Competition Shorts

18+

178 mins

Run Time

178 minutes

Enhanced Access

Overview

Part of the Shorts Programmes strand

Grief and heartbreak juxtaposed with renewal and new beginnings shape this year”s short film competition. With films from across the world including Lithuania, France, Iran and Scotland, and featuring powerhouse performances from some of Britain’s finest acting talents, the programme is a showcase for the power of storytelling within a limited runtime. Competing for the £15,000 prize to aid future projects, each film offers hope for cinema and the next generation of talent. – Lillian Crawford

15+

BRUVVAS

World Premiere

BRUVVAS

SHE’s in a hole. Being with HE again is the only thing that can pull her out. As she re-enters the playground of their last morning together, she must accept that some endings can’t be changed, baked beans or not....

World Premiere

Katie McGuinness

2026

15 mins

15+

Grief Room

World Premiere

Grief Room

Three estranged sisters reunite at their sharp-tongued mother’s deathbed to say goodbye. Using experimental tech to interpret their mother’s thoughts, the youngest becomes convinced of an urgent, final message they must uncover....

World Premiere

Sindha Agha

2026

15 mins

Finding Home at the Pianodrome

World Premiere

Finding Home at the Pianodrome

The Pianodrome is a project that takes donated pianos, fixes them up, and “adopts” them out or recycles them into new uses such as the titular Pianodrome. Devon, a filmmaker, comes to the Pianodrome seeking to make a film about...

World Premiere

Devon Peterson

2026

9 mins

18+

KIND

World Premiere

KIND

A 16-minute dark comedy critiquing virtue culture, in which a privileged man presents himself as a champion of the marginalised, until his moral posturing is put to the test. Passed over for promotion by a Black colleague, his veneer of...

World Premiere

Jenny Carson

2026

16 mins

Lift Me Up

World Premiere

Lift Me Up

On the eve of her husband's birthday, Esther struggles to come to terms with an impending event....

World Premiere

Tomisin Adepeju

2025

15 mins

15+

Small One

World Premiere

Small One

Two sisters, two potential pregnancies. When Mia travels to Denmark for what seems like an idyllic holiday with her older sister June, who is struggling through IVF, their bond is tested as Mia’s true reason for the trip emerges: to...

World Premiere

Anne-Sofie Lindgaard

2026

25 mins

15+

Saba

World Premiere

Saba

Caught between his estranged parents' silence, a young boy embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Through a series of mysterious phone calls, he adopts new personas, escaping his reality and exploring the identity of who he dreams of becoming....

World Premiere

Shahin Gorgani

2026

15 mins

12A

Surplace

World Premiere

Surplace

On prom night, graduate Inga discovers that her boyfriend Kęstas is secretly helping a young stranger. As the night unfolds, the youth begins to sense that while they’re celebrating new beginnings, someone is searching for their own path into the...

World Premiere

Rytis Dringelis, Simona Jurkuvėnaitė

2026

14 mins

The Winkle’s Philosophy

World Premiere

The Winkle’s Philosophy

Solange returns to Les Sables d'Olonne, to the house of her recently deceased grandmother, to help her father, Philippe. Since her grandmother's death, communication between them has broken down, and even the shrimp fishing they once enjoyed together now seems...

World Premiere

Zoé Chadeau

2026

18 mins

15+

A Woman of Good Abilities

World Premiere

A Woman of Good Abilities

RACHEL works the nightshift, out of sync with daily life. When she is suspected of stealing from a delivery driver, it creates a fracture in the fragile social support structure she has created. Filled with dread, Rachel risks exposing the...

World Premiere

Mark Chapman

2026

16 mins

Showtimes

No showings available for this film.

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The Winkle’s Philosophy

Solange returns to Les Sables d'Olonne, to the house of her recently deceased grandmother, to help her father, Philippe. Since her grandmother's death, communication...

Zoé Chadeau

2026

18 mins

Surplace

On prom night, graduate Inga discovers that her boyfriend Kęstas is secretly helping a young stranger. As the night unfolds, the youth begins to...

Rytis Dringelis, Simona Jurkuvėnaitė

2026

14 mins

A Woman of Good Abilities

RACHEL works the nightshift, out of sync with daily life. When she is suspected of stealing from a delivery driver, it creates a fracture...

Mark Chapman

2026

16 mins

KIND

A 16-minute dark comedy critiquing virtue culture, in which a privileged man presents himself as a champion of the marginalised, until his moral posturing...

Jenny Carson

2026

16 mins

Finding Home at the Pianodrome

The Pianodrome is a project that takes donated pianos, fixes them up, and “adopts” them out or recycles them into new uses such as...

Devon Peterson

2026

9 mins

Small One

Two sisters, two potential pregnancies. When Mia travels to Denmark for what seems like an idyllic holiday with her older sister June, who is...

Anne-Sofie Lindgaard

2026

25 mins

Lift Me Up

On the eve of her husband's birthday, Esther struggles to come to terms with an impending event....

Tomisin Adepeju

2025

15 mins

Saba

Caught between his estranged parents' silence, a young boy embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Through a series of mysterious phone calls, he adopts...

Shahin Gorgani

2026

15 mins

BRUVVAS

SHE’s in a hole. Being with HE again is the only thing that can pull her out. As she re-enters the playground of their...

Katie McGuinness

2026

15 mins

Grief Room

Three estranged sisters reunite at their sharp-tongued mother’s deathbed to say goodbye. Using experimental tech to interpret their mother’s thoughts, the youngest becomes convinced...

Sindha Agha

2026

15 mins