The European Competition comprises of 41 films, including three Croatian titles. One of these is creative duo Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakov’s animated short Eeva, an Estonian-Croatian coproduction. The film has recently been included in official competition of the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival, after having screened in Tallinn at the Black Nights Film Festival and Berlin IFF (Berlinale Shorts). It is produced by Draško Ivezić (Adriatic Animation), with Estonian co-producer Kelav Tamm of studio Eesti Joonisfilm.

The second Croatian animation screening in the European Competition is director Darko Masnec’ Salute to the Sun, first presented to the public at last year’s Animafest Zagreb, having since appeared at a number of regional and European festivals, including Fantoche in Switzerland and Dok Leipzig in Germany. The film is produced by Stjepan Milas (Studio u šumi). 

The same competition will also feature Sunčica Fradelić’s, While We Were Here, which had its world premiere in competition at last year’s  International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. It went on to screen at numerous festivals in the region, receiving awards at FeKK Ljubljana and the Alternative Film/Video in Belgrade. The film’s director self-produced the film as part of the Split Cinema Club.    

Award-winning live action, animated and documentary films from this programme automatically enter the running for Oscar nominations.

In addition, the programme devoted to up-and-coming directors (New Arrivals) will feature Martina Marasović’s fiction short My Nikola. Among others, the film has already screened at the Sarajevo Film Festival and in the Checkers programme of the Zagreb Film Festival, also winning the award for Best Student Film at the The Shortest Day Short Film Festival. The film is produced by the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. The titles in this section compete for the special Encouragement Award, aimed to inspire and encourage young authors and talents.

Meanwhile, the section intended for the youngest audiences (4+) will feature Timon Leder’s Slovenian-Croatian animated short Mouse House. To date, it has screened at various animation and short film festivals such as Animafesta Zagreb, Supertoon and Dok Leipzig, as well as Tallinn Black Nights, Zlín Film Festival and Motovun FF. The film’s Croatian co-producer is Jure Bušić (Jaka Produkcija). 

Go Short is the main short film festival in the Netherlands, taking place in the city of Nijmegen from 31st March to 10th April. In addition to film screenings, Go Short also offers a rich side programme that includes lectures, workshops, informal get-togethers and meetings for the film industry. Find more details about the festival on its official website. 

Cover photographs: Go Short festival visual; scenes from: Eeva, Salute to the Sun, While We Were Here, My Nikola, Mouse House