The award winners of the competition will be shown in one triumphant session.

How is capitalism embodied within us as a society?

Sometimes, writing our feelings down in a letter is easier than saying them out loud. The films in this session tell stories of tradition and discrimination, changing political systems, and the complexities of interpersonal relationships.

Experience the bizarre, grotesque, and fantastical through some of our most eccentric shorts.

The films in this session explore the materiality of human existence, its implications, and its complexities. They illustrate the processes by which bodies are altered, transformed, reproduced, or rendered powerless.

Although sometimes seen as distinct entities, humans and nature are inextricably linked and co-dependent.As humans, we are born into nature; we need it to survive, yet we abuse and destroy it.

As technology advances, so does its influence on our lives. From digital filmmaking to social media, VR environments for rehabilitation, and AI algorithms making decisions for us, technology surrounds us.

While in today's world, where everything may seem like a choice, the individuals who are related to us through blood cannot be chosen.

How do we make films? Bluntly, one could say it is about images paired with sound. Yet, films are coded—by genres, by history, by technical constraints, and by societal expectations.

The opening screening of the Leiden Shorts film festival will be held in Kijkhuis, room 1. Doors will open at 19:00.

Policing [noun]. The act of maintaining public order and security, enforcing the law, or regulating or controlling something.

A sense of belonging is essential to human happiness, yet its loss may be devastating.