Official selection

A freediving boy, desperate to connect with his grieving father, pushes himself to the limit underwater.

The one thing I remember from my studies is how to row. Sometimes I miss it. So I go back to see Kevin, my old coach and current boatman of a rowing club at Cambridge.

How to Build a Sand Castle is a four minute hand- drawn animated short that uses the metaphor of a crumbling sandcastle to explore queer self- discovery, shedding shame, and reclaiming identity with newfound clarity and power.

Through the opening between reality and subtle poetic forms, surreal scenes and thrilling paradoxes reveal endless loops of existence.

In an abstract and symbolic world where gravity is reversed, a unique bond forms between a grandfather and his grandson. As Saba, the grandfather guides the boy through this surreal reality, a violent storm strikes, tearing one of the ropes anchoring their home - and with it, their life together. After suffering a devastating loss of Saba, the boy embarks on an emotional journey in search of closure. Through a stylized and poetic visual language, the film explores life’s fundamental questions: the paths we take, separation from those we love, and the endless effort to find closure, reconcile loss, and move forward.

In 'Beyond the Facade', Eyup Kuş presents an experimental film in which his atmospheric music combines with visual elements to create a sensory journey that blurs the boundaries between sight and sound. A poignant commentary on the climate crisis reflects the fleeting nature of human experience and symbolically melts like the glaciers of the Alps.