Shorts Live-Action Competition 4

Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

The films in this year’s International Competition meet at the intersection of what many of us need in the current social climate. On the one hand, cinema is there inform and provoke us – to make us think about the world and change our perspectives. But cinema is also there to help us escape, to let us throw off the shackles of everyday life and run free in a space devoid of judgement and worry. These shorts do an admirable job on both counts. There are powerful and emotional works, showing determination in the face of insurmountable odds. There are films which make us laugh and delight in the ridiculousness of everyday life and interactions.

But whether they stir us into a fit of righteous indignation or make us squeal with joy (or, indeed, sometimes both) these are films are rooted in the human spirit and raging against the dying of the light with passion, fire and – on occasion – tenderness.

With many of the shorts on offer giving POFF audiences the first chance to experience them in the world, the International Competition is a journey of discovery of exciting new cinema and new voices.

Screenings

Hall 2 Kino Artis
Screening071720 / Shorts lühifilmi võistlusprogramm 4
Q&A duration
Screening duration

Films

International premiere

Weekend

Local title
Nädalalõpp
Original title
Savaitgalis
Director
Rytis Dringelis
Country
Lithuania
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

After a breakup, thirty-year-old Mykolas moves back in with his parents and rushes to rent out the apartment he once shared with his girlfriend. As he navigates the complexities of family life, the arrival of new tenants brings back memories of what once was.

Director
Rytis Dringelis
Runtime
Language
Lithuanian
Subtitles
English

World premiere

Rotten

Local title
Saast
Director
Asli Bildirici
Country
Netherlands
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

At her father’s Turkish supermarket in the Netherlands, Zehra clashes with outspoken customer Pelin—only to discover she's a fellow Turk. As political rhetoric blares from the radio, the line between loyalty and identity starts to rot.

Director
Asli Bildirici
Runtime
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

Barbed Wire

Local title
Okastraat
Director
Gustavo de Carvalho
Country
Brazil
Year
2024
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

In Brazil’s rural countryside, two sisters and their new stepfather are forced to spend an evening in the emergency room of a hospital, facing complex encounters with strangers— while they struggle with their own family dynamics.

Director
Gustavo de Carvalho
Runtime
Language
Portuguese
Subtitles
English

World premiere

Three Minutes

Local title
Kolm minutit
Original title
Tres Minutos
Director
Sofía Medrano
Country
Argentina
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

Recently moved in together, Magnolia and Cecilia face the anxiety of waiting for the result of a pregnancy test. For three minutes, the world stops and time stretches; silence and uncertainty become an abyss separating them from the moment that could change everything.

Director
Sofía Medrano
Runtime
Language
Spanish
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

Bloomer

Local title
Viga
Director
Jimmy Zwedberg
Country
Sweden
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

Pascal films a youth gang at a skatepark and develops a mutual attraction with Joel. Persuaded by Joel’s charm, he invites him home to edit film. Once there, Pascal questions his decision, realizing Joel is only seventeen, and his initial doubts resurface...

Director
Jimmy Zwedberg
Runtime
Language
Swedish
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

Mesopotamia, TX

Local title
Mesopotaamia, TX
Director
Lucy Gamades
Country
USA
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

Two strangers wait for a Solar Eclipse amid a crowd of eclectic Texans.

Director
Lucy Gamades
Runtime
Language
English
Subtitles
English