A showcase of the best European Films in the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Short Film: TOY
Best Story: KAZBEGI
Best Micro-Short: KINOKARENINA
Best New Media Film: Retrato (Portrait)
Best Visual Design: GLASOUT

Kazbegi, 5min., Slovakia
Directed by Yakiv Antypenko
Set to a traditional folk song recorded live at a Georgian wedding, this short documentary immerses viewers in the natural and cultural rhythm of the Kazbegi region. With no narration, the film focuses on the detailed sound design and visual atmosphere — where every insect and breeze plays like an instrument in a living orchestra.

https://instagram.com/jackfoto1

TOY, 11min., Greece
Directed by Natasha Smyrnaiou
New Years Eve. Nikos is looking for a New Year’s gift for his godchild in a toy store with a strange salesman. During his stay there, he evoked memories of his own childhood. He finally gets a toy, but not what he thinks..

https://instagram.com/natasha_smyrnaiou?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

KINOKARENINA, 1min,. Ukraine
Directed by Andrii Makarchenko
She really wanted their wedding day to last forever. But… Dedicated to Jean Cocteau and Leo Tolstoy.

Retrato (Portrait), 1min., Spain
Directed by Ignacio Rodó
Your portrait can capture you. You decide how to shine in it.

https://www.instagram.com/ignacio.rodo

Glasout, 2min., Germany
Directed by Mert Akbai
A couple communicates their love and the glass.

http://www.edition-abel.de/

Showcase of the best FILMS in the world today.

Audience Awards:
Best Short Film: MELODRAMA
Best Direction: SIZWE
Best Peformances: QUANTUM CAUSALITY CONUNDRUM
Best Story: Don’t pretend you didn’t see me
Best Micro-Short: THE PRISONER

THE PRISONER, 1min., India
Directed by Allabhya Ghosh
Life is confined to a ten-foot-by-ten-foot room. That’s the norm in the suburbs now.

Don’t pretend you didn’t see me, 1min., Argentina
Directed by Jimmy Alejandro Castro Zambrano
The narration of the experiences of a blind person who moves through the city.

https://instagram.com/jimmyartista

MELODRAMA, 34min., Italy
Directed by Giuseppe De Vuono
Rebecca Reveal, a promising designer, lives with her husband in an old farmhouse lost in the middle of the countryside. She is a beautiful woman, visionary and devoted to the art world, he a paranoid and egocentric man. They seem the picture of the perfect family, but both are hiding a secret that will push them beyond their limits.

Sizwe, 28min., South Africa
Directed by Ayanda Makayi
The story of a young, deaf Xhosa girl, overcoming adversity in the height of lockdown to save her gogo (grandmother).

https://www.instagram.com/sizweshortfilm/

Quantum Causality Conundrum, 2min., USA
Directed by Aki Aitos
While walking back to a college campus, Emma and Lila delve into the nuances of quantum mechanics and causality, balancing profound curiosity with the practical need to get to class on time.

Question & answer session after the festival screening with filmmakers from the August 14, 2025 festival at the Carlton Cinemas, in downtown Toronto, Canada.

Conversation with directors:
– Josh Holliday Hammerstone Meets Woofstock
– Filmmakers of Crabsassin

Hammerstone Meets Woofstock, 20min., Canada
Directed by Josh Holliday
A film that straddles the line between narrative and documentary, landing squarely on comedy. Steve Hammerstone is a small town radio host and big time buffoon, who’s sent to explore Woofstock: North America’s largest festival for dogs.

https://www.instagram.com/stevehammerstone/

Crabsassin, 1min., Canada
Directed by Studio S222 (14 students)
A stormy night at the docks, a killer is out for his target…

AWARD WINNERS:

Best Film: Crabsassin
Best Micro-Short: Brush Me
Funniest Film: Douche Canoe
Best Performances: Hammerstone Meets Woofstock
Best Direction: A Fair Sister
Best Relationship Film: Red Plump Tomatoes
Best Story: Dangle the Cat
Best Twist Film: The Surgical Treatment
Best New Media Film: B.I.

SEE THE LINEUP OF FILMS:

DANGLE THE CAT, 13min., Ireland
Directed by Niall Reynolds
3 thieves are chased into a messy situation, involving 2 cat thieves, an unhappy couple, a con man and yes… A cat.

The Surgical Treatment, 5min., USA
Directed by David Gray
A satirical observation of the advertising business through the aspect of the pre-production process. A funny perspective on treatments and what it might be like if another industry had to go through what directors. producers and creative people go through on every project in the process of bringing something to life. In this case, literally.

B.I., 15min., Australia
Directed by Stuart Morley
A businessman’s battle with Artificial Intelligence.

https://www.instagram.com/b.i._short_film

Douche Canoe, 2min., USA
Directed by Craig Melville
Brother Mouth presents ‘Douche Canoe’, a music video that satirizes the greedy, environmentally destructive elites who can’t tell their mouths from their derrières.

https://www.instagram.com/brothermouthofficial/

Hammerstone Meets Woofstock, 20min., Canada
Directed by Josh Holliday
A film that straddles the line between narrative and documentary, landing squarely on comedy. Steve Hammerstone is a small town radio host and big time buffoon, who’s sent to explore Woofstock: North America’s largest festival for dogs.

https://www.instagram.com/stevehammerstone/

Crabsassin, 1min., Canada
Directed by Studio S222 (14 students)
A stormy night at the docks, a killer is out for his target…

A Fair Sister, 8min., USA
Directed by Matt LaCorte
Two sisters meet for lunch and share secrets.

RED PLUMP TOMATOES, 13min., USA
Directed by Nick Wilson
After moving in with his young and successful girlfriend Tara, Desmond has found himself in a bit of rut. Experiencing feelings of insecurity towards himself and his personal relationships, he is beckoned to attend a meeting by a close friend, Nympho-Nick, in order to tackle these harmful thoughts.

Brush me, 2min., Austria
Directed by Nikolaus Jantsch
In a bustling bathroom, amidst the chaos of everyday life, two toothbrushes, find themselves drawn to each other. “Brush me” is a heartwarming tale of love, loss, and the resilience of the toothbrush spirit.