Don’t miss the best short animated films of the year. This category always packs a punch with short films that can be anything from adorable and sweet to dark and harrowing. Past winners include Peter & the Wolf (2007), Bao (2018), and Hair Love (2019).

All features in this program may not be appropriate for children under 13. 

2026 Films:

BUTTERFLY by Florence Miailhe
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.

ÉIRU by Giovanna Ferrari
When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it.

FOREVERGREEN by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears
A joyful adventure featuring an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns serious when the cub is tempted by the 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.

THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds.

RETIREMENT PLAN by John Kelly
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.”

THE THREE SISTERS by Konstantin Bronzit
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.