Filmmakers and industry representatives from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will once again champion great short films and the talents behind them during the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Short Film Market, widely recognised as the largest dedicated short film festival and market in the world.
The 41st Short Film Market – welcoming more than 4000 delegates from across the world – will host the Baltic Stand, in which representatives from numerous Baltic film institutions will be on hand to promote shorts from the area. These will include Lithuanian Shorts, Vilnius Short Film Festival, Riga International Film Festival, PÖFF Shorts (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival), 2ANNAS Riga International Short Film Festival, Latvian Short Film Agency and Estonian Film Institute.
Baltic Pitching Forum’s Highlights
The winning project at the last edition of the Baltic Pitching Forum, Lithuanian filmmakers Tauras Čeledinas and Lukas Naraškevičius alongside producer Justė Michailinaitė, will attend to pitch the animation BOBO as part of the the European Short Film Co-production Forum “Euro Connection”. In addition, Baltic Pitching Forum’s partner Euro Connection will host another project coming from Lithuania to Euro Connection – XR project Folding Dreams, directed by the creative duo Ged Sia and Jonas Tertelis, alongside producer Sergej Grigorjev.
Baltic Talents will also be present to participate in various programmes held within the framework of the Clermont Market. Baltic Pitching Forum alumna, Lithuanian producer Marija Lenkutytė-Bartoševič, will take part in the CEE Animation Lab Clermont-Ferrand, while another BPF alumna, Lithuanian film director Ieva Šakalytė, will participate in T-Port Talents Connexion.
On Wednesday, 4 February (16:00, Cochon), the Baltic Shorts Market screening will highlight brand-new works from the region for accredited industry professionals. This will give attendees the first opportunity to see a selection of films, the majority of which are still seeking their world premiere.
The programme Baltic Shorts 2025–2026 will present six short films: CHRISTMAS IN THE BOONIES (dir. Mikk Mägi, animation, Estonia), CLEANLINESS (dir. Andrejs Brīvulis, Latvia), THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEW (dir. Līva Polkmane & Marta Šleiere, Latvia), PORTRAIT OF GRANNY (dir. Ieva Ozoliņa, Latvia), LIVING IN A WATER BUBBLE (dir. Kornelijus Stučkus, Lithuania), and FAMILY ALBUM (dir. Emilija Juzeliūnaitė, Lithuania).
One film in the programme, THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEW, was previously presented at the Baltic Pitching Forum in 2023 and is produced by Emīls Alps (Neonorma).
The screening will be followed at 18:00 at the Baltic Stand in the Market where the Baltic Meet and Greet will be held, giving all accredited professionals the chance to say hello in a more informal atmosphere.
This year, the poster of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival was created by Lithuanian illustrator Karolis Strautniekas. He attended the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival during its 47th edition in 2025 to draw inspiration from the architecture and the atmosphere of the event. So this year’s festival poster embodies the spirit of the festival: a collective movement towards elsewhere, an invitation to set sail for new territories of imagination.
Baltic Shorts in Competition
Natalia Mirzoyan will be attending to present her animation WINTER IN MARCH (Estonia), which will screen in the festival’s International Competition. The film tells the story of a young couple, helpless in the face of a repressive state, who leaves their home – an escape that turns into a surreal nightmare. After premiering in the La Cinef selection at Cannes in 2025, the film has already won numerous plaudits on the festival circuit.
Also screening in the International Competition is Mykyta Lyskov’s animation KYIV CAKE (Estonia), an animation about a modern Ukrainian family and the troubles they face that goes beyond the war waged on the country by Russia but also looks at the formation of the country in the present day. The film has also won numerous awards on the festival circuit, including being a candidate for nomination at the 2027 European Film Awards, receiving the nod at Zinebi in Bilbao.
Baltic Pithing Forum’s organizers will be at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Short Film Market on 2-4 February.
