The International Live Action Competition of 2024 take all the old clichés about the short film medium, grabs them by the scruff of the neck and takes them behind the back of the cinema for a good kicking. The short is not the sole domain of those practising before a ‘real film’. Neither is it is an exercise in style over substance. Great shorts pulsate with energy, with inventiveness and creativity often unbound by the restraints of commercialism. With both a insouciant wink and a bold disregard for convention, a short tells us as much about the world and ourselves in 10 minutes than many features can manage in 2 hours. This year’s competition mixes upcoming and provocative voices with more established names whose work proves that the short to feature paradigm doesn’t necessarily always flow in one direction. The films, of all genres, deal with subjects both timely and historical – love, death, war, motherhood, sex and everything else that makes the world go round. But all do so in a myriad of different ways as they showcase not only the power of cinema, but the genius of the medium of short films.

Animation is the art of transformation, and this year's animation competition shorts again transform the personal and the familiar to the universal and the unpredictable. Animation directors are more and more daring to mix styles and themes; a personal family album becomes an experimental memory trace, and overtourism is debated in a semi-fantastic, semi-real sea environment. Time and space change in animation (the number of experimental animation works here testify to that); but still, films and their directors don't shy away from contemporary, traumatic topics -whose news coverage is all over our screens. The old-time familiar issues (e.g. personal relationships, family) are here looked upon in a meticulously twisted angle. Exploitation in the work environment has risen to be the well-placed focus of a number of animation shorts in our programme. Whether in 2D, 3D, stop-motion, or any other technique variation, expect a welcome transformation of our ordinary world perception.

This year's New Talents Live Action collection offers a remarkable showcase of young artists exploring connection, separation, loss, and redemption with surprising sincerity. These new voices seek that "aha" moment, piecing together fragments of broken lives into a coherent whole. Whether through the recognition of one’s fragility, the sweeping vortex of first love, or a nostalgia for something lost that seemed to be the stock of air in your lungs, these short films capture raw emotions that make life worth living. With unique cinematic styles, the films tell profoundly human stories of heroes searching for meaning and connection, revealing raw, heartfelt moments of clarity.

There is a heightened awareness these days, about boundaries. We are told to set them for our own good - they help us avoid discomfort, and create spaces through which we can contextualise the world. They also, however, can limit us. In the 2024 New Talents selection, the limitless nature of animation is used to highlight and cut across the boundaries between creation and destruction, the concrete and the abstract, the past and the present, ourselves and other people. Many films focus on the boundary between parent and child -will our parents understand our desire to bloom? Will they be alright without us? Will they ever stop braiding our hair so tightly? Other films dwell on our bodies. The temples, prisons, and vessels that present a boundary between us and the world we live in, one which we often transcend. The line between real and unreal vanishes, the spaces around us break down and reform, we weave between memories, and buried desires get pulled to the surface like a carrot.

This year's Kids Animation Competition offers stories from real life that all of us can relate to. Whether we have been imprisoned by our smartphones and lost all connection to the outside world, or we are yearning for attention from the people closest to us, or we are living with people who a need different kind of love and affection. Another thing that plays an important role is nature. Living in harmony with nature and caring for it. Even when things become difficult, you can't lose hope. In addition, there are also humorous stories of families, animals and fantasy that speak of vacationing, friendship and feelings. These films make you think, laugh, and experience exciting virtual worlds.

In a year in which Estonian shorts have had a relatively high profile on the international circuit, it is perhaps appropriate that the 2024 edition of the National Competition is proverbially ‘stuffed to the gills’. Displaying a depth of talent and mastery of the cinematic form, the films take the uniqueness of the Estonian ‘spirit’ and tell stories that speak to everyone from across the world. As always many of the films emanate from the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School of Tallinn University – with plenty of directors originating from outside of Estonia. Whilst the aforementioned Estonian spirit still runs strong within them, these different voices also speak to the continuing diversity of Estonia and of the stories that are told. Whilst fiction and documentary are well represented, the large number of Estonian animation films on offer renew the globally visible Estonian tradition and pass the torch from established creators to new, pertinent voices, many of which are authored by students at the Estonian Academy of Arts.

Rebellious short films that explore creativity through a bold, experimental, and often surreal lens.

Doc@Shorts programme is about to take you on another journey into the many forms of creativity, resilience, and transformation. The three cassettes in the programme explore the profound connections between art, identity, and community, showcasing how individual stories resonate far beyond their origins. From the rhythmic labor of Basque weavers merging tradition with the sea's mystery, to a buried album, each film reflects the deep synergy between memory, location, and future. We witness powerful stories of community, from a small Chicago suburb rallying to save a beloved resident’s home to the secret life of a metro driver in a concrete jungle. While the Animated Documentaries take us beyond time, blending narration with metaphorical realms, from isolation to nostalgic and relatable experiences. Through these films, our ability to observe becomes a vital tool for illustrating how creativity, growth, emotional and physical transitions ripple outward and shape lives around us in a way that no other art form can.

Panorama offers the broadest view of the world through short films that offer moments of recognition, challenges, and inspiration.

There are times we have to change the way we move forward. With clever genre shorts, quality dance films and unexpected perspectives to the world around us, the Alternatives is a fun and fearless exploration of how far, low, deep and weird we can go.

In a programme that fuels and recharges, you will find refreshing comedies, short horror stories and a lot of madness.