Ghent International Short Film Festival 2026 Concludes with Awards Announcement

Ghent, Belgium — The 2026 edition of the Ghent International Short Film Festival concluded on March 22 at the Velvet Room after a week-long celebration of independent and daring short cinema. From March 16 to 22, the festival presented a curated selection of 46 short films spanning narrative, documentary, animation, experimental and underground cinema. The festival welcomed a number of special guests, including Maximilian Nita, Hiroyuki Nishiyama, Klara Schmickler, Catarina Couto Gonçalves, Nina Pinzarrone, Luka Galle, Helena Taghon and Romane Eilahtan, whose presence contributed to a week of engaged screenings and enriching post-screening discussions with audiences.

Reflecting on this year’s edition, curator Kris De Meester described the festival as “a privilege to meet so many talented filmmakers and to experience the enriching conversations that followed the screenings.” Continuing its mission to support independent filmmakers, the festival awarded all selected filmmakers The Tarkovski Grant, valued at €500, to support their journey on the international film festival circuit.

Award Winners — Ghent International Short Film Festival 2026

Best Film

Mom Dances (Switzerland) by Mégane Brügger — 23:00

A powerful and intimate reflection on what remains of a mother after years of domestic violence — her body, dignity, strength, and the gestures and memories that can still be passed down.

Best Narrative Film

An Excess Baggage (France) by Myriam Garcia Marienstras — 16:20

A subtle portrait of a mother struggling with emotional dependency when her daughter leaves for summer camp, revealing how love can sometimes become too heavy to carry.

Best Documentary Film

Greetings from Seaside Heights (Germany) by Klara Schmickler — 14:30

A portrait of a seaside town caught between consumerism and quiet decay, where residents reflect on identity, purpose, and the cost of calling a place home.

Best Animated Film

Une Fugue (To the Woods) (France) by Agnès Patron

A poetic and fragile story of memory and loss, following a sister who recalls her brother with vivid tenderness.

Best Experimental Film

Kiesler’s Body (Austria) by Ganaël Dumreicher

An experimental exploration of architect Frederick Kiesler’s visionary cinematic space, where architecture and film merge into a boundless visual experience.

Best Underground Film

Tenez (Germany) by Maximilian Nita

A psychological portrait of a young tennis player confronting the trauma of past abuse on the eve of an important championship.

Best New Filmmaker

This Between Us (Belgium) by Helena Taghon

A fragile and intense portrait of the complex bond between a daughter and her mother over the course of a single night.

Best Connecting Cultures Film

NŪR (Congo) by Ryan Youngblood

A powerful reconstruction of life inside an Islamic State camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following a young man torn between survival, faith and the hope of returning home.

Best Belgian Narrative Film

The Catcher (Belgium) by Luka Galle

A surreal and melancholic story about a lonely government worker tasked with catching invisible birds, until he decides to bring one home.

Best Belgian Documentary Film

Dans un Souffle (Belgium, Hungary, Portugal) by Catarina Couto Gonçalves

A poetic black-and-white portrait of figure skater Nina Pinzarrone and her fragile yet relentless pursuit of perfection.

Best Dance Film

Kielo (Finland) by Janina Rajakangas & Sinem Kayacan

A dance film exploring imagination, neurodivergence, and the emotional world of young people through movement.

Best Music Video

Millenium (Belgium) by Melisa Gammarota

Best Super Short Film

20:15 Mexico DF (Argentina) by Alejandro Di Meglio

A tender encounter between two women in Mexico City becomes a reflection on memory, love and the passage of time.

Audience Choice Award

Ice Breath (Romania) by Leonard Alecu

A hypnotic black-and-white cinematic poem filmed among the melting icebergs of Greenland, reflecting on climate change, time and extinction.

The Ghent International Short Film Festival continues to position itself as a platform for bold cinema and meaningful exchange, where emerging and established filmmakers meet an engaged audience in an intimate setting dedicated to cinema as an art form.

Call for Entries — 2027 Edition

Submissions are now open for the 2027 edition of the Ghent International Short Film Festival. Filmmakers can submit their films via FilmFreeway:https://filmfreeway.com/GhentShortFilmFestival