Shorts Animation Competition 1

Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2026

The short animated world and the films in the program unsurprisingly (capably and eloquently) reflect contemporary worries about our common life – on Earth and beyond. They imagine cases where our dear environment has become hotter or less secure – and people still need to have the best of it, employing a mockumentary-like, deadpan humor. They move into outer space (in flying colors) to celebrate individual happiness and the joy of being different, then come back to Earth (first stops: the Balkans and Belgium) to lighten family affairs (daddy and mommy issues, anyone?). Our common societal troubles aren't left out: hand-drawn animated protests, puppet immigrants, Venetian architecture, a terribly busy Asian metro, a too-toxic (and hilarious) animal friendship, and a New Year's Eve cut-out, meditative Polish encounter. A certain need to connect runs through all programmes – sometimes expressed experimentally, or even in singing form. Stay visually tuned. - Vassilis Kroustallis

Screenings

Hall 2 Kino Artis
Screening052217 / Shorts anima võistlusprogramm 1
Q&A duration
Screening duration

Films

Boundaries

Local title
Piirid
Original title
경계
Director
Seun YEE
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2026
Programme
Genre
Subject

When a bus seat is pushed too far back, the person behind begins to question the boundaries and significance of the space we all inhabit.

Director
Seun YEE
Screenwriter
Seun YEE
Producer
Seun YEE
Editing
Seun YEE
Music
Jan Šikl
Sound
Jan Šikl
Runtime
Language

Visit into Irradiated Land

Local title
Külaskäik radioaktiivsele alale
Original title
Visite en terre irradiée
Director
Anne-Sophie Girault
Country
Year
2026
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2026
Programme
Genre
Subject

Sophie guides visitors through the exclusion zone around the Golfech nuclear plant in southern France. Years after the disaster, she outfits tourists in protective suits and leads gyropod tours across irradiated land where decontamination teams still work.

Director
Anne-Sophie Girault
Screenwriter
Anne-Sophie Girault
Producer
Philippe Aussel
Cast
Claire Contival
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

Acid City

Local title
Happeline linn
Director
Jack Wedge, Will Freudenheim
Country
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2026
Programme
Subject

It is a documentary about a fictional city in the middle of a great acidic ocean. The film follows a film crew over the course of one day, as they interview and document what life is like in the isolated city. The film is composed of real interviews conducted across NYC, ranging from regular people on the street, to water scientists and emergency responders, as well as invented characters. The film is an exploration of the city's resilient and self-sufficient nature, as well as its relationship to water and extreme heat through both a practical and spiritual lens.

Director
Jack Wedge, Will Freudenheim
Screenwriter
Jack Wedge
Producer
Laser Days Studio Brown, Tom Brown
Cast
Jack Wedge
Cinematographer
Jack Wedge
Editing
Kima Hilbert
Sound
Matthew Ericson
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

Wildfire Wandering

Local title
Uitav tulelõõsk
Original title
野火梦游
Director
Kang Zhang
Country
Year
2026

After failing her college entrance exams and watching her family fall apart, a girl wanders through a city in northern China. She feels desperate in a world that looks glamorous on the outside but is actually dark and oppressive. She tries to find comfort in a mysterious abandoned statue. But this divine statue gives her a sad and meaningful reply — burn yourself.

Director
Kang Zhang
Screenwriter
Kang Zhang
Producer
Aiken Zou
Co-producer
Kang Zhang
Cast
Zhixiao Liu, Yue Chu, Ling Jun
Editing
Kang Zhang
Production Design
Xi Jiu
Composer
Ziyi Yang, Sida Zhao, Ibg
Sound
Yue Zhang
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

Please

Local title
Palun
Director
Anna Mantzaris
Year
2026
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2026
Programme
Genre
Subject

The film is a dark comedy about humankind’s desire to love and to be loved. An animated short centred around neediness, intimacy and romance.

Director
Anna Mantzaris
Screenwriter
Anna Mantzaris
Producer
Johan Edström, Erika Forzy, Caroline Audebert, Marc Bodin-Joyeux, Radim Procházka, Lise Fernley, Jani Lehto
Co-producer
Erika Forzy, Caroline Audebert, Marc Bodin-Joyeux, Radim Procházka, Lise Fearnley, Tonje Skar Reiersen
Cast
Stellan Skarsgård, Molly Nilsson, Ika Nord, Jonatan Unge, Johan Edström
Editing
Anna Mantzaris
Sound
Jani Lehto, Böhle Studios
Runtime
Language