S Viswanath

Billed as a special programme aimed at bringing together recent graduates from European schools, and a key launching platform for the continent’s next generation of film talents, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s EPF Future Frames Section, which birthed in 2015, and has continued since over a decade now, acts as an international springboard for young directing talent giving the talented emerging directors a chance to learn from the industry’s top established figures.

The section features ten outstanding film school graduates throughout Europe who get the chance to present their short films to the international industry and the public, wherein they also take part in a tailor-made programme such as exclusive masterclasses, training, networking and promotional elements to pave their way into the international film scene.

The specifically curated section put together by KVIFF Artistic Director Karel Och and his programme team, is organised by European Film Promotion (EFP) in partnership with KVIFF and supported by the Creative Europe – MEDIA EU programme.

The young director picked winner will receive month-long scholarship in Los Angeles, with the winner selected by a jury consisting of American talent agents from Range Media Partners and United Talent Agency

These shorts, so selected, showcases a broad span of voices, styles and perspectives, ranging from a poetic horror, to exploration of unresolved histories and memories, family estrangement, to issues of adoption, besides other playful, genre-driven or visually distinctive approaches to personal and social questions, through use of absurd comedy and folklore, inheritance, as also body, identity and growing up, coming-of-age portrait exploring childhood, jealousy and sibling rivalry, pressures of youth, family responsibility and social environment et al, reflecting the creative diversity that is shaping the future of European Cinema.

Shallow Ground (Rahlo), 19 mins, winner of Best Shot Film Award at Zagreb, by Croatian filmmaker Jozo Schmuch, known for exploring identity, memory and social tension, speaks of disappearance of director’s uncle, reflective of experience of thousands of families affected by Croatia’s War of Independence that has left a deep scar on Croatian society.

The film spotlights on long-lost Luka returning home to his aged mother showing no signs of aging or war injuries.

However, the long-awaited reunion is offset by the suddenness of Luka’s unbelieve return. Describing itself as A Rap Fairytale About Justice & A Bold Girl Named Jasna by Czech Republic Marie Lukáčová’s Orla is a 20 minute amusing, eco-feminist rap fairytale short.

The short, set in rigidly ruled kingdom surrounded by magical wilderness ruled by tyrannical ruler, Volk, sees the sharp-witted young maiden Jasna, overcoming her fear defeating her oppressor, discovering Volk’s plan in time, who banishes her into a treacherous, faraway land, from where she is not expected to return, where she teams up with Eagle, the forest guardian, to help free her people.

The short developed within Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Talents scheme, premiered at IFF Rotterdam 2026.Helmi Donner’s The Lightning Rod from Finland is a 21 minute short is about young mother Irina’s toxic relationship with her tradition bound grandmother who has very different notions about how Irina should lead her life.

The lass, fleeing from a poisonous relationship, who seeks safety and protection is greeted by her grandma’s hostility towards her needs. In the midst of a raging summer storm the two women of different generations have to face the consequences of repressing their feelings for too long.

The short about interplay between past and present, which had its world premiere in Cannes’ La Cinéf for student film makes masterful use of elements of horror to bring out the claustrophobic atmosphere of a house where fear and love meet hope and understanding.

Son of French trapezist and English aerialist, Frenchman Teilo Quillard’s 26 min Zampano drawing upon the director’s own circus background, explores the intimate bond between a father and son, blending themes of vertigo, legacy, and youthful ambition. When his dad’s old circus troupe returns to the region, Zampano sees it as an opportunity to get back on the trapeze and elope with Nina, the trapeze artist he is besotted with.

However, he is constantly grounded by his father, who reminds him of his severe vertigo and attempts to keep him tied to his legacy. The aesthetically captivating short combines impressive trapeze performances with intimate moments to create a captivating tale of courage, family bonds, and conquering one’s fears.” Past The Hill Of Napoleon’s Hat (Pravažiavus Napoleono kepurę)is a 15 min coming of age short by the Lithuanian filmmaker Arnas Balčiūnas whose debut short, Through Gloom (2022), won Best International Film at Friss Hús ISFF in Hungary.

The is a 2025 Lithuanian short film directed by Arnas Balčiūnas. The short follows a young man who, on a misty, early spring morning, picks his father up from a psychiatric hospital and takes him home to his grandparents. As they travel to visit the grandparents in a small town in Lithuania, they pass a strangely-shaped hill, dredging up memories of a time when the family was whole. Despite the father’s efforts to revive their fragile relationship and forge a new beginning, he is met with deep indifference from both his son and the grandparents.

The short is a poignant portrait of one fleeting day in the life of an estranged family forced to confront something they have ignored for many years. The bachelor graduation film received a Special Mention at Drama ISFF, Greece.

It won Best Lithuanian Short Film at Vilnius International Film Festival Kino Pavasaris and the ‘Silver Crane’s Egg’ (Sidabrinė gervės kiaušinis) for Best Student Film at Silver Crane Awards.The 28 min Dutch documentary Kiss Kiss Bang Bang by Dutch filmmaker Ollie Launspach presents a dual portrait of a relationship going awry as it explores the impact of the filmmaker’s gender transition on his girlfriend, Sterre Mulder, utilising home videos, diary entries, and intimate interviews.

The more he tries to understand her emotions, the more he is lost in his own. An enchanting narrative experiment that asks how much we actually know the ones we think we are closest to.Ljubljana born American Slovenian film director and screenwriter David Champaigne’s Slovenian short Self-Sown (Samorastnik) follows 17-year-old Nikola, struggling to balance his reckless teenage life with the heavy burden of caring for his clinically depressed mother in a scorching suburban environment.

The teen spends his summer vacation aimlessly hanging out with friends, with whom he tries to put on an air of nonchalance and self-confidence, even as his home situation gets worse and the tension between his public life and his private reality gradually becomes unsustainable. In this situation, he finds refuge with Klara, who offers him a space of peace and vulnerability.

This delicate coming-of-age film set in the suburbs of Ljubljana offers intimate closeness wrapped in a summer aesthetic. Nobody Barks (Ningú Borda) is a 20 min Spanish short by the Catalonia Film and Audiovisual School (ESCAC) student Julia Coldwell Serra which follows Candela, who accidentally runs over her nephew’s dog and hides the truth to prevent ruining his birthday by spinning an elaborate lie about a pilgrimage of dogs.

A dark, and at times, absurd comedy about family ties, little white lies, and how even bad things can sometimes lead to good, the short has had a successful run of the film festival circuits such as SEMINCI Valladolid, where it premiered besides Busan (Grand Prix winner), 2ANNAS Riga (Best Fiction Film), Brussels Short Film Festival (Grand Prix & Youth Jury Prize), Clermont-Ferrand and many others.Swedish filmmaker André Vaara Sister of Mine which had its premiere at Gothenburg Film Festival Startsladden, is a 12 min short which explores sibling rivalry and childhood gender norms through 10-year-old Noel who experiences sudden jealousy toward his older sister following a trip to the hairdresser.

The short is a sensitive exploration of the soul of a child suffering the injustices caused by a lack of understanding and unnecessarily rigid social norms.Swiss-Korean film director Hae-Sup Sin’s Ban Dal (Half-Moon) is a 21 min film which follows Annette, a Swiss mother, who travels with her adopted son to South Korea to meet his biological mother, while exploring themes of motherhood, fragmented identity, and repressed emotions. The long-anticipated meeting is complicated by language barrier and repressed emotions.

The short is also a sensitive portrait of two women who, despite their different cultural backgrounds, share similar insecurities and a sense of motherly love.