Thursday, February 19 at 6:30: Sneak Preview!
THE THREE SISTERS – (Konstantin Bronzit, 14 min., Israel & Cyprus) Three sisters live a lonely life on an isolated island, each in their own small house. One day, circumstances develop in such a way that they are forced to rent out one of the houses.
FOREVERGREEN – (Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears, 13 min., USA) A joyful adventure featuring an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns serious when the cub is tempted byt he allure of easy food. Fire and deadly danger ensue as the cub is left bereft of hope and on the verge of a ruinous end, until the sacrificial love of the tree falls into place.
Winner: THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS – (Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, 17 min., Canada) A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds.
BUTTERFLY (PAPILLON) – (Florence Miailhe, 15 min., France, French with English subtitles) A poignant retelling of Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache's life, from his rise to fame to surviving Auschwitz, presented as memories flashing back during his final swim.
RETIREMENT PLAN – (John Kelly, 7 min., Ireland) RETIREMENT PLAN tells the story of Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) as he fantasises about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time."
Additional animated short film presentation, shortlisted:
ÉIRU – (Giovanna Ferrari, 13 min., Ireland) When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends in to the belly of the earth to retrieve it. ÉIRU is the story of a child in search of a challenge, and a goddess in search of a champion.
The final three films in this program include some mature and disturbing content that may be inappropriate for children under 10. An onscreen card will alert viewers before those films begin.
Screening as part of the 2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts