European Union Short Film Festival
May 2 & 3, 2025
Arts Court Theatre (2 Daly Ave.)
Welcome to the 12th 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 short film production in the European Union. The eleventh edition of the EUSFF features 23 films from 23 EU countries.
This year, there are three separate programs presented in the comfort of the Arts Court Theatre. The 2025 selection includes short dramas, documentaries, animation, and experimental films.
Before the theatre doors open, enjoy European food and drinks provided by the EU embassies at the Tastes of Europe Receptions.
Again this year, as is customary at the EUSFF, admission to all the screenings is free!
We hope you’ll enjoy these 23 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 40th edition of the European Union Film Festival.
Tom McSorley
Executive Director
Canadian Film Institute
“We are excited to announce the 12th annual edition of the European Union Short Film Festival in Ottawa, as part of 9 May Europe Day celebrations. The festival will also be presented in Montreal in late May,” said Geneviève Tuts, Ambassador of the European Union to Canada. “We are thrilled to unveil this unique and diverse programme of 23 short films from across the European Union, especially curated for this festival. Our heartfelt thanks to all those who are making this festival such a success, our friends at the Canadian Film Institute and our colleagues at the embassies and cultural institutes of EU Member States and the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC).”
« Nous sommes ravis d'annoncer la 12e édition annuelle du Festival du court-métrage de l'Union européenne à Ottawa, dans le cadre des célébrations de la Journée de l'Europe le 9 mai. Le festival sera également présenté à Montréal à la fin du mois de mai », a déclaré Geneviève Tuts, l’Ambassadrice de l'Union européenne au Canada. « Nous nous réjouissons de dévoiler ce programme inédit et varié de 23 courts métrages sélectionnés spécialement pour ce festival et réalisés à travers l'Union européenne. Nous tenons à remercier toutes celles et ceux qui contribuent au succès du festival, nos amis de l'Institut canadien du film et nos collègues des ambassades et des instituts culturels des États membres de l'UE. »
Admission is free!
Seats are available on a first come, first served basis.
Keep scrolling to view the three 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, May 2 at 7:00 PM (111 minutes)
6:30 PM: Tastes of Europe
Nine stories about womanhood that spotlight the chaotic, mysterious, and triumphant lives of their memorable protagonists.
(This program is recommended for audiences 18+)
InstaLove
2022 | 8 minutes | Poland
Director: Marcin Niemkiewicz
When Angelika discovers her boyfriend's secret, her world turns upside down. Some things can't be hidden, especially when you're being watched by thousands of people.
Amarradas
2022 | 10 minutes | Spain
Director: Carmen Córdoba González
A mother and her daughter are roped for life by an eternal bond that heals and hurts.
Sewing Machine
2024 | 17 minutes | Estonia
Director: Ülo Pikkov
A film about the city of Petseri and its people told through the life and legacy of the director's great-grandmother.
1001 Nights
2023 | 13 minutes | Croatia
Director: Teresa Väli
For the last five years, Ema and Maja have spent every evening together, watching Turkish series in Ema’s apartment in the Mediterranean town Split, as a way of coping with their loneliness.
Three Birds
2024 | 8 minutes | Slovenia
Director: Zarja Menart
A wise birdwoman sends three birds to guide a girl into the dark unknown landscapes of her inner world.
Favours
2024 | 11 minutes | Sweden
Director: Agnes Skonare Karlsson
In a bustling train station, Sonja struggles to get help to take care of a baby she claims has been abandoned.
Letter of Forgiveness
2020 | 15 minutes | Romania
Director: Alina Şerban
In the household of a wealthy Romanian noblewoman in 1855, Maria, a Roma-Gipsy slave, fights to obtain freedom for her son Dinca
Young Lady
2016 | 15 minutes | Portugal
Director: Simão Cayatte
A young housewife has the courage to find out if there is more to her world than her husband, her baby, and her home.
Tuulikki
2022 | 14 minutes | Finland
Director: Teemu Nikki
Tuulikki is a vivacious young woman. Her mother refuses to let her out of her sight. Tuulikki refuses to be imprisoned. Their fraught mother-daughter relationship escalates.
Program 2: The Places You’ll Go
Saturday, May 3 at 3:00 PM (75 minutes)
2:30 PM: Tastes of Europe
Seven family-friendly shorts about the people, places, and memories we share on the road of life.
(This program is recommended for audiences 8+)
A Cup of Coffee?
2023 | 6 minutes | Austria
Director: Magdalena Steiner
A tv license officer is invited for a cup of coffee by a lonely resident, but little does he know he’s not the only visitor.
L'Acquario
2024 | 14 minutes | Italy
Director: Gianluca Zonta
Vincenzo is on his first date with Sara. Unsure of how to navigate their conversation, he uses Chat-AIT, an application based on artificial intelligence, to suggest things to say.
The Corner Of My Eyes
2023 | 6 minutes | Hungary
Director: Domonkos Erhardt
On the bumpy bus ride home, a boy spots a nice girl sitting across from him. Their eyes only meet in the reflection of the window. The boy, in his imagination, pictures what it would be like to be with the her.
What's Inside That Crate?
2023 | 9 minutes | Belgium
Director: Bram Algoed
A story about a pilot, a captain, a train driver, a van driver, a mailman, a girl... and a giant crate.
Hello Summer
2023 | 10 minutes | Czech Republic
Director: Martin Smatana, Veronika Zacharová
A family is excited to leave for their dream vacation. But as soon as they arrive to the airport, things start to go awry.
Summer 96
2023 | 12 minutes | France
Director: Mathilde Bédouet
Paul, his family, and their friends, find themselves trapped by the tide on Callot Island.
Waking Up In Silence
2023 | 18 minutes | Germany
Director: Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi
Warm rays of sunshine fall upon sturdy buildings: children forced to flee Ukraine now dwell in the barracks of a former German military base.
Program 3: Band of Outsiders
Saturday, May 4 at 7:00 PM (112 minutes)
6:30 PM: Tastes of Europe
Our final selection of films embraces the resilience of outsiders, as the perspectives of marginalized characters unveil the beauty and ugliness of contemporary society.
(This program is recommended for audiences 18+)
A Good Mind Grows in Thorny Places
2024 | 20 minutes | Slovakia
Director: Katarína Gramatová
Twelve-year-old Adam from the Slovak village of Utekáč can do any job you ask of him. He is strong, brave, and very active. He earns his own money, his life is completely in his own hands, and his friends admire him for it.
Tsikitigklon, The Fairy and The Man
2023 | 14 minutes | Cyprus
Director: Marios Mettis
A trans woman finds herself trapped inside the van of a mysterious man whose intentions are not what they seem.
Name Day
2024 | 18 minutes | Greece
Director: Kostas Dimitriadis
Alexandra is at her home, attending a family gathering after her mother's funeral. She feels the need to announce to her relatives that she is a woman.
The One Who Knows
2024 | 12 minutes | Lithuania
Director: Eglė Davidavičė
Ūla is an introverted and anxious teenager who likes swimming. One ordinary morning at swimming practise, she is taken on an unexpected adventure.
Pauline's Story
2025 | 12 minutes | Latvia
Director: Velta Emilija Platupe.
On a picturesque summer day, Pauline’s world is turned upside down when her family is deported to Siberia.
The Red Suitcase
2023 | 17 minutes | Luxembourg
Director: Cyrus Neshvad
A 16 years old veiled girl is terrified to leave the Luxembourg airport.
Room Taken
2023 | 19 minutes | Ireland
Director: TJ O’Grady-Peyton
Having just arrived in Ireland, Isaac is part of the rapidly growing homeless population. One day, while charging his phone in a coffee shop, he meets Victoria, an elderly blind woman.