Student Competition 2

1. The Shell / Skalet 04:00 Sweden 2025
   

   Directed:	Emil Hamberg
   Screenplay:	Emil Hamberg
   Production:	Emil Hamberg
   Dialogue Language:	Swedish

   
   

   A man is relaxing on the couch when something flies into the living room window. First one, then many more crash in and slowly slide down the glass pane. After the protagonist reluctantly opens the window, he is engulfed by the creatures and sucked into another world. There, he is forced to find a way to get back to the safety of his home.

2. Rock Shanty 03:51 2024
   

   Directed:	Ofentse MakhazaFlynn Bunyan
   Screenplay:	Flynn Bunyan
   Production:	The Animation School
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   Rock Shanty follows the whimsical, if not wacky tale of Sorbet the Siren and her attempts to lure in the fisherman, Flounder to eat for her dinner using her feminine charms and magical singing voice. Only to be thwarted by Flounder's son Gelato in a ridiculous but clever fashion as he counters her magic with an epic guitar solo. Luring his dad back in towards a back-and-forth battle of music and wit.

3. More Than A Sword 03:53 2024
   

   Directed:	Astrid Bruce
   Screenplay:	Astrid Bruce
   Production:	The Animation School
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   Juniper, a fiery young girl, discovers that her chicken has been stolen by a dragon. Juniper takes the opportunity to prove her heroic abilities and embarks on a quest to save her chicken. She manages to catch the dragon by surprise and attacks the dragon. Juniper hears clucking and sees her chicken is safe and Juniper realises that the dragon was lonely due to being isoalted and Juniper, normally emotionally distant, feels empathetic and finds commonality with the dragon. Juniper connects to someone for the first time and releases the dragon and she, the dragon, and the chicken embark on a new adventure, together.

4. Leapt Niches 03:56 2024
   

   Directed:	Dominique Spies
   Screenplay:	Dominique Spies
   Production:	The Animation School

   
   

   Six-year-old orphan Allie is picked up at the docks by her sequestered grandfather, Gram Pops, in his fantastical deep-sea exploration submarine. Awkwardly, they try to connect, but Allie draws over his precious space with crayons. When Gram Pops confiscates them, she sneaks into his office to steal them back, triggering the light and scaring herself with his eerie specimen collection. Gram Pops, realizing what happened, decides to show her something beautiful. He playfully leads her to the wheelhouse, where a wondrous display of bioluminescent squid lights up the deep sea. Allie takes his hand, beginning their beautiful and hopeful bond.

5. Fruits and Nuts 03:52 South Africa 2024
   

   Directed:	Kira Meiring
   Screenplay:	Danny Hendriksz
   Production:	The Animation School
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   Transgender swimmer and university student, Cooper, compares his lack of bulge to his cisgender teammates – specifically the King of Masculinity: Rio. He’s larger in every way, and Cooper notices. His dysphoria grows when Rio openly judges him for his small stature at their first swim meet. Cooper turns to an unconventional solution, only to find he’s not alone in his insecurity. Rio isn’t such a baller after all…

6. Mis Fantasmas 03:00 Argentina 2025
   

   Directed:	Enzo Digiano
   Production:	Enzo Digiano
   Dialogue Language:	Spanish

   
   

   Renzo is a young man who suffers from chronic insomnia. Isolated and unable to sleep, his nights become increasingly strange when ghostly figures begin to appear in his room.

7. Replace 06:43 Poland 2025
   

   Directed:	Ewelina Duffy
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   The unhappy protagonist’s life is consumed by relentless work, fueled by energy drinks. A brief interaction with a self-checkout machine transports her into a dreamlike world where anything seems possible. An escape from the hardships of everyday life into a technological world free from fear and responsibility gives her a sense of freedom and ease. The lines between everyday life and fantasy begin to blur. While technology offers an alluring freedom from obligation, it also forces her to confront a deeper question: what is her place in a world driven by total automation?

8. The Dreaming World 04:25 2025
   

   Directed:	Alexi Scheiber
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   The dreaming world emerges in a series of vignettes in the form of animation painting over live action spaces. Spaces are de-paved and re-wilded. Cars are removed and formerly quiet suburban spaces become bustling with life.

9. Metanoia Beauty Is More Than Your Skin 06:51 Indonesia 2025
   

   Directed:	Nurmalita Melati Aryaputri
   Screenplay:	Nurmalita Melati Aryaputri
   Production:	Nurmalita Melati Aryaputri
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   Luna is a woman with vitiligo who dreams of becoming a model.

10. The Paper / 잃어버린 종이 03:10 South Korea 2024
    

    Directed:	Hyeonkyeong Heo
    Screenplay:	Hyeonkyeong Heo
    Production:	Hyeonkyeong Heo
    Dialogue Language:	Korean

    
    

    In the chaotic rhythm of a mundane subway, a single paper falls to the floor and begins an unexpected journey, searching for the person who lost it. Caught in the rhythmic pulse of urban life, this paper drifts among strangers—some glancing, others completely absorbed in their digital worlds, unaware of the stories unfolding around them. What appears to be nothing more than crumpled trash to hurried passersby might actually be something irreplaceable to someone else. In a world where people are increasingly disconnected, could this wandering piece of paper help someone find not just what they've lost, but perhaps something they never knew they needed? The Paper reflects on feelings of disconnection and alienation in the urban landscape, while exploring the value of overlooked connections. When the subway doors open and the crowds disperse, perhaps what we're all heading for isn't the next station, but the moment when someone finally sees our true value.

11. Hephaestus and Aphrodite 08:07 United States 2025
    

    Directed:	Daniel R Allen
    Screenplay:	Daniel R Allen
    Production:	Daniel R Allen, Devin Bell, Andrea Juare
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    In the Ancient Greek myths from old antiquity, many songs were sung of Hephaestus and Aphrodite. Their fraught marriage, full of jealousy and wrath, spurred each other Into lies and betrayal. But the muse’s whisper of another tale. An unexpected love, between the hurt and the lost finding solace in each other This re-imagining takes a new spin on one of most unexplored relationships in all of Greek Mythology, delving into the untold romance of Hephaestus and Aphrodite. Being the god of craftsmanship and artisans, Hephaestus embodies passion for one's work. This is a form of love, and one not often associated with Aphrodite. But it is a connection they share. This is the story of the unexplored connection.

12. BEYOND WORDS / AU-DELÀ DES MOTS 05:51 2025
    

    Directed:	BARBANNAUD Antoine / CHEYNEL Thémys / PONCELET Damien / LEIJNEN Leandro / GUEUSSET Romain / BUISSON Cyril/ TIPREZ Lilou / VERGUGHT Timothé/ MERLET Théo/ DE SAUVECANNE Mathis / HAUY Anthonin
    Dialogue Language:	English, French

    
    

    In a viking world, a girl’s mother goes to battle following her husband’s death. But the emotions stemming from this distance haunt them and mysterious wolves appear..

13. Byakko 08:21 2024
    

    Directed:	Sofia Belen Saraleguy
    Production:	Sofia Belen Saraleguy, Aldana Pisano
    Dialogue Language:	Spanish

    
    

    In an old forest sanctuary, a brave samurai goes in search of the creature responsible for numerous disappearances, not knowing that she would find in its darkness, a world beyond her understanding, which will lead her to a struggle between her life and her mission.

14. Dance Again 14:08 Singapore 2025
    

    Directed:	Charon Chong
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    Since young, Faris had always wanted to be a dancer, but had to abandon his dream due to poverty. His mother, Liang, suffers from young-onset dementia and no longer recognises her son, only remembering him as a dancing child in photos. Spurred by his mother's wish to see him perform, Faris rehearses her favourite dance and performs in front of her, when she finally recognises him.

15. Letting Go / Marcharse 06:00 2025
    

    Directed:	Miguel Medrano Malo
    Screenplay:	Miguel Medrano Malo, Lucía Sampedro, Cristian Cantos, Lauren Gonzalez, Andrea Ferrero, Javier Mansilla, Aracelly Solís
    Production:	Máster en Animación de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
    Dialogue Language:	Spanish

    
    

    Ale leaves his life behind and arrives in a new city to study at University. A cloud of thoughts follows him, causing him to make comparisons between what he has and what he no longer has. In his routine of comings and goings on the subway, he will end up hitting bottom, to then try to come to terms with his thoughts, until they stop weighing him down. In short, learn to let go.

16. Fanophobia (Student Project Edition) 07:16 Indonesia 2025
    

    Directed:	K. Dio Lalas
    Screenplay:	Zia Tradyan Rafan Aviseena, Gabriela Cathleen Maximus
    Production:	Kiranya Naddakalila, Natasya Fatimah
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    YourGuyFanFan is a charismatic VTuber streaming on Zwitch, although behind the screen he's a very shy and timid person named Max. On one night when he was just finishing up his stream, he discovered that his real name (Max Rafan), and address was leaked online. People started begging YourGuyFanFan for answers which never came. He disappeared from the internet for a year, fearing that his fans would track him down. When he thought he was being followed, he remembered why he became a streamer in the first place- inspired by the tubers who still put themselves out there without revealing their face. After a call of assurance from a friend, moving out to a safer place and getting therapy, he finally got the courage to eventually reveal his face to his audience

17. C.H.E.W / R.Á.G.Ó 05:32 2025
    

    Directed:	Dániel Péter Papp
    Production:	Melinda Kiss
    Dialogue Language:	Hungarian

    
    

    The adventures of a self-aware bubble gum in alternate universes.

18. Indigenous / Bennszülött 08:35 2025
    

    Directed:	Eliza Krecs
    Production:	Melinda Kiss
    Dialogue Language:	Hungarian

    
    

    The story takes place on an island, where a young shipwrecked woman and a native man fall in love.