry Productions, National Film Board of Canada
Synopsis: In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul.
Qualifying win: Best Canadian Short Film at Toronto International Film Festival
Glasshouse
Country: Hungary
Directed by: Sárdi Katalin
Produced by: Fülöp József
Synopsis: Glasshouse is a metaphorical stage for the creator’s inner world, in which three characters, two actresses and a director embody different emotions. They meet here to shoot a film, but the process has an unexpected impact on all three.
Qualifying win: Best Hungarian Animation at Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival (Hungary)
Grit
Directed by: Abdulazeez Alrefai
Produced by: Axiamotion
Synopsis: A story of courage, loss, and the strength to carry on. Through Noor and her horse Farah, Grit explores how love and resilience guide us through life’s hardest moments.
Hairy Legs
Country: Canada
Directed by: Andrea Dorfman
Produced by: Liz Cowie, Rohan Fernando; National Film Board of Canada
Synopsis: Hairy Legs, an animated short film, documents a 13-year-old girl’s small yet life-changing act of rebellion on the road to womanhood and feminism. Deciding not to shave her legs led filmmaker Andrea Dorfman to question and ultimately defy society’s expectations.
Qualified by exhibition.
Hands
Country: Russia
Directed by: Artem Martirosian
Produced by: Artem Martirosian, Dmitry Kupriyanov
Synopsis: A boy’s nervous attempt to touch a girl’s hand turns into an imagined adventure — a story of emotions told entirely through expressive gestures.
Helen
Country: United Kingdom
Directed by: Lydia Kenton, Esme Prior
Produced by: Bournemouth University National Centre for Computer Animation
Synopsis: This motion-capture short hopes to convey themes of obsession, distress and isolation which may be generated by the disorder. The story unfolds as Helen finds herself mentally trapped, having locked herself away in the bathroom of a student house party. Taunted by her own reflection, Helen cannot see what others see as she tries to escape the body created in her mind.
Humantis
Country: United States
Directed by: Paris Baillie
Produced by: Paris Baillie
Synopsis: Humantises are masters of deception. But can they hide from change? When one Humantis unexpectedly goes through a physical transformation, it struggles to adapt and grow into its new self.
Qualifying win: Grand Jury Prize (Animated Short) at AFI Fest
Hunting
Country: Switzerland
Directed by: Lea Favre
Produced by: Jean-Guillaume Sonnier, Clémence Pun, Paolo Moretti; École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne
Synopsis: A young girl goes on a hunt — not for animals but for a perfect documentary shot. She learns how to be alert, invisible, ready to capture that one special moment, such as a romantic kiss, a unique gesture or a glint in the eye. However, this charming animation quickly veers off the safe path.
Qualifying wins: Silver Dragon for Best Short Animated Film at Krakow Film Festival (Poland); Best Film (International Competition) at Fantoche International Animation Film Festival (Switzerland)
Hurikán
Countries: Czechia, France, Slovakia, Bosnia
Directed by: Jan Saska
Produced by: Kamila Dohnalová, Martin Vandas, Alena Vandasová, Antoine Liétout, Ivan Zuber, Juraj Krasnohorský, Mladen Đukić; Maur films, Laïdak Films, Last Films, Artichoke, Aeon Production
Synopsis: Hurikán rushes out to save his favorite beer stand from closure by fetching a new keg to impress the bartender he has a crush on. In a wild Prague district, he faces robbers, cops, and his own thirst.
Qualifying win: Best Animated Short at HollyShorts Film Festival
