European Union Short Film Festival
April 24 & 25, 2026
Arts Court Theatre (2 Daly Ave.)
Welcome to the 13th edition of the European Union Short Film Festival!
The Canadian Film Institute, the EU Delegation to Canada, and the participating EU Member States invite you to join us as we celebrate the impressive cinematic richness of short film production in the European Union.
This year, there are four separate programs featuring 27 short films, presented in our regular EU Short Film Festival venue, the Arts Court Theatre. This 2026 selection includes short drama, documentary, animation, and experimental films.
Again this year, as is customary at the EUSFF, admission to the screenings is free! Also, enjoy free samples of food and drinks from EU Member States at our four pre-screening ‘Flavours of Europe’ receptions.
We hope you’ll enjoy these 27 examples of the range and diversity of short films being created across the European Union. And, of course, we look forward to seeing you in November at the upcoming 41st edition of European Union Film Festival.
Vive le cinéma!
Tom McSorley
Executive Director
Admission is free!
Seats are available on a first come, first served basis.
Keep scrolling to view the four programs!
Thank you to our festival partners
All films include English subtitles for any non-English dialogue.
We strongly encourage patrons to wear masks at our events.
Program 1: Women on the Verge
Friday, April 24 at 6:30 PM (84 minutes)
5:45 PM: Flavour of Europe
Six family-friendly shorts about the people, places, and memories we share on the road of life.
(This program is recommended for adult audiences)
On My Mind
2021 | 18 minutes | Denmark
Director: Martin Strange-Hansen
A man at a karaoke machine in a sleepy bar tries to sing the country western pop standard “Always on My Mind” for his wife. This moving drama is inspired by the filmmaker’s own experience of profound loss.
Brown Morning / Matin Brun
2025 | 9 minutes | Luxembourg
Director: Carlo Voegle
In this animated short based upon the fable by Franck Pavloff, brown animals start invading homes and taking control. Charly complies with the rules of this colorless world, soon discovering the horrors of everyday fascism.
Left-Handed Pen / Tušinukas
2024 | 18 minutes | Lithuania
Director: Adas Burkšaitis
A schoolteacher finds out that her son’s poorly written exam may jeopardise his dream of attending a prestigious university abroad. How many sacrifices is a mother is willing to make to secure her child’s success?
2054 Seele
2025 | 12 minutes | Italy
Director: Edoardo Maione, Alice Gnech
Set in the future, 2054 Seele explores a world in which artificial intelligence and social control become human rights threats.
Hurikán
2024 | 13 minutes | Czech Republic
Director: Jan Saska
Hurikán rushes out to save his favourite beer stand from closure by fetching a new keg to impress the bartender he has a crush on. In a wild Prague district, he faces robbers, cops, and his own thirst.
With Thelma / Avec Thelma
2017 | 14 minutes | Belgium
Director: Ann Sirot, Raphaël Balboni
An Icelandic volcanic eruption has closed the airspace. Thelma’s parents are stranded abroad. While they wait for flights to resume, Jean, Vincent, and Thelma are living under the same roof.
Program 2: The Places You’ll Go
Friday, April 24 at 8:30 PM (87 minutes)
8:00 PM: Flavours of Europe
Seven family-friendly shorts about the people, places, and memories we share on the road of life.
(This program is recommended for adult audiences)
Happy People / Boldog Emberek
2024 | 15 minutes | Hungary
Director: Balázs Budavári
In a world where a number on the neck shows how happy people are, Kristóf waits for the Annual Happiness Measurement. His examiner is shocked when she realizes he barely exceeds the minimum and may have to be reported.
Fragments / Estilhaços
2020 | 18 minutes | Portugal
Director: Julie de Oliveira
An old woman, diagnosed in her youth with borderline personality disorder, believes that she is not capable of dying. She uncovers the origin of this belief when she meets herself.
This is (for) the Sea / Ovo je (za) more
2024 | 15 minutes | Croatia
Director: Renata Poljak
The idea for this inventive documentary film arises from a question: Can we heal the sea, help it, or at least play music for it—to make it feel better?
A Single Life
2014 | 2 minutes | Netherlands
Director: Job, Joris, and Marieke
In this Oscar-nominated animated short, a mysterious vinyl record suddenly allows Pia to travel through time.
Leave Me Be, Dear / Ħallini Ħanini
2020 | 14 minutes | Malta
Director: Samira Damato
Malta, 1964. A family is thrown into financial and emotional turmoil as British influence starts to recede. To protect her mother from her father’s temper, Mariella, a mischievous little girl, plots to get rid of him.
Balconada
2024 | 8 minutes | Bulgaria
Director: Iva Tokmakchieva
A hot summer day brings several neighbours out on their balconies. During a sudden rainstorm, one of them gets a burst of inspiration, which encourages the rest to live in the moment.
The Last Bet / Die letzte Wette
2023 | 15 minutes | Austria
Director: Meike Wüstenberg
Elderly couple Ernst and Leni have a tradition: they bet on who will die first, with the last piece of chocolate as the prize. Each hopes to go before the other—but for very different reasons.
Program 3: The Places You’ll Go
Saturday, April 25 at 4:00 PM (93 minutes)
3:15 PM: Flavours of Europe
Seven family-friendly shorts about the people, places, and memories we share on the road of life.
(This program is recommended for adult audiences)
The Fight
2025 | 8 minutes | Cyprus
Director: Dan Pearce, Antony Petrou
An 11-year-old girl navigates the pressures of amateur boxing while carrying an unspoken weight far beyond the ring.
Kafka. In Love / lemīlējies Kafka
2024 | 10 minutes | Latvia
Director: Zane Oborenko
Based on Franz Kafka’s Letters to Milena, this clever animated short explores less known but nonetheless extraordinary and puzzling aspects of Kafka’s personality.
Big Boys Don’t Cry
2025 | 23 minutes | France
Director: Arnaud Delmarle
A sweltering summer in a small village. After three years, Lucas and his friends welcome back their best friend. This long-awaited return stirs up conflicting emotions.
Journey of the Stars / Hviezdna cesta
2025 | 8 minutes | Slovakia
Director: Klaudia Grancová
Margarétka is a 13-year-old girl, who travels home by train every evening. She gets off at a stop beyond the village. Gathering courage near the last lamp on the train station, she takes a deep breath and heads down the dark road.
Spotless / Vlekkeloos
2021 | 16 minutes | Netherlands
Director: Emma Branderhorst
When 15-year-old Ruby gets her period, she doesn’t want to ask her mother to buy her feminine hygiene products, knowing their financial situation doesn’t really allow for it. She decides to solve the problem herself.
Retirement Plan
2024 | 14 minutes | Ireland
Director: John Kelly
This Oscar-nominated short animation tells the story of Ray as he fantasizes about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.”
Baa-Baa! / Kingitus kolme O-ga
2025 | 14 minutes | Lithuania
Director: Teresa Juksaar
New to the city, a family must figure out what to do with a goat that was suddenly gifted to them as part of a charity program.
Program 4: The Places You’ll Go
Saturday, April 25 at 6:30 PM (88 minutes)
5:45 PM: Flavours of Europe
Seven family-friendly shorts about the people, places, and memories we share on the road of life.
(This program is recommended for adult audiences)
Earworm / Öronmask
2025 | 13 minutes | Sweden
Director: Patrick Eklund
In this offbeat comedy, Ulph is plagued by a severe case of earworm as Rednex’s “Cotton Eye Joe” song takes over his mind. Gradually, he spirals toward madness, with everything he experiences being tainted by the song.
Fish River Anthology / Mereneläviä
2024| 9 minutes | Finland
Director: Veera Lamminpää
It is just before closing time at the supermarket. The last customers are queuing for their turn at the fish counter, trying their best to pretend the other customers are not there. The agonizing wait offers a chance for existential reflection and a little song.
The Hour of Death / Smrtna ura
2024 | 19 minutes | Slovenia
Director: Gorkic Tomaz
Urban is a man trapped in monotonous daily patterns from birth to death. Years pass as Urban grows up and ages, with tireless repetition. Just before his death, a glimmer of the meaning of life dawns upon him.
Roberto
2020 | 9 minutes | Spain
Director: Carmen Cordoba
Roberto is a sensitive artist secretly in love with his neighbour for years, while she hides away, ashamed of her body. Through art and a fragile clothesline as their only means of communication, Roberto plans to help her.
Joy
2026 | 7 minutes | Germany
Director: Vera Herr, Luis Schubert
Joy attends the 30th birthday party of her best friend Aron. The mood is light and carefree-until Joy grabs the microphone and exposes a buried secret.
Poplars
2025 | 11 minutes | Greece
Director: Alexandros Vounatsos
On a winter morning in 1997, a father unwittingly leads his two children on an unnatural journey into the future while struggling with his addictions.
Place Under the Sun / Loc sub soare
2024 | 20 minutes | Romania
Director: Vlad Bolgarin
In the 2000s, a pianist and his 8-year-old son struggle to secure a spot to sell vegetables at an open-air market. As the father loses hope under the weight of his circumstances, a gesture from his son restores his faith.