Boston Short Film Festival

Boston Short Film Festival BSFF believes in short films!

Recognizing the important role shorts have in cinema, storytelling, and culture, BSFF is an annual event showcasing shorts films with an edge.

Boston Short Film Festival Announces Award Winners of Its 11th EditionThe 11th Boston Short Film Festival concluded last...
07/20/2026

Boston Short Film Festival Announces Award Winners of Its 11th Edition

The 11th Boston Short Film Festival concluded last Friday after four days of celebrating outstanding short-form cinema at the Capitol Theatre. From Tuesday through Friday, audiences enjoyed a carefully curated program of 39 short films from around the world, reaffirming the festival's commitment to championing bold voices and the art of short filmmaking.

The winning films reflect the remarkable breadth of contemporary cinema. Together, they explore resilience, memory, identity, history, and the human condition—from intimate personal journeys and stories shaped by war to visually daring experiments, surreal comedy, and reflections on art, family, and society. The selected winners demonstrate the power of short films to capture profound emotional experiences in remarkably concise and inventive ways.

"Looking at this year's award winners, what stands out is how each film approaches the human experience from a completely different angle," said Festival Director Kris De Meester. "Whether through quiet acts of compassion, the realities of war, childhood memories, absurd humor, artistic experimentation, historical reflection, or deeply personal family relationships, these filmmakers found unique and unforgettable ways to connect with audiences. That's exactly what the Boston Short Film Festival exists to celebrate."

The 2026 edition featured a carefully curated lineup of 39 short films representing a wide range of genres, styles, and perspectives. In addition to the in-person screenings, the festival's online Streaming Selection remains available for viewing through August 13.

After much deliberation, the jury selected the following winners:

Best Narrative Short Film
Nightfaces (Austria) – Directed by Martin Winter & Stefan Langthaler

Best Documentary Short Film
Vita 2.0 (Ukraine) – Directed by Vita Stoikova

Best Animated Short Film
To the Woods (France) – Directed by Agnès Patron

Best Underground Short Film
Dead Tooth (France) – Directed by Romane Eilahtan

Best Experimental Short Film
Equal (United States) – Directed by Tom Bessoir

Best Boston Film
The Magician (United States) – Directed by Juan Gracia

Best Performance
Luisa Huertas & Óliver Cantú in Reliefs (Mexico) – Directed by Juan Manuel Gonzalez Fernandez

Congratulations to all the selected filmmakers and award winners. The Boston Short Film Festival also extends its heartfelt thanks to its audiences for joining us throughout the festival and supporting independent cinema. We look forward to welcoming filmmakers and film lovers back for the 12th edition next year.

Official Selection / winners of The Tarkovski Grant

Equal (United States) by Tom Bessoir
Lana (Canada) by Laetitia Angba, Julie R. Lissouba
Remember Me (United States) by Claire Titelman
Grima (United States) by Richie Harrington
The Hemingway (United States) by Evan Mathis, Patrick Sean O'Brien
Broken Dawn (South Korea) by Hae-0h Park
Trump Pinochet (United States) by Gerald Habarth
Dead tooth (France) by Romane Eilahtan
Vita 2.0 (Ukraine) by Vita Stoikova
The Bull (United Kingdom) by Victor Nauwynck
To the woods (France) by Agnès Patron
Thickly Settled (United States) by Brian D Jones, Jordan Brooks
The Magician (United States) by Juan Gracia
Gang of One (United States) by Sam Hamad
An excess baggage (France) by Myriam Garcia Marienstras
Attached (United States) by Kendra Monet, Demetrius Sadler
Reliefs (Mexico) by Juan Manuel Gonzalez Fernandez
Nightfaces (Austria) by Martin Winter, Stefan Langthaler
Mars (United Kingdom) by Shelley Hopkins
Franck (France) by Fabio Caldironi
Tulipomania: I've Been Told (United States) by Cheryl Gelover, Tom Murray
Eructation (United States) by Victoria Trow
Stockholm (United States) by Kaitlyn Mikayla
Measurements (Italy) by Marta Capossela
Super V (France) by Franck Janin
Money Talks (United States) by Tony Mucci
Drive More (United States) by Matthew Thompson
Kicking Toward Tomorrow! (South Korea) by Yunbin AN
Follow, If I Can (United States) by Julia Keesler, Cameron Strittmatter
Bad Batch (United States) by Alex Sagona, Nick Viglietta
Bags (Canada) by Mitch Ray
The Man Who Built The Waldorf Astoria (Ireland) by Paul Cooke
Stuck (United States) by Josephine Harrison
To Hazel (United States) by Chace Wei
The End in Slow Motion (United States) by Joshua Kaufman
Home (Belgium) by Hanne Schillemans, Ralph Timmermans
Release (Hungary) by Zoltan Gergely Szabo
Stand Alone (United States) by Soyeon Kim
Modem: Image (Finland) by Ilona Lehtonen

Money Talks (United States) by Tony Mucci, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM! On the day of Reagan’s inauguration, a $100 bill trav...
07/14/2026

Money Talks (United States) by Tony Mucci, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM!

On the day of Reagan’s inauguration, a $100 bill travels through the underbelly of 1981 New York City.

Running time: 00:25:00

Super V (France) by Franck Janin, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM! In a rainy and desolate countryside, a man finds himself stuck...
07/14/2026

Super V (France) by Franck Janin, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM!

In a rainy and desolate countryside, a man finds himself stuck behind the wheel of his broken-down car. Unable to restart it, he loses his patience. Fortunately, SUPER V is here!

Running time: 00:02:20

Measurements (Italy) by Marta Capossela, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM! A couple's drama unfolds in the claustrophobic rooms of...
07/14/2026

Measurements (Italy) by Marta Capossela, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM!

A couple's drama unfolds in the claustrophobic rooms of their small apartment. Psychological abuse is intertwined with daily life. He measures Her every day and diligently notes every slightest change in Her body. The trauma will survive even after Her rebellion.

Running time: 00:19:59

Stockholm (United States) by Kaitlyn Mikayla, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM! Claire, a bright but restless 25-year-old, dives i...
07/14/2026

Stockholm (United States) by Kaitlyn Mikayla, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM!

Claire, a bright but restless 25-year-old, dives into an exploration of kink with the encouragement of her best friend, Skye. What begins as playful curiosity on a dating app quickly spirals when Claire matches with Leo, a charismatic older man who lures her into a captivity that blurs the line between coercion and desire.

Months later, Claire resurfaces: bruised, haunted, and back in the Bushwick apartment she once shared with Skye. Torn between the safety of home and the dark pull of her submission, Claire struggles to adjust to her old life.

Through fractured timelines of present-day recovery and flashbacks of captivity, Stockholm dissects friendship, sexuality, and the unsettling psychology of power. The proof-of-concept offers a chilling glimpse into Claire’s paradoxical truth, where survival and surrender are indistinguishable, and freedom might not be what she wants after all.

Running time: 00:10:24

Eructation (United States) by Victoria Trow, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM! The world record for loudest female burp is 107.3 d...
07/14/2026

Eructation (United States) by Victoria Trow, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM!

The world record for loudest female burp is 107.3 decibels. Kaylee wants to beat it.

Running time: 00:06:49

Tulipomania: I've Been Told (United States) by Cheryl Gelover, Tom Murray, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM! With a pressingly mou...
07/14/2026

Tulipomania: I've Been Told (United States) by Cheryl Gelover, Tom Murray, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM!

With a pressingly mournful urgency, this single's soundscape resonates with the complex energies enveloping VanderMeer’s novel, the author having invited the duo to create music inspired by 'Absolution' while still a work in progress. Hearing that VanderMeer took inspiration for the 'Absolution' novel from their 'Dreaming of Sleep' album, Tulipomania enthusiastically accepted the challenge.

Running time: 00:03:35

Franck (France) by Fabio Caldironi, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM! Franck is a soldier. He watches the streets of Paris. But on...
07/14/2026

Franck (France) by Fabio Caldironi, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM!

Franck is a soldier. He watches the streets of Paris. But one day, Franck decides to leave.

Running time: 00:18:45

Mars (United Kingdom) by Shelley Hopkins, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM! MARS is inspired by the wonders of space travel and tr...
07/14/2026

Mars (United Kingdom) by Shelley Hopkins, FRIDAY, JULY 17 at 7PM!

MARS is inspired by the wonders of space travel and transports us to a cosmic realm where we witness the birth of supernovas and planets with a background of stars. The visuals explode in harmony with the ambient beats and are simultaneously fixed at the micro (the dance of creation) and the macro (the unimaginably vast and unwittingly beautiful scale of an unthinking universe swirling towards its next stage). It's a meditative and analogue piece that explores the colossal cosmic tidal forces that stretch our perception, as well as the little breaths and heart beats of our tiny beautiful and ever-changing possibilities.

Running time: 00:07:11

Nightfaces (Austria) by Martin Winter, Stefan Langthaler, THURSDAY, JULY 16 at 7PM! Mahan is a taxi driver in Vienna, bu...
07/14/2026

Nightfaces (Austria) by Martin Winter, Stefan Langthaler, THURSDAY, JULY 16 at 7PM!

Mahan is a taxi driver in Vienna, but his job frustrates him. He longs for his family and a normal life. One rainy night, a homeless woman gets into his taxi. She urgently wants to see her son, whose birthday it is. Mahan tries to get rid of her and accidentally breaks her present. To make up for the damage, he takes the strange woman on one last trip through the dark city.

Running time: 00:23:00

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