Film Festival Finalists
Film Festival Finalists 2025, discover the talent behind this year’s most compelling entries in Micro Films, Mini Films, Short Films, Documentaries, Experimental Films, and Feature Films. Micro Films, Mini Films, Short Films, Documentaries, Experimental Films, and Feature Films.These beautiful stories from around the world reflect diverse cultures and creative visions, uniting filmmakers through the powerful language of cinema. For more information about our Awards Evening, click here.
micro films finalists
The little romance of Will-o’-the-Wisp and Raindrop
Director: Baptiste Denuit & Denis
This micro film from France is about a love story between a man who burns what he touches and a woman with a magic umbrella.
The Boy Who Cheated Death
Director: Pipou Phuong Nguyen
Syd, an 8-year-old boy, hides his mother from Death as they escape through different creatures, chased by their predators, until Death becomes the final predator.
Love
Director: Ilya Severov
An 8-year-old girl misbehaves in the hospital, prompting the head doctor to demand her departure. Her overwhelmed father, with no other choice, must take her home.
dance
Director: William Luke Mulders
This film uses minimalism to explore strength, vulnerability, and the beauty of human connection through contrasting visuals and emotions.
mini films finalists
The Little Prince
Director: Amar Khati
The Little Prince follows Amineh, a girl who lives with her grandpa and spends every night searching for the comet.
Volunteer
Director: Dmitry Pasichnyuk
Set during the first days of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan decides to become a volunteer and join the Red Army.
Kidney Trial
Director: Doron Neeman
When Dana, faces the sudden illness of her daughter, she must choose between her faith and the unfamiliar world of medicine and science.
Tragedy of the Lady
Director: Doron Neeman
Hannah, a young actress, must compete for the role of Lady Macbeth against her friend, whom she secretly loves.
An Old Friend
Director: Nuk Suwanchote
An imaginary friend (Jason Faunt) discovers his sole purpose is to bring happiness to his child, only to realize his child is a 90-year-old man
short films finalists
Breaking Free
Director: Kopedi Aphane
Lerato, trapped in an abusive relationship, discovers she’s pregnant and tries to escape. Zulu refuses to let her go. Their neighbor, Pule, steps in to protect her.
trinidad
Director: Jose Manuel Espinosa
Trinidad follows three children who steal their beloved grandfather’s ashes from a cemetery, determined to keep him close throughout their lives.
Visible voices
Director: Sofya Shevlyakova
Sixteen-year-old Anya, who lost her hearing due to illness, relies on lip reading to communicate. But when Anya falls for her sister’s new boyfriend, her struggle with self-acceptance intensifies
Catharsis
Director: Valeria Popova
Catharsis tells the story of an aging actor, contemplating death after a performance cancellation. He meets a young colleague and a woman on a bus, where his acting impacts them both.
short documentaries finalists
Happy People
Director: Ксения Сажина
In the heart of Tatarstan, three generations spent over 60 years making this place a paradise, only to lose their land to a local entrepreneur.
Bitter Honey
Director: Julia Makarova
After their father’s death, the Skuratov sisters struggle to maintain the family’s bee apiary, while grappling with the lingering pain of their loss.
Deep Black
Director: Roberto Pili
Deep Black explores how art, through the story of Sardinian writer Davide Lai (NERO), serves as a tool for resilience and mental health.
Olga Michi an artistic odyssey
Director: Vladimir Sumashedov
A documentary about Olga Michi’s adventurous journey as a photographer and artist.
documentaries finalists
My Kola odyssey
Director: Maria Popritsak
My Kola Odyssey explores the Kola Superdeep Borehole, a Soviet Cold War megaproject meant to revolutionize our understanding of the Earth.
The journey home
Director: Vera & Desmond Denton
A compelling documentary that captures the hopes, fears, and challenges of immigrant families in the U.S. through the eyes of their children.
MADE IN PARADISE
Director: Aniruddha Das
Set against the breathtaking landscapes of Ladakh, Made In Paradise follows the Changpa nomads, guardians of the world’s finest Pashmina.
feature film finalists
The Devil MakeS Work For Idle Hands
Director: Colin O’Reilly
A man on parole, a struggling mother, and two drug-dealing brothers, whose lives intertwine in a complex web of interconnected stories
Clan Woman
Director: Lekshmi Pushpa
JAMI centers on a woman whose life is controlled by her son after her husband’s death, leading to a power struggle that forces her to confront deeper truths about life
STEPPE
Director: Maxim Akbarov
Steppe follows hunting inspectors as they battle poachers in a dangerous mission. While saving a woman and her daughter, they ultimately sacrifice their lives, highlighting the perilous nature of their work in the vast steppe
experimental films finalists
Children From Heaven
Director: Shravan Pranesh, Karthick Mohan, Karthik Gopal
Explores the challenges faced by four children, reflecting on how divine answers manifest through humans.
Popurri
Director: Ricardo Rivas
Popurri is a collage of scenes blending different moods and emotions, creating a collective dream that invites viewers into a surreal, fragmented experience.
HEIDEGGER
Director: Юрий Владимирович Кузин
Heidegger is a mystical drama centered around the author’s search for his father in a pile of photographs, where the shadow of his mother, who died 40 years ago, is summoned from Hell.
Spelonk
Director: Desmond Denton
In a dystopian Cape Town of 2044, bounty hunter Dante faces moral dilemmas while hunting rebels over scarce water.
Film Festival Finalists 2025
Our Film Festival Finalists represent a vibrant tapestry of stories from around the world. Each film offers a unique perspective, taking you on a journey from the colorful streets of India to the historic landscapes of Russia, all the way to the vast steppes of Kazakhstan. These diverse voices capture the richness of human experience across continents, reminding us that no matter where a story comes from, it has the power to connect us all.
