Director: Anastasia Romanovna Yaroshenko
Country: Russian Federation
Length: 2’28”
Institute: VGIK
Synopsis: A tale as old as time, this story unfolded 2.56 million years ago, during a tempest of unprecedented proportions, with a great teacher at its center. Or perhaps it happened just yesterday, in a cozy armchair under the watchful eye of a therapist. Or maybe it never happened at all, but exists only in the realm of dreams and imagination.
Profile: Anastasia Romanovna Yaroshenko was born on October 27, 2001 in Lipetsk. From 2017 to 2021, she studied at the Lipetsk Regional College of Arts named after K.N. Igumnova, specializing in easel painting. Since 2021, she has been studying “Animation and Computer Graphics Director” at VGIK “S. A. Gerasimova.”
Director: Joey Tangradi
Country: USA
Length: 4’10”
Institute: DeSales University
Synopsis: A boy spirals into panic after coming into contact with his deep-set anxiety.
Profile: Joey Tangradi is a 21-year-old filmmaker majoring in TV/Film at DeSales University. He has worked on 50+ student films as director of photography, camera operator, sound mixer, and more. In addition, Joey has written and directed over 20 short films of his own. He is enthusiastic about continuing his work as new opportunities arise.
Director: John Don
Country: Greece
Length: 3’15”
Institute: Filmschool.gr
Synopsis: A man immersed in his darkness unexpectedly encounters a woman who approaches him and gives him a guitar, then disappears. This encounter awakens his imagination. Having overcome his visual impairment, he is driven to find the woman, using the guitar itself as a tool.
Profile: Ioannis Donev (known as John Don) is a professional cinematographer and photographer based in Athens, Greece. From a young age, he showed an interest in the arts, and at eighteen he first experienced the magic of working with a camera, discovering a whole new world. He recently launched his filmmaking career both as a cinematographer for short films and as a director with his first music video, I lost my eyes – Fyodor.
Director: Samuel Mason
Country: UK
Length: 5’
Institute: Kendal College
Synopsis: The story introduces David, trapped in a cyclical reality, as he navigates through memories and present moments under the watchful eye of Jenna, his ex-girlfriend.
Profile: Samuel is from a Brazilian/English background, and he has produced and directed numerous award-winning short films and music videos. He has also worked on several high-end films in the camera and production departments. His dream is to direct a feature film that can be screened internationally and help put Brazil back on the cinematic map!
Director: Sofia Alejandra Uzcátegui
Country: Colombia
Length: 3’24”
Institute: Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga
Synopsis: A tuber named O falls in love with the Sun during sunset and spends the entire night trying to see it again.
Profile: Sofía Uzcátegui was born in 2002 in Mérida, Venezuela, and moved to Colombia in 2015. Driven by a passion for animation, she began studying audiovisual arts at the Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga in 2021. In addition to her personal animation projects, she has collaborated on major productions, including the documentary Kekar and the award-winning short film Corazón Galvánico. In 2022, she completed her first animated short film, La Macabra. Sofía is currently finishing her studies, continuing to refine her technique and expand her creative repertoire.
Director: Valeria Osorio Gutiérrez
Country: Mexico
Length: 2’33”
Institute: CAAV Universidad de Medios Audiovisuales
Synopsis: Pink in the Night is the kind of song one listens to repeatedly while grieving. It embodies the intimate sense of yearning and despair felt by a broken heart—those parts of ourselves we usually hide from others, which remain there with us on the floor of our rooms.
Profile: Valeria Osorio Gutiérrez, also known as Yeyé, was born in Colima, Mexico, on March 20, 2002. After starting her studies in political science, specifically International Relations, she moved to Guadalajara to pursue her dream of studying film. She currently lives away from her family in one of the country’s major cities and has a special interest in documentaries and experimental video art.
Director: Timo Schniering
Country: Germany
Length: 2’45”
Institute: University of Applied Sciences
Synopsis: In a lively German bar, Heidi and Charlotte—two women in their 60s—engage in a heated argument that symbolizes society’s arguments over trivial matters. As their conflict escalates, tension in the bar rises, with other patrons looking on.
Profile: Born in 1998, Timo Schniering is a versatile artist active in both music and film. With a degree in Directing and Production, he has a solid background in animation and cinema. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Hochschule Mainz, set to finish by the end of 2025. In 2016, he founded his own music label, Cenom Music, while simultaneously developing his skills as a director and producer. The music video for his song Mama—which depicts the relationship between his grandmother, who suffers from dementia, and his mother—earned recognition at the Munich Music Video Awards and the Pollino Film Fest.
Director: Hindole H Shihan
Country: France
Length: 4’29”
Institute: EICAR
Synopsis: Theodore and Nina are two young adults whose intense, complicated relationship is fueled by addiction, emotional vulnerability, and the search for connection. The film explores themes of vulnerability, self-destruction, and the painful journey that leads to saying goodbye.
Profile: Born in Kolkata, India, Hindole H-Shihan is a filmmaker who takes a unique approach to exploring the human condition, human behavior, and the use of memory in both conceptual and practical ways. He began making amateur films with friends, producing three short films. He later completed a master’s degree in Fine Arts at EICAR, Paris, focusing on directing. During that period, he worked on sci-fi shorts such as Lost in Memory and The Incarcerated Life of Specimen-Zoe, as well as a couple of documentaries and a music video titled Suns of Covered Sky. Hindole has made over eight short films and documentaries and continues to focus on his areas of interest.
Director: Leixinyi Li
Country: UK
Length: 2’26”
Institute: Royal College of Art
Synopsis: This animated short follows a girl who leaves her cat behind and travels alone to England. It portrays the author’s sense of loneliness in a long-distance relationship setting, as well as the isolation brought about by living in a foreign country.
Profile: Leixinyi Li (Xinyi) was born in 2002 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. She is an animator and illustrator with a strong interest in experimental animation. In 2019, she began her studies at the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, earning a degree in Animation in June 2023 from the School of Film and Animation. That same year, she was admitted to the Royal College of Art, completing her studies in 2024. She currently resides in the UK and dreams of contributing to the growth of the Chinese animation industry.
Director: Yonatan Ayallew
Country: Ethiopia
Length: 6’32”
Institute: Master of Art in Film Production Addis Ababa University
Synopsis: A Song for Piassa is a captivating visual exploration of a historic neighborhood in Addis Ababa where tradition and modernity clash in a symphony of sounds and images. Photographer Hirut captures the fading spirit of Piassa while following a jazz band reinterpreting the “Golden Era” of Ethiopian music from the 1970s. A Song for Piassa is a poignant meditation on memory, change, and the enduring power of art in a world where the past is constantly being rewritten.
Profile: Yonatan Ayallew is an emerging filmmaker and a recent graduate of Addis Ababa University’s Master of Art in Film Production program. Driven by a passion for exploring the city and its people, Yonatan uses storytelling to document, interpret, and reimagine urban spaces and the complex relationships within them. His architectural background, combined with his keen eye for visual details, has enriched his approach to filmmaking, blending artistic vision with a deep understanding of the built environment.
