Shorts Animation Competition 2

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

Screening052219 / Shorts anima võistlusprogramm 2
Q&A duration
Screening duration

Films

With Coffee (Tales With the Letter C)

Local title
With Coffee (C-tähega lugusid)
Original title
Con café (Cuentos con la C)
Director
María Manero Muro, Maria Manero Muro
Country
Year
2026

The film is a unique audiovisual experience that fuses poetry, image, and music to immerse us in the subconscious of a protagonist who embarks on an introspective journey through a surreal world built from random words. A sensation-guided voyage that touches the depths, carried by a subtle aroma of coffee.

Director
María Manero Muro, Maria Manero Muro
Screenwriter
María Manero Muro, Alberto Evangelio, Maria Manero Muro
Co-writer
Alberto Evangelio
Producer
Alberto Evangelio, Javier Abínzano, Pedro Hernández Santos, Benoît Ayraud, Beniwood Productions
Co-producer
Aquí y Allí Films, LARDUX FILMS
Cast
Paola Tejera, André Arôxa
Cinematographer
Célia Benavent
Editing
Maria Manero Muro
Production Design
Paola Tejera
Composer
Pierre Oberkampf
Sound
David Doubtfire
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

Vagabond

Local title
Rändur
Original title
Vagabundo
Director
Susa Monteiro
Country
Year
2026
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2026
Programme
Genre
Subject

A lone man traverses landscapes. We don't know if he runs away from something or if he is returning somewhere. It is absolutely free. He travels, contemplates and dreams.

Director
Susa Monteiro
Screenwriter
Luís Vintem, Susa Monteiro
Producer
José Miguel Ribeiro
Cast
Susa Monteiro
Editing
João Champlon
Editing
João Champlon
Sound
Tiago Rapozinho
Sound
Tiago Rapozinho
Runtime
Language

Sappho

Local title
Sappho
Original title
Safo
Director
Rosana Urbes
Country
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2026
Programme
Genre
Subject

Inspired by the life and work of the poet who lived on the island of Lesbos around 600 B.C., the film Safo establishes a visual dialogue with the fragments of her poems.

Director
Rosana Urbes
Screenwriter
Rosana Urbes
Producer
Rosana Urbes, Letícia Friedrich, Reynaldo Marchesini, Nancy Silva
Cast
Rosana Urbes
Cinematographer
Fernando Ferndandes
Editing
Letícia Hayashi, Samuel Mariani, Renato José Duque
Composer
Gustavo Kurlat, Ruben Feffer
Sound
Gustavo Kurlat, Ruben Feffer
Sound
Gustavo Kurlat, Ruben Feffer
Animation
Rosana Urbes, Fabio Yamaji, Carolina Veirano, Che Marchetti, Gabi Emmerich
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

Three Cups of Coffee

Local title
Kolm tassi kohvi
Original title
Trzy filiżanki kawy
Director
Natalia Krawczuk
Country
Year
2026

On the last evening of the year, the protagonist returns to the city where she once lived, to meet a man with whom she used to share a special bond. In the café where they used to meet regularly years ago, their conversation unfolds to the rhythm set by consecutive sips of black coffee. Three cups become the measure of this meeting – the time needed to recall memories, examine old habits, and try to make sense of what remains unresolved. Through glances, unspoken words, and awkward moments of silence, they make an attempt to come to terms with the past.

Director
Natalia Krawczuk
Screenwriter
Natalia Krawczuk
Producer
Roza Misztela, Anita Kwiatkowska-Naqvi
Cast
Dobromir Dymecki, Julia Wyszynska, Henryk Niebudek
Cinematographer
Jan Pawel Trzaska
Editing
Monika Zawadzka
Composer
Michal Krajczok
Sound
Szymon Straburzynski
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

Paper Daughter

Local title
Pabertütar
Director
Cami Kwan
Country
Year
2026
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2026
Programme
Genre
Subject

Joy, an immigrant from China, enters the U.S. under a false identity as a “Paper Daughter,” memorizing details of a deceased girl named Mae and creating a paper mask in her likeness. Arriving at Angel Island, she faces detention and interrogation, discovering carved poems that echo the struggles of immigrants before her. During questioning, her mask begins to unravel until Mae’s ghost appears, guiding her to answer and helping her pass. With her papers approved, Joy leaves for San Francisco, where Mae’s spirit fades into the wind, urging her to live for them both. Joy steps forward into freedom, carrying Mae’s memory with her.

Director
Cami Kwan
Screenwriter
Cami Kwan
Producer
Brandon Diep Bui
Cast
Rebecca Wang, Amy Clover
Cinematographer
Warren Sheetz
Production Design
Kenny Leoncito, Joyce Lee
Composer
Valeri Ortiz
Runtime
Language
Subtitles

The Flesh Dress

Local title
Nahkne kleit
Original title
La Robe Peau
Director
Joachim Hérissé
Country
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2026
Programme
Genre
Subject

John, an old nostalgic taylor, makes his wife work on dresses out of fashion. A macabre event inspires the designer a new dress gorgeous but freaky…

Director
Joachim Hérissé
Screenwriter
Emma DEGOUTTE, Joachim Hérissé
Producer
Stéphanie Launay, Komawé
Cast
Franck TRILLOT, Laurence HUBY, Aliénor SHREDER
Cinematographer
Simon FILLIOT, William GUILLET, Charles MICHAUDET
Editing
Joachim Hérissé, Nicolas STRETTA
Sound
Geoffroy CANTOU
Runtime
Language
Subtitles