Alter Ego | Fanny Clause, Terence Farlot, Mateo Nicolas, Mahalia Ratabouil, Zoé Saumade, Paméla Theil | 5' | FRA
In distant Oceania, the shaman of the Tanua Island announces that the famous Nagol ritual is approaching. Sowa, a dreamy Melanesian girl, does not feel prepared for this ceremony at all. Her father, however, gives her no choice but to follow the traditions of her tribe and honor their ancestors. Afraid of the consequences of failing this challenge, the girl runs away, making the rite of passage into adulthood even more complicated. To make matters worse, in the middle of her journey, Sowa also discovers she will be responsible for saving her little sister, who has taken her place in the ritual.

 

A lantern in the night | Fantine Chareye, Victorien De Cozar, Clara Gacobin, Laura Javel, Emma Malric, Déborah Morali, Maxime Ponsart | 6' | FRA

Emiko is a Japanese girl who, along with her grandmother Hoshiyo, usually takes offerings to the temple in her village. However, after a difficult year marked by droughts, the small community can no longer offer edible goods to the sacred altar. In addition to the scarcity of food, the local population experiences general anguish with the reprisals of the gods. Without knowing the reason behind the fear and anxiety of her community, Emiko decides to see it with her own eyes. In this French short film, little Emiko unveils dark secrets behind her village's greatest tradition.

 

Comme un Ours | Hamid Ayad, Louis Radanne, Vianney Palierne, Maxime Lemane, Florian Petiteau | 7' | FRA

Christian is the typical overworked white-collar worker. His tedious routine, however, undergoes major changes overnight with the hiring of a new co-worker - who, by the way, is a bear! As he is the only one who perceives this zoological situation to be a problem, he starts to feel progressively frustrated. While trying to fulfill his assigned duties, the bear licks windows during business conferences, eats office supplies, and regurgitates his past meals at the conference table. Now, Christian's mission, and obsession, is to try to call his colleagues to reason.

 

Behind The Beast | Cédric Chauzy Stene Dato, Linda Dussine, Christophe Labrousse, Thibaud Lafon, Fabrice Vecchini | 7' | FRA

In a retro-futuristic universe, Kurt, a space traveler hungry for money, and Almea, his enslaved artificial intelligence, are the first to land in the wreckage of an intergalactic airport. They are meant to steal a valuable object from there - a sphere of great economic value. In the search for the artifact that has disappeared from its original pedestal, the thief is faced with a gentle little creature called Gouzi, who pushes the coveted object with difficulty. Kurt judges the creature defenseless, and therefore will have to deal with the consequences of his sadistic actions, which will awaken a huge and ferocious beast.

 

Love is in the Hair | Clorinde Fesentieu, Jonathan Beaudry, Jordan Farncfort, Mathias Borie, Manon Fournié, Isauree Thouvenot | 6' | FRA 

This romantic story takes place in a circus show in the United States with two rather eccentric protagonists. It all starts when an acrobat louse, that lives in the beard of the bearded woman from the circus, falls in love with the flea that lives in the fur of the company dog. Will their conflicting environments put their love to the test? Despite the incompatibilities between the two lovers, the French short film jointly directed by Clorinde Fesentieu, Jonathan Beaudry, Manon Fournié, Mathias Borie, Isaure Thouvenot, and Jordan Francfort shows that love surpasses everything.

 

À Deriva | Miguel Hneirque, Catarina Abrantes | 4' | PRT

In this short Portuguese film by Miguel Henriques and Catarina Abrantes, we follow the metaphorical journey of the course of the relationship between a mother and a daughter. A bottle carrying a message, adrift in the ocean, is the guiding thread of this story. Traveling through storms, the depths and calm of the sea, À Deriva weaves a delicate narrative, produced under the supervision of the Department of Cinema and Media Arts at Universidade Lusófona.

 

Sea Sheperd | Débora Mendes | 5' | PRT

Day after day, a waitress at a seafood restaurant realizes that marine life is increasingly threatened. The girl is then faced with an important decision: stop serving fish. Sea Sheperd is directed by Débora Mendes and Mariana Soares, students of Digital Animation at Universidade Lusófona. The animated short film has already been screened in portuguese and international film festivals, such as the Ajayu International Animation Festival in Peru.

 

Florian | Keshav Abrol, Lucas Londoño-Clayton, Pavel Loparev, Alicia Velasco | 4' | ESP

In Florian, we follow a man's strange routine before leaving home for his daily errands. With his eccentric beard, Florian has some questionable morning habits. The short film of Catalan origin tells a simple story in a very sensitive way, and provides space to encourage important reflections in the viewer. Part of a Master's project by the Centro Universitario de Diseño of Barcelona, the film by Keshav Abrol, Lucas Londoño-Clayton, Pavel Loparev, and Alicia Velasco has already toured different international animation festivals around the globe.

 

Mister Monster | Guo Site | 6' | CHN

Mister Monster lives a peaceful, albeit lonely life, alongside his only friend, with whom he grew up. One day, while playing with the town’s residents, Mister Monster witnesses shameful behavior from his partner. Upset and confused, he decides to isolate himself in his home. The whole scenario changes, however, when a terrible accident happens. Torn between asking for help or being made fun of and dying, Mr. Monster will have to make an important decision. Will he be able to resolve this dilemma?

 

My Little Boys - Couch | Jack Smith | 4' | TWN

Who has never lost anything at the bottom of the couch? My Little Boys tells the story of a curious boy who decides to find out the true storage capacity of the hole in the old couch at his house. The options, in the beginning, range from toys to varied foods. When he realizes, however, the real and infinite possibilities of his new discovery, he creates a secret plan with his dog, Donnie, and leaves for the universe, on board the couch, now transformed into an elaborate spaceship. Their adventure is about to begin - at least until the boy's mother or father returns home.

 

Shoom's Odyssey | Julien Bisaro | 26' | FRA

Shooom is a little baby owl. Unfortunately, she ends up hatching in the middle of a terrible storm that has knocked her entire nest down. Even in the face of this enormous difficulty, and although very young, Shooom is determined. Accompanied by another egg, yet to hatch, the little owl undertakes a journey through different habitats to fulfill its objective: to find a mother. Will her mission have the end she wants? Shoom's Odyssey is an exciting and vibrant animated short film directed by Julien Bisaro and produced by Claire Paoletti.