Shorts Live-Action Competition 2

Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

The films in this year’s International Competition meet at the intersection of what many of us need in the current social climate. On the one hand, cinema is there inform and provoke us – to make us think about the world and change our perspectives. But cinema is also there to help us escape, to let us throw off the shackles of everyday life and run free in a space devoid of judgement and worry. These shorts do an admirable job on both counts. There are powerful and emotional works, showing determination in the face of insurmountable odds. There are films which make us laugh and delight in the ridiculousness of everyday life and interactions.

But whether they stir us into a fit of righteous indignation or make us squeal with joy (or, indeed, sometimes both) these are films are rooted in the human spirit and raging against the dying of the light with passion, fire and – on occasion – tenderness.

With many of the shorts on offer giving POFF audiences the first chance to experience them in the world, the International Competition is a journey of discovery of exciting new cinema and new voices.

Screenings

Hall 2 Kino Artis
Screening061716 / Shorts lühifilmi võistlusprogramm 2
Q&A duration
Screening duration

Films

Baltic premiere

SOS

Local title
SOS
Director
Anita Morina
Country
Kosovo
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

At a remote train station, 30-year-old Drin lives a solitary, routine life, recording trains and finding connection with his online girlfriend. But when his job is suddenly replaced by a radar, Drin finds himself spiraling into an existential crisis. Lost and out of place, he’s forced to confront what he truly wants in life.

Director
Anita Morina
Runtime
Language
Albanian
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

Bright Summer Days

Local title
Helged suvepäevad
Director
Nevena Desivojevic
Country
North Macedonia
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

Two sisters re-encounter between departures, absences
and returns that seem impossible to have a place.

Director
Nevena Desivojevic
Runtime
Language
Serbian
Subtitles
English

World premiere

The Wind In Ash

Local title
Tuuleiil tuhas
Director
Sun Kun
Country
China
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

A tomboy returns to her hometown for a funeral, sparking a journey of self-discovery and a shift in her perception of her mother.

Director
Sun Kun
Runtime
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

The End Of The World

Local title
Maailmalõpp
Original title
El fin del mundo
Director
Alessandro Mosca
Country
Peru
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

In the shadow of the Mountain, 72-year-old Epifanio finds himself in the twilight of his life as he slips into a deep slumber, revisiting the day he became forever lost.

Director
Alessandro Mosca
Runtime
Subtitles
English

International premiere

El pütì pèrs

Local title
Kadunud poeg
Director
Paolo Baiguera
Country
Italy
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

In the woods of Fobbia, Claudio spends his days obsessively carving wood. Years earlier, his son vanished in that very forest. All that was ever found was a red T-shirt beneath a pine tree. Since then, Claudio has been uprooting trunks and shaping them, convinced his son is hidden within. Blurring the line between reality and fable, his story echoes a reversed tale of Pinocchio.

Director
Paolo Baiguera
Runtime
Language
Italian
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

Now Hear Me Good

Local title
Kuula mind nüüd hoolega
Director
Dwayne LeBlanc
Country
USA
Year
2025
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2025
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

Booker is far from home but close to friends and mentors as he hosts an exuberant party, but when the noise of the party dies down and the last guests go home a listlessness returns to him. Only the next morning, while playing his trumpet, does he find his place in the stillness of the soft early light.

Director
Dwayne LeBlanc
Runtime
Language
English