The 15 finalist films in this year’s Short Film Competition bring stories from different cultures to Ankara. Selected from 165 submissions from 36 countries, the finalists are set to compete for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and the Audience Award — judged by both the festival jury and audiences.
This year’s jury includes Anne Gaschütz, director of Filmfest Dresden; Anna Skočdopolová from the One World Human Rights Film Festival; and Osman Şişman, an independent expelled academic, resigned publisher.
You can watch the finalist films for free at Goethe-Institut Ankara between May 23–29 and vote for your favorite to win the Audience Award.
The selection includes:
A Summer’s End Poem by Lam Can-zhao, a story of a teenager spending summer with his grandfather in a small village in southern China.
All I Want Today by Magda Adamowicz, following a forgotten glove that brings back an old love story.
Inside by Mahtab Pishghadam, spotlighting ten-year-old Mahtab and her standout performance on a football team.
Collected, Intertwined by Dilsu Atalay, inspired by a woman who became part of a childhood urban legend.
Echo by Mehveş Topçuoğlu, about a pigeon trying to be noticed and accepted.
Place Under the Sun by Vlad Bolgarin, following a gifted pianist and his eight-year-old son.
In Three Layers of Darkness by Houcem Slouli, telling the story of a Tunisian youth caught between visa bureaucracy and the desire to travel.
Bird by Kim Woonyoung, about the evolving bond between a caregiver and a former client.
The Last Sunday in May by Alejandro Bordier, exploring the beauty and pain that resurface in complex human relationships.
Almost Certainly False by Cansu Baydar, a story of two siblings who fled Syria and now live together in the chaos of Istanbul.
Mercy by Philip Szporer, inspired by a poem cycle from celebrated African-American poet Cornelius Eady.
Are You a Rabbit? by Hatem Emam, focusing on the relationship between a suspended art teacher and his son.
Audio Description by Luke J. Salewski, a humorous take on a blind man whose birthday wish changes everything.
The Story of a Theft by Mahdi Hadizadeh, a comedy about two clumsy burglars carrying out a mission for their bosses.
Foliage by Faye Shu, portraying two students bound together by cultural dislocation and an uncertain future.