Director: Kağan Bilgin
Country: Turkey
Length: 5’
Institute: Doğa Koleji
Synopsis: A person dives into deep thoughts and swings between the presence and absence of water. Single water drops penetrate the soil. People and creatures come to life...
Profile: A 17-year-old writer, cinematographer, producer, and director. A young talent who has personally realized all his films, from the wavelength-frequency of a Fresnel light, to the key grip, from the performer's custom-designed costumes to locations and permits. He defines his films as feelings materialized into tangible forms. He is also a film teacher and art popularizer.
Director: Winsanda Kularathne
Country: Sri Lanka
Length: 4’20”
Institute: St. Aloysius College, Ratnapura
Synopsis: The motionless world is the environment where we live. It contains the environment, animals, plants, rivers, mountains, gardens and shade. The unmoving world is essential to our lives as it allows us to breathe, eat, drink water and live well. In order to be able to do so, we have to protect it.
Profile:Winsanda Kularathne is a rising teenage filmmaker known for her passion for storytelling and for her fresh, creative approach to filmmaking. At the very young age of 16 years, Winsanda has already written, directed, filmed, and edited several short films, many of which have been featured in local film festivals and online platforms.
Director: Renee Shi
Country: USA
Length: 3’22”
Institute: Langley High School
Synopsis: In Another Life follows a young woman and her lover’s lives, focusing on the difficulties that mark them. Each death – just like any rebirth – is brutal and tragic. The main character manages to find peace and earn some rest, ending this cycle while thinking back to her past lives. The story takes us on a journey through different lives, through history, until death is accepted unconditionally.
Profile: Renee Shi is the daughter of two first-generation Asian immigrants. At the age of 15, she is currently a student at Langley High School. She is a National YoungArts Award winner and has twice received Scholastic Arts and Writing National Awards. She loves writing, drawing, animating, and crocheting. Several of her animations have won “Best Animated Film” at various international film festivals. She also founded the non-profit organization “Girls Against Gun Violence” to support victims of gun violence.
Director: Enrico Adinolfi
Country: Italy
Length: 5’38”
Institute: Liceo Scientifico Statale Galileo Galilei – Catania
Synopsis: Sergei Kotov, a student at the Galileo Galilei High School in Catania, recalls a crucial memory from 2009, when his classmates made a choice that could have changed the course of their studies. In a desperate move, they hid their exam papers to avoid failing. However, the burden of guilt began to weigh on Giulia, prompting her to reconsider her actions.
Profile: Enrico Adinolfi is a 16-year-old Italian director who has nurtured a deep passion for cinema since childhood. Gifted with a keen artistic sensibility, he writes and directs intense, moving stories, tackling universal themes such as love, guilt, sacrifice, and the struggle against one’s fears. His works are characterized by an authentic, poetic style that profoundly touches audiences. Among his short films are La Scelta Giusta, La Fiamma d’Amore, and ASH.
Director: Jack Hinz
Country: Australia
Length: 6’59”
Institute: Brisbane State High School
Synposis: After experiencing the confronting realities of cow farming as a child, Anthony Walsgott left his career as a lawyer and purchased a pristine 120-acre property on Queensland’s Mary River, which is now home to Australia’s largest cow sanctuary.
Profile: Jack Hinz, a 17-year-old filmmaker from Brisbane, Australia, is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of those less fortunate than himself through the power of storytelling and film.
Director: Alexandru Cleo Bejenari
Country: Sweden
Length: 9’11”
Institute: Tumba Gymnasium
Synopsis: In an expensive augmented reality simulation, a widow has the chance to see her deceased spouse again after many years — but only for one day, as she cannot afford to repeat the experience.
Profile: An eighteen-year-old born in Eastern Europe, Cleo Alexandru Bejenari is an upper secondary school student in Sweden. Cleo discovered a passion for directing and loves blending all the elements of a film into one cohesive concept. His interest in social criticism stemmed from his family’s forced relocation. The new country revealed its own grim realities, which Cleo addresses through critiques of the avaricious system that devastated his family’s homeland following the fall of the Eastern Bloc.
Director: Živa Jermol, Gaia Bizjak Dronjić, Manca Brezavšček Trampuž
Country: Slovenia
Length: 4’40”
Institute: Gimnazija Nova Gorica
Synopsis: The film describes the typical day of a disabled person and addresses the everyday challenges faced. It aims to represent the equality among people.
Profile: Manca Brezavšček Trampuž is a third-year student at Gimnazija Nova Gorica, specializing in film. In Tako tudi mi, she served as an illustrator, soundtrack composer, and editing assistant. Živa Jermol and Gaia Bizjak Dronjić collaborated on two films as part of a workshop organized by Gimnazija Nova Gorica and KinoKašča, under the guidance of Anja Medved and Matej Okroglič. Matej Okroglič works in experimental and documentary film, music videos, animation, and music.
Director: Ali Bagheri
Country: Islamic Republic of Iran
Length: 5’20”
Institute: Madrese Iran
Synopsis: Life is very much like washing one’s hands... Throughout life, with the various events and emotions we experience, our hands take on different shapes and forms. This short film attempts to depict the journey from birth to death through the act of washing one’s hands.
Profile: Ali Bagheri graduated from the Theater Department of Isfahan Fine Arts High School and is currently studying Dramatic Literature at Sooreh University. He has written several plays and short film scripts and is also interested in theater directing. He has worked with a camera since high school, demonstrating a particular aptitude for directing and an eye for cinematography. He is also interested in media and journalism, occasionally writing film reviews. Last year, he directed and completed the short film Cease at Khorshid Hospital in Isfahan.
Director: Catherine Adriana
Country: Indonesia
Length: 8’07”
Institute: Trimurti Senior High School
Synopsis: While following a man until he reaches a small mosque, Theresia is approached by an older woman who urges her to hurry inside and pray. Embarrassed and unable to explain, she enters the mosque. Following the example of the other worshippers, starting with ablutions, she puts on ceremonial garments and proceeds to pray. Meanwhile, she attempts to hide her Catholic identity by concealing the cross beneath her robes and covering her name on her uniform.
Profile: Catherine Adriana was born on March 15, 2007, in Surabaya, Indonesia. She began her journey as a film-loving student, and her passion for cinema led her to join the Fostrim Cinema Lab film organization. She currently serves as the organization’s director for the 2023/2024 term. She made her directorial debut in collaboration with Harf Pictures.
Director: Sophie Aimee Montpellier
Country: Canada
Length: 4’43”
Institute: Etobicoke School of the Arts
Synopsis: Not Far From Here follows a middle-aged couple whose tensions unravel during a dinner and a drive, leading to drastic consequences.
Profile: Sophie Montpellier is a 17-year-old filmmaker from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She has been making films since she was 13 and hopes to pursue a career in the film industry. She is in her final year at the Etobicoke School of the Arts in the film program. Her work often explores themes of loneliness, memory, and complex relationships.
