Rebels With Their Shorts II

Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Rebels With Their Shorts

Rebels With Their Shorts yet again provides two programmes of ground breaking films that push the boundaries of traditional storytelling and revel in the strange and obtuse. This year’s selection of films – which mixes some familiar auteurs with exciting new names – play with reality as they break the fourth wall and confront the very process of filmmaking and also reflect on the absurdity of modern societal structures with biting and surreal humour.

These films will take part in Rebels With A Cause, a competition section of the Black Nights Film Festival dedicated to films that defy the traditional modes of filmmaking. Each short will be eligible for the honorific prize of Best Rebels Short chosen by the Rebels With A Cause jury members.

Films

Baltic premiere

Bread Will Walk

Local title
Leib võtab jalad alla
Original title
Bread Will Walk
Director
Alex Boya
Country
Canada
Year
2025
Programme
Rebels With Their Shorts

A devoted sister flees with her brother, a benevolent, bread-turned zombie. A mob pursues, mouths agape. Streets twist into mazes, reason dissolves, hunger reigns. Can love defy appetite?

Director
Alex Boya
Runtime
Language
English

Baltic premiere

Green Grey Black Brown

Local title
Roheline hall must pruun
Original title
Green Grey Black Brown
Director
Yuyan Wang
Country
China, France, Republic of Korea
Year
2024
Programme
Rebels With Their Shorts

A synthetic realm unfolds, meticulously engineered by global startups. Everything is bound together by a dark slime—an oily, recurrent presence that merges Jurassic-era flora with plastic plant decorations destined for shopping malls. Petroleum, in both refined and unrefined forms, opens up a portal to the gory logics of petro-capitalism and global extraction practices, revealing the flawed rationale behind techno-solutionist visions of the future.

Director
Yuyan Wang
Runtime

Baltic premiere

The Synthetic Age

Local title
Sünteetiline ajastu
Original title
The Synthetic Age
Director
Dimitris Armenakis
Country
Greece
Year
2025
Programme
Rebels With Their Shorts

In a city where people consume cartoons, a dog reconciles with its old friends, and together, they try to escape from humans.

Director
Dimitris Armenakis
Runtime
Language
no dialogue

Baltic premiere

Pay Day

Local title
Palgapäev
Original title
Palkkapäivä
Director
Päivi Hirsiaho
Country
Finland
Year
2024
Programme
Rebels With Their Shorts

This short film tells the story of a person with a cinnamon roll in her head, just Puustinen. Puustinen has Matti in her wallet. Matti is a small cat. Puustinen struggles in the whirlwind of everyday life; she is followed by skeletons that peek out from everywhere. Puustinen works in a factory. At the end of a long and hard day's work, Puustinen receives a few coins as a reward. Puustinen immediately goes on a spree. Matti keeps growing, and Puustinen tries desperately to please Matti.

Director
Päivi Hirsiaho
Runtime
Language
no dialogue

Baltic premiere

We Are Not Leaving

Local title
Me ei lahku siit
Original title
Vi går inte härifrån
Director
Lukas Moodysson
Country
Sweden
Year
2025
Programme
Rebels With Their Shorts

Erik´s been fired and wants his job back. When he doesn´t, he and two friends occupy the boss´s office.

Director
Lukas Moodysson
Runtime
Language
Swedish
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

Thanks To Meet You!

Local title
Tänan, et kohtusime!
Original title
Thanks To Meet You!
Director
Richard Hunter
Country
United Kingdom
Year
2025
Programme
Rebels With Their Shorts

Five business men do a business.

Director
Richard Hunter
Runtime
Language
English
Subtitles
English

International premiere

Where Does The Sun Sleep at Night?

Local title
Kus päike öösiti magab?
Original title
Kur Saulīte Nakti Guļ?
Director
Ildze Felsberga
Country
Latvia
Year
2025
Programme
Rebels With Their Shorts

In a greyish office building workers turn to ritualistic actions to overcome ever-increasing challenges.

Director
Ildze Felsberga
Runtime
Language
Latvian
Subtitles
English