Student Competition 5

1. Susurros 07:27 France 2025
   

   Directed:	Alexandra Pewinski, Marie Lombard, Florian Reignier, Emma Pluchard, Lisa Francillon, Alice Parmentier
   Screenplay:	Alexandra Pewinski
   Production:	Philippe Meis
   Dialogue Language:	English

   
   

   From the witch hunts of 17th-century Europe to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States in 2022, Susurros follows the story of two women faced with a pregnancy they did not choose. Separated by four centuries, Maria and Adeleida see their destinies echo each other inevitably. In the shadow of obscurantism, history repeats itself.

2. Tumbleweed 06:53 2025
   

   Directed:	Johanna BOUAOUICHE, Louis CREUZET, Marie HAREUX, Wilson HINH, Arthus MARIET, Masha MORAN
   Production:	Cécile Blondel

   
   

   Amidst fields of Arabica beans, Hurle, a young woman, dreams of a future beyond the coffee shop where she works to support her mother. Her life is disrupted when she goes in pursuit of an eccentric petty thief who will turn her daily life upside down.

3. Turn It Up? 02:20 Sri Lanka 2025
   

   Dialogue Language:

   English

   
   

   “Turn It Up?” follows a puppet on a casual drive through the desert when a strange clunk sound. Instead of checking the problem, he simply turns up the volume and trying to drown the noise. But the sound doesn’t stop. A match-cut twist reveals the puppet’s car now in a mechanic’s place beside a cemetary, delivering a darkly humorous reminder that ignoring small problems can lead to deadly consequences.

4. The discrete shapes / Les formes discrètes 07:17 2026
   

   Directed:	Lou-Ann NONY
   Screenplay:	Lou-Ann NONY
   Production:	ENSAD

   
   

   A sample of an unknown life form is observed by a clinical eye through its many layers. As the loops that animate it unfold, the sample awakens, then bursts apart. The tiny particles contained within the life form organize and harmonize to give rise to a new creature.

5. Decel 06:05 Germany 2025
   

   Directed:	Marius Lübke
   Production:	Tobias Meßenzehl
   Dialogue Language:	No Dialogue

   
   

   A one-hit wonder desperately longs for the boundless success of his past. When he is caught speeding during a car ride, he increasingly loses touch with his reality.

6. Gaia 04:00 Germany 2025
   

   Directed:	Gwenola Heck
   Screenplay:	Gwenola Heck
   Production:	Luba Popova
   Dialogue Language:	French

   
   

   Gaïa is a living planet whose body is inhabited by humans. As its resources begin to diminish, her inhabitants attempt to fertilize her egg to create another planet - a new habitat. But Gaïa intervenes and prevents their attempt at fertilization.

7. A Sparrow's Song 09:10 Germany 2025
   

   Directed:	Tobias Eckerlin
   Screenplay:	Tobias Eckerlin
   Production:	Tobias Eckerlin
   Dialogue Language:	No Dialogue

   
   

   Inspired by a true story, a widowed air raid warden in the midst of World War II struggles to overcome grief and rediscover joy in her life—until she finds a dying sparrow she hopes to save.

8. Night with The Demon / Noche con el demonio 03:30 2025
   

   Directed:	Santiago Montes Pardo
   Production:	Jeannette Alejandra Rodriguez Virviescas

   
   

   A demon saxophone player goes on a crisis after another lackluster gig. Alone in the city, he'll venture in a surreal and colorful journey of self discovery and musical passion.

9. Staring into the void / Вглядываясь в пустоту 15:13 Russian Federation 2025
   

   Directed:	Egor Balalin
   Screenplay:	Egor Balalin
   Dialogue Language:	No Dialogue

   
   

   The assistant robot diligently maintains order aboard the spaceship. Circumstances compel it to embark on a journey, at the end of which it discovers profound truths about itself and the universe around it.

10. A Grey Day in June 05:10 2026
    

    Directed:	Yash Kumar
    Screenplay:	Yash Kumar
    Dialogue Language:	English, Hindi

    
    

    It’s a short film about a day in childhood, an odd day, a day to grieve, a beautiful day. The film follows a young narrator Sonu as a family visit transitions from the simple joys of childhood games to the solemn reality of his great-grandmother’s final moments.

11. Joust / Párbaj 03:34 2026
    

    Directed:	Zsuzsanna Simon
    Production:	Melinda Kiss
    Dialogue Language:	Hungarian

    
    

    A mosquito ruins a suburban girl’s sleep, turning the night into a life-or-death battle.

12. Error: Connection Lost 05:02 2025
    

    Directed:	Uliana Gromyko
    Screenplay:	Uliana Gromyko
    Production:	Uliana Gromyko
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    This autobiographical story portrays the quiet, disorienting experience of a child shaped by the instability of migration. Centered on a brother and sister growing up in Ukraine in the early 2000s, the film follows their move to the Netherlands and their eventual disconnect.

13. GASPAR 13:00 Chile 2025
    

    Directed:	ENRIQUE GUSTAVO TAPIA
    Screenplay:	ENRIQUE GUSTAVO TAPIA montero
    Production:	ENRIQUE gustavo TAPIA montero, BERNARDA ANDREA ARAYA TAPIA, ISIDORA PAZ TOBAR AHUMADA
    Dialogue Language:	English, Spanish

    
    

    "Gaspar" In the stillness of his routine, Gaspar an elderly man immersed in solitude repeats a daily gesture, heavy with meaning: he toasts with an empty glass in front of a general’s portrait. An imaginary wine that only appears when guilt surfaces, and the emotional abyss consuming him becomes unavoidable. Trapped in denial and regret over a difficult period in Chile’s history, his life seems frozen in suspended time. But an unexpected encounter with his past rekindles latent guilt and persistent remorse, forcing him to confront the emotions he has repressed throughout his existence. Set in a fragmented CHILE, Gaspar’s silent ritual speaks of absence, memory, and an emotionally divided country. This stop-motion short film, devoid of dialogue, is steeped in visual poetry. Through striking imagery and delicate symbolism, it explores the protagonist’s inner emptiness. Every element of the set from misaligned paintings to fragile textures and the wine that evokes unhealed wounds tells its own story. How many souls like Gaspar hide behind pride and silence?

14. Bark and Bone 05:00 New Zealand 2025
    

    Directed:	Matthew Viljoen
    Screenplay:	Matthew Barrie Bryan Viljoen
    Dialogue Language:	English

    
    

    A grumpy skeletons peaceful retirement is upended when a playful stray dog steals his arm.