Shorts Animation Competition 2

Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Animation Competition

Our world begins with looking even before we speak. So does animation. Our International Animation Competition films this year look for a world and human condition that is hospitable and good to live in. Whether a boy is looking for love after his parents' divorce, a neighborhood seeking a surreal connection, or a person trying to cope with a multitasking day, the search is always on the horizon.

On the other hand, they also remind us of what these characters have to endure: uneasy memories, a world in turmoil, and even frauds masquerading as political leaders. From folk tales to moral dilemmas and experimental output, contemporary animation shorts (in 2D, 3D, and stop-motion animation) visualize our everyday fears and aspirations. Coming from both newcomers and established filmmakers, they create a pattern of artistic relevance in an age of increasing uncertainty about truth and importance. The animation films here are bold, strongly crafted, and they tell a clear story.

Screenings

4th Lux Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening060416 / Shorts anima võistlusprogramm 2
Q&A duration
Screening duration

Films

Baltic premiere

Water Girl

Local title
Veetüdruk
Original title
Fille de l’eau
Director
Sandra Desmazières
Country
France, Netherlands, Portugal
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Animation Competition

Mia has spent her whole life freediving, fishing and gliding through seaweed and rocks. Time has passed, tracing its lines on her body, and shaping the landscapes around her. Loved ones have vanished. Tonight, Mia remembers.

Director
Sandra Desmazières
Runtime
Language
no dialogue

Baltic premiere

Once in a Body

Local title
Oli kord üks keha
Original title
Una vez en un cuerpo
Director
María Cristina Pérez
Country
Colombia, USA
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Animation Competition

While dealing with a strange being that lives inside her, a woman seeks to reconcile with her sister over an incident from their adolescence. By exploring the experiences they share through their bodies, she manages to confront the nature of what inhabits her.

Director
María Cristina Pérez
Runtime
Language
Spanish
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

Witness: An Organima Film

Local title
Tunnistaja
Director
Nik Arthur
Country
Canada
Year
2024
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Animation Competition

Witness: An Organima Film' is an experimental animation short film that captures the sentience in small life-forms: ancient beings on stone, an intelligent water droplet, and spirits of sunlight. Crafted with a novel animation approach that asks natural materials to guide their own story, elemental archives move the viewer to question the nature of human purpose and renew their child-like vision.

Director
Nik Arthur
Runtime
Language
no dialogue
Subtitles
English

Estonian premiere

Il burattino e la balena

Local title
Puunukk ja vaal
Director
Roberto Catani
Country
France, Italy
Year
2024
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Animation Competition

Story of a puppet who doesn't become a child.

Director
Roberto Catani
Runtime
Language
no dialogue

Baltic premiere

Tonight I’ll Dream About Water

Local title
Täna öösel näen unes vett
Original title
Dzisiaj przyśni mi się woda
Director
Adrianna Matwiejczuk
Country
Poland, Estonia
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Animation Competition

A young swimmer's life changes drastically when she begins to suspect that what she loves most is actually her greatest threat. A dark tale of what lies beneath the surface.

Director
Adrianna Matwiejczuk
Runtime

Estonian premiere

Praying Mantis

Local title
Palvetajaritsikas
Director
Joe Hsieh
Country
Taiwan
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Animation Competition

A mysterious woman prowls the city at night, drawing men into her web as she explores the dark depths of maternal instincts.

Director
Joe Hsieh
Runtime
Language
Mandarin
Subtitles
English