Short Films, Big Emotions. Winter Encounters with European Cinema
This December, we invite audiences from across the region to a winter showcase of short films for children and adults, curated by the team of the Short Waves Festival.
The idea of a winter encounter reflects what matters most to us – cinema as a space for dialogue, diversity, and shared experience.
Programme:
● BAFTA-nominated films – a fresh look at contemporary British cinema
Adiós – dir. José Prats
United Kingdom – 8’ – animation
An adult son, his father, and their dog Canela spend a day together hunting rabbits. An accident during the hunt unleashes difficult emotions that the father must face as his son prepares to leave for the United Kingdom.
Stomach Bug – dir. Matty Crawford
United Kingdom – 15’ – fiction – TW: flashing lights
A strange condition, downplayed by public healthcare workers, turns out to be something entirely unexpected when the lonely Manny is unable to communicate with his absent daughter. Using the aesthetics of body horror, the film powerfully portrays the complex emotions of an ageing parent struggling with illness and loneliness.
milk – dir. Miranda Stern
United Kingdom – 27’ – documentary
The director sets out to get to know her mother, confronting experiences of loss, dependency, and motherhood. The starting point is a collection of objects left behind by her mother, opening up a space of memory and trauma. milk is an intimate, poetic essay about love and mourning, which coexist in a delicate balance – like in the art of kintsugi, where cracks define the beauty and emotional value of an object.
Wander to Wonder – dir. Nina Gantz
United Kingdom – 14’ – animation
Characters from the 1980s children’s TV show Wander to Wonder are left completely alone when their human creator suddenly disappears. As their micro-world falls into increasing chaos, they continue to perform in front of the VHS camera that once recorded their show.
The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing – dir. Theo Panagopoulos
United Kingdom – 17’ – documentary
A Palestinian director living in Scotland discovers forgotten archival footage of wildflowers from his homeland. He digitises the material and enters into a dialogue with images from the time when Palestine was under British occupation. These unique films – Wild Flowers of Palestine and Floral Beauty of the Holy Land – shot by a Scottish missionary in the 1930s and 40s, are among the earliest known colour recordings from the region.
The calm, enchanting shots of hills, fields, and Palestinian life are juxtaposed with reflections on the contemporary fate of the land and its people. The vivid colours of the flowers still captivate, while at the same time evoking a profound sense of loss.
Marion – dir. Joe Weiland, Finn Constantine
United Kingdom – 13’ – documentary
Set in the world of La Course Landaise – a French tradition of bull-leaping – the film tells the story of Marion, the only woman in France practising this sport. As she prepares to enter the arena, the film reveals her struggle with misogyny and prejudice. It is the story of a woman trying to reconcile motherhood with the pursuit of her passion in a male-dominated world.
Rock, Paper, Scissors – dir. Franz Böhm
United Kingdom – 20’ – fiction
BAFTA 2025 WINNER
Based on a true story, the film follows teenage Ivan, who runs a makeshift frontline hospital with his father. As enemy troops draw ever closer, Ivan must make an impossible choice to protect his father, the patients, and everything they stand for.
7 December, 7:00 PM – Ślina, Poznań
10 December, 7:00 PM – Zakład, Leszno
● European films competing for the ESFAA Audience Award
Amour à Mort – dir. Ingrid Heiderscheidt
Belgium – 26’ – 2024 – fiction
Claudine is searching for love. By day she works as a master of ceremonies at a crematorium, and after hours she performs as a majorette with the Pekettes troupe. At 45, she no longer wants to be single.
My Secret Cyberlove – dir. Bartosz Stankiewicz
Poland – 35’ – 2024 – fiction
Robert is in a relationship with a sex robot and runs a pastry shop with his mother. When the cake oven breaks down, his toxic father returns to fix it. His presence puts Robert’s love for the robot to the test.
Two People Exchanging Saliva – dir. Natalie Musteata, Alexandre Singh
France – 36’ – 2024 – fiction
In an alternative reality where a kiss is punishable by death and money has been replaced by physical violence, Malaise, a young shopping mall employee, falls in love with Angine, a frustrated bourgeois woman. The bond growing between the two becomes the object of jealousy of an older shop assistant.
11 December, 7:00 PM – Ślina, Poznań
12 December, 7:00 PM – Zakład, Leszno
Short films for winter – emotions instead of gifts. Join us!
Graphic design: Nina Budzyńska
Screenings organised as part of the Wielkopolskie Mikołajki Filmowe project.
Project co-financed by the Polish Film Institute.