The shnit worldwide shortsfestival 2026 has officially announced this year’s palmarès, showcasing the very best in global short filmmaking. Known as one of the most dynamic and international short film festivals, shnit connects audiences across continents and gives filmmakers a powerful platform for recognition.
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Palmarès 2026
shnit is more than a festival — it’s a global movement where dialogue ignites empathy, and storytelling becomes a pathway to peace.
shnit AUDIENCE AWARDS
The winning films and the nominees of the WORLDWIDE & INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION represent the most outstanding achievements in short filmmaking this year.
Their selection doesn’t just celebrate artistic excellence — it also carries industry impact. Each of the winning films will be eligible for Oscar® consideration at the 99th Academy Awards® in 2027 through an official qualifying run in in full accordance with the rules of the 99th Academy Awards®.
WORLDWIDE COMPETITION 2026
NOMINEE | SOUND OF THE SOMME
Michaël Vermaercke | Belgium | 12 Min
Despite being assigned to stay behind as stretcher bearer, the 20-year-old James C. Richardson of the 16th Canadian Scottish Battalion is determined to play his bagpipes in the heat of the battle.
NOMINEE | THE SENTRY | ឆ្មាំខ្មោច
Jake Wachtel | Cambodia | 17 Min
In the misty jungles of Cambodia, a suave Western spy’s routine mission goes spectacularly off-script when one particularly stubborn security guard refuses to be just another footnote in someone else’s story.
WINNER | THERE ONCE WAS A TIGER
Marina Verik, Dmitry Mosyagin | Russia | 12 Min
The story of an extraordinary friendship between a tiger and a goat in the zoo, and how a playful goat helped a bored tiger gain freedom.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2026
WINNER | COYOTES | هدد بالانقراض
Said Zagha | State of Palestine / France / Jordan / United Kingdom | >20 Min
A Palestinian surgeon drives home after a long night shift, but little does she know that a commute through a desolate West Bank road will change her forever.
NOMINEE | Она - про- верочное слово он
Milana Okhting | Russia | 23 Min
NOMINEE | A FRIEND OF OURS
François Rabes, Félicie Dutertre | France | 9 Min
If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.
shnit TRIBUTE AWARDS
shnit TRIBUTE is an awards and nominations platform, founded in 2016 and staffed by shnit alumni, which was set up to shine a spotlight on outstanding films from around the world and to nominate and honour them for the festival’s top awards.
shnit doesn’t hand out trophies for the shelf.
Year after year, shnit shorts explode onto the shortlist, score nominations, and in some cases, walk away with the statue. Most recently, our winners PLAYING GOD made it to the long list of Animated Short Film and THE BOY WITH THE WHITE SKIN made it to the long list of Live-Action Short Film for the Oscars® 2026! Last year, I’M NOT A ROBOT by Victoria Warmerdam, a finalist in the shnit 2024 competition, went on to win the Oscar® for best Live-Action Short Film in 2025.
Best short film | WORLDWIDE & INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2026
NOMINEE | BRAVE NEW PAST
Erik Schmitt | Germany | 4 min
Blurring the line between truth and invention, the film explores how AI can and will reshape not only our future, but the way we remember our past.
WINNER | WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
Sam van der Plas | Netherlands | 9 min
On the morning of his wife’s funeral, an elderly, retired, industrial tycoon awakens to discover that there is more than one corpse on his estate.
NOMINEE | HUMAN ZOO
David Collier | Australia | 9 min
Human Zoo unfolds in a world of glass, concrete and silence, where ordinary life has been stripped of intimacy and placed on display.
Best film up to 10 minutes | INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2026
WINNER | THE WHISTLE
Greg Franklin | United States of America | 7 min
Cologne, Germany.1938. Empathy, courage and hope can be found where least expected. Based on a true story.
NOMINEE | ZOOLUSHKA
Kira Goldshtain | Russia | 8 min
A pet shop clerk and a customer argue over returning fish, confronting responsibility, pain, and loneliness, leading to an emotional outburst.
NOMINEE | LAND OF NO MAN
Muling Tzai, Olivia Lin | Taiwan | 3 min
The story unfolds like a children’s book as it follows a loner Capybara goes about his daily life with his favorite friend, Mister Tangerine.
Best film up to 20 minutes | INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2026
NOMINEE | THE INSPECTOR
Jandro (Alejandro López García) | Spain | 12 min
A fake gas inspector visits vulnerable elderly people to take advantage of them. It is now the turn of Carmen, a charming grandmother who keeps great antiques.
WINNER | BECAUSE TODAY IS SATURDAY
Alice Eça Guimarães | Portugal / France / Spain | 12 min
It’s Saturday, and a woman struggles with the difficulty of reconciling her home life and her need to escape to unleash her creative side.
NOMINEE | THE TEARS OF PATRIARCHY
Jean-Sébastien BERNARD, Alban CHAPLET | France | 15 min
Encouraged by her boyfriend, Emma invited her parents over for Christmas Eve dinner. Around the table, her father’s usual grumpiness created a tense atmosphere.
Best film up to 40 minutes | INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2026
WINNER | DANCING PIGEONS
Christofer Nilsson | Sweden | 23 min
A psychic medium has his Grand Psychic Seance interrupted as an audience member refuses to let him end the show without getting to speak to her deceased ex-husband.
NOMINEE | LOVE & SUGAR
Met Kid Hao | France | 21 min
After a phone call with one of his clients, he unexpectedly finds himself hired as an assistant on a wedding cake. Jonas must then choose between reigniting his passion or giving in to the ego of a wounded man.
NOMINEE | LIFT LADY
Marcin Modzelewski | Poland | 25 min
Brutalist architecture, a toll elevator and the surrealism of the environment are the daily life of Mzia, a former sniper overseeing this globally unique transportation system.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Best North American Short Film
SUBWAY CRUSH
Oriana Ng | United States | 2 Min
An influencer films a handsome stranger on the subway without his consent.
Best South American Short Film
FROZEN HEELS
Felipe Wein | Argentina | 14 Min
On the coldest day of the year, in downtown Buenos Aires, Celia, a young prostitute, begins to learn the trade alongside Betty, an experienced worker who guides her through her first steps.
Best Oceanian Short Film
TRADING CARDS
Radheya Jang | Australia | 14 Min
An exploration of identity, mental health and the erosion of childhood innocence, Trading Cards is a dark fantasy animated film about the weight of living with Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Best African Short Film
SOUSOU’S TIKTOK
Sondos Shabayek | Egypt | 9 Min
What begins as a bubbly sales pitch of creams, lingerie and lip plumpers slowly unravels into a chilling portrait of coercion. As Sara struggles to keep the performance alive, the violence escalates offscreen.
Best Asian Short Film
THE MESSAGE
AHiroki Utsunomiya | Japan | 13 Min
The Japanese branch of the foreign-affiliated company “General Development Inc.” is approaching its annual Company Meeting season once again.
Best European Short Film
THE SPECTACLE
Bálint Kenyeres | Hungary | 17 Min
A young Roma boy is lifted into the light, only to find it fades in an unexpected way.
shnit worldwide shortsfestival celebrates the power of short film to transcend borders and ignite meaningful cultural dialogue. Our mission is to champion diverse storytelling, support emerging filmmakers, and foster global understanding through cinema — recognizing that open cultural exchange is essential for building a more peaceful world.
🌍✨ We continue to roll out the NOMINEES — and this time, it’s all about YOU.
Here are the films the audience voted into the spotlight for WORLDWIDE COMPETITION 🎬🔥
Each of these films will also be eligible for Oscar® consideration at the 98th Academy Awards® in 2026. 🏆✨
Big love to the filmmakers + our global shnit fam for keeping short film alive, loud, and unstoppable. 💥
#shnit2025 #WorldwideCompetition #ShortFilmMagic #OscarQualifying
🎉 ANNOUNCING THE NOMINATIONS – SHNIT 2025 🎉
The wait is over! ✨ We’re proud to reveal the official nominations for this year’s shnit worldwide shortsfestival!
🔥 Bold. Original. Unforgettable. 🔥
These films capture the fearless spirit of short cinema—from daring experiments and raw emotion to laugh-out-loud humor and pure magic on screen.
A huge congratulations to all nominated filmmakers! 🥂 Your work pushes boundaries, sparks dialogue, and embodies everything shnit stands for: fearless, diverse, passionately creative.
💥 Now the countdown begins... who will take home the awards at #shnit2025?
#shortfilm #shortfilms #filmfestival #worldwideshortfilmfestival #cinemalovers #independentfilm #indiefilm #filmmakers #directors #storytelling #boldcinema #filmcommunity #watchshortfilms #globalcinema #creativevoices #shortfilmcompetition #internationalcinema
🎬✨ And just like that… it’s the last day of shnit worldwide shortsfestival!
We’ve laughed, cried, gone a little crazy, and been moved by stories from across the globe.
🌍❤️ Today we celebrate every filmmaker, every audience member, every wild and beautiful short that made this festival unforgettable.
One last chance to dive in, feel it all, and close this chapter with us. 🥂🎉
🎞
ROADKILL by @lou__milieu | Germany
OLDTOWN by David Vermander | Belgium
DATING A SUSPICIOUS MAN by @zaytseva_anna_igorevna | USA, Russia
HUN TUN by @_magion | Czech Republic
A PLEASURE by @soniesasi | Spain
FACTORY DROP by @petja_pulkrabek | Germany
MIDNIGHT FRIGHTS @minuitfrissons by @clotildecolson & @vers_bouteilles | Belgium
#shnit #shnit2025 #shortfilmfestival #filmfestival #lastdayvibes #festivalfinale #celebratecinema #filmcommunity #worldwidecinema
🎉 Sometimes the best moments at a festival aren’t on screen — they’re in the laughs, the chaos, and the crazy memories we make together.
Go wild, get loud, dance in the aisles, scream at the screen — shnit is about joy as much as cinema. 🥳
Let’s get crazy 🙌✨
🎬
ROADKILL by @lou__milieu | Germany
SNEEZECEPTION by @huefinder | Czech Republic
OLDTOWN by David Vermander | Belgium
MANDRAGORA by Quentin Martin Laprapde | France
BRIELLA by Emily Mazariegos | Guatemala
MARRIAGE UNPLUGGED by @nueschsisters | Switzerland, UK
#shnit #shnit2025 #shortfilmfestival #festivalvibes #getcrazy #havefun #filmfestfun #shnitvibes #celebratecinema
🎬✨ From baby groups to lucid dreams, tanning salons to slaughterhouses, and even the fires of witch trials — these shorts pull us into lives caught between pressure, longing, rage, and resilience.
A mother’s fury sparks an unexpected chain reaction. A girl on a train slips into someone else’s world. A lonely attendant finds warmth in a stranger’s voice through the walls of a tanning booth. An ex-con fights to contain the violence inside. And in 1595, a woman accused of witchcraft refuses to be silenced, leaving her spirit to inspire a new generation.
Stories of survival, desire, rebellion, and connection — raw, surreal, and unforgettable.
🎞
IF YOU’RE HAPPY by @phoebearnstein | United Kingdom
BARLEBAS by @malu_janssen | Netherlands
MERCENAIRE by @ppchevigny | Canada
LUCID DREAMING by @emmaevelein | Netherlands
SOLARIANS by @larrivoire | France
#shnit #shnit2025 #voicesofwomen #witchtrials #luciddreaming #motherhoodstories #humanconnection #rageandresilience #rawcinema #surrealstories #arthousefilm
💓 SILENT PINK + ❤️ LOVE shnit
Twisted, tender, and totally unfiltered. These blocks slip between absurdity and raw emotion: marriages patched with robots, cursed exes in magical wars, and passion sparking where love is outlawed.
Here, broken people face broken systems, longing collides with survival, and tenderness comes with sharp edges.
Surreal, volatile, unforgettable — which block will break you open?
📽 DATING A SUSPICIOUS MAN by @zaytseva_anna_igorevna | USA
MARRIAGE UNPLUGGED by @nueschsisters | Switzerland, UK
REDDENING by @sinemkayacan | Finland
LUCID DREAMING by @emmaevelein | Netherlands
#shnit #shnit2025 #shortfilmfestival #filmfestival #worldwidecinema #indiefilm #shortfilms #filmmakers
💖✨ Sometimes the shortest stories stay with us the longest.
Here’s a glimpse of the heartwarming shorts waiting for you at the shnit worldwide shortsfestival 🎬🌍
Bring your friends, bring your heart — these films will fill it. 💕
📽
KARATEKA by @florence_fauquet | France
FACTORY DROP by @petja_pulkrabek | Germany
THE COCKROACH @thecockroachfilm by Mary Pat Bentel | USA
#shnit #shortfilmfestival #heartwarmingstories #filmthatmovesyou #shortfilms #worldwidecinema #feelgoodfilm #filmcommunity
✨🎬 Tomorrow it begins.
Let’s make this unforgettable!
📽
CIRCLE CIRCLE CIRCLE CIRCLE by @kateskel & @libby_ewing | USA
DATA FLESH by @elguet_ | Chile
REDDENING by @sinemkayacan | Finland
MASKS by @andre_leb | USA
ROADKILL by Louis Gering | Germany
#shnit #shortfilmfestival #filmfestival #shortfilms #worldwidecinema #indiefilm #filmmakers #cinemalovers #filmcommunity #storytelling
🎬✨ Call for Entries 2025! 🌟 Don`t miss out on the opportunity to showcase your talent on a global stage at the shnit worldwide shortsfestival!
Submit your masterpiece now via top platforms like Festhome, Shortfilmdepot, FilmFreeway, FilmFest, Toujiang, or directly on our website shortsfestival.org. 📽️✨
Join us in celebrating the art of short films and be part of an international community of passionate filmmakers.
All links in bio 🔗
Be bold, be original, and be part of something extraordinary at the shnit worldwide shortsfestival 2025! 🌟🎥 #CallForEntries #ShortFilms #FilmFestival #shnitworldwideshortsfestival
Meet the winners of the Worldwide & International Competition of our 22nd edition! 🏆
🇨🇴 A menos que Bailemos 🎥 by Fernanda Pineda Palencia, Hanz Rippe Gabriele 🥇 Audience Award Winner Worldwide Competition 2024
🏴 The One Note Man 🎥 by George C. Siougas 🥇 Winner Audience Award International Competition 2024
Congratulations to all the short films that took part!
Don`t miss this chance to be a part of a cinematic celebration like no other! This is the final call for entries to the shnit Worldwide Shortfilmfestival 2024. 📽️
Submit your film on filmfreeway.com/shnit_worldwide
📆 Extended deadline: August 4th.
🌐 shnit.org
#shnit2024 #shnit #shortfilmfestval #callforentries
¡We extend our call for entries! 🎥
🔗 Submit your shorts film on
filmfreeway.com/shnit_worldwide
🌐 shnit.org
📅 Final Deadline: Aug 4th
#shnit #shnit2024 #shnitworldwide #shortfilmfestival
#filmfestival
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