Dutch Nominations Sparks Competitie
Dog Bridge
Director: Jorn Leeuwerink
A good-natured sausage dog acts as a bridge to help other animals cross the river. A cunning cat takes advantage of the situation by charging the animals a toll. When the dog finally has enough and tries to escape, it’s not so easy.
De Kleine Hoteldetective
Director: Julia van Braak
Eleven-year-old Billie is excited to spend some quality time with her mother, the busy hotel owner Estella, during the holidays. But she discovers that a secret inspector is staying at the hotel. Billie decides to track him down as a detective in order to regain her mother’s attention.
A Dog's Life
Directors: Sophie Olga de Jong, Sytske Kok
When Grandma’s dog Stella passes away, her granddaughter Luna helps with the burial. But what exactly happens when you die and are lying underground? While Grandma is too sad and would rather avoid the question, Luna decides to find out for herself what goes on down below.
The prize money for the Best Dutch Short Film Award is sponsored by the Amarte Fund.
International Nominations Sparks Competition
Lola and the Sound Piano
Regisseur: Augusto Zanovello
Eleven-year-old Lola is the older sister of Simon, her five-year-old brother who lives in his own world. By observing him, she notices how sensitive he is to small, subtle sounds. Together with her friend Rolih, she decides to build a sound machine to communicate with him.
The Night Boots
Director: Pierre-Luc Granjon
While his parents are hosting friends, a boy puts on his rubber boots, sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night, and slips into the undergrowth. There, he encounters a strange, curious, and lonely creature that leads him to the heart of the forest to meet other nocturnal animals.
Full Nest
Director: Elena Walf
A squirrel is cozy and well-prepared for the coming winter, thanks to a nest full of stolen treasures. But when a sudden flood forces all the forest animals to flee to Lena’s farm, the squirrel is eager to help them. A heartwarming short animated film without dialogue.
Dutch Nominations Flames Competition
Blind Trust
Director: Luka Kluskens
Shy 18-year-old Francis from Limburg tells her blind mother Jacky that she is in the talent class for the Limburg Majorette Competition. Before losing her sight, Jacky was a multiple-time National Majorette Champion and places great value on her daughter’s success in the sport. In truth, Francis is completely unskilled, but she must keep up the lie as the competition actually happens.
Inundation
Director: Ilia ten Böhmer
Eleven-year-old Kinan lives with a fear of water after a traumatic experience during his escape from Syria. While his father Hasan works hard to build a new life in the Netherlands, Kinan clings to warm memories of home and refuses to accept his new environment.
Murmuration
Directors: Janneke Swinkels & Tim Frijsinger
Piet, an elderly man living in a care home, finds his freedom limited when he suddenly starts transforming into a bird. Although he is still accepted within the group, he feels it is time to join a new flock.
The prize money for the Best Dutch Short Film Award is sponsored by the Amarte Fund.
International Nominations Flames Competition
Autokar
Director: Sylwia Szkiłądź
In the 1990s, Agata, a little girl, leaves Poland for Belgium. Anxious about the journey, she writes a letter to her father, who has stayed behind, but her pencil falls and gets lost on the bus. Forced to overcome her shyness, she slips between the seats in search of the pencil, plunging into a fantastical world populated by strange passengers who are half-human, half-animal.
Juanita
Directors: Karen Joaquín, Uliane Tatit
Twelve-year-old Juanita always wears long pants, but when she goes to a pool party, she suddenly feels the pressure to shave her legs, because that’s what all the other girls do. Her mother thinks it’s completely unnecessary. Everyone has an opinion, but in the end, Juanita must make the choice for herself.
Just Jools
Director: Ezra Verbist
Twelve-year-old Jools dreams of dancing with confidence but feels trapped under the watchful eyes of others. Everything changes when she meets Yorrith, a choreographer who relearned how to move after a stroke. He challenges her to push boundaries and discover freedom through dance.
Short Awards
Want to know which short films will ultimately win the awards? Then come to the Short Awards on Tuesday 21 October: an afternoon full of glitz, glamour and short films! Here you can watch all the nominated films back-to-back and attend the live award ceremony.
The awards for the best short films for children up to 9 years old will be presented from 11:30 a.m. and for children aged 9 and above from 2:45 p.m. Order the right tickets via the buttons below.
Best Short Films of the Festival
Want to see all the winning films? Then come to the best Dutch and international short films of the festival on Friday 24 October! Including the winners of the Sparks Competition (up to 9 years old) and the Flames Competition (9 years and older).