Magic and Defiance Shape the Berlinale Shorts Programme of 2026

21 highly diverse films skilfully explore the variety of the short form. Animation films catapult a love rocket into the universe of longing and let “non‑flying objects” collide with absurd attempts of classification. Queer love stories explore genre films to draw new images of masculinity. Archival photos are collaged, commented on from opposing perspectives or transformed into moving images using artificial intelligence. Optical experiments make us doubt our perception and when the world turns upside down, the camera follows.

Men, women, as well as children reject the roles assigned to them, rewrite their own film plot or step out of the narrative altogether. Even an ode to one’s own cat and the shared tendency to sleepiness finds its place in the programme. “This quiet yet unwavering defiance of the protagonists turns out to be a recurring theme in this year’s edition,” says Anna Henckel‑Donnersmarck, head of Berlinale Shorts. “It is also striking that many of the films incorporate magical powers into their stories.” A beautiful, enchanted construction worker rides through the air on his broom, while a group of schoolgirls can shoot a man with their fingers and a boy brings fighter jets down from the sky through the power of his thoughts.

Seemingly opposing elements enter into dialogue: medical records are juxtaposed with geopolitical analysis, paleontological research meets indigenous mythology. The melting permafrost reveals a new look at Earth’s history, while scars of war are etched into the jungle and people’s bodies. Portraits of complex female characters depict the ways these women deal with gentrification, neo-colonial structures and the fatal drug abuse of their son. With sensitivity, humour, warmth and an unflinching openness, filmmakers share their personal experiences by exploring their own cancer diagnosis, a femicide within close family, the dying of a beloved grandmother, or the traumas caused by the Holocaust in a Jewish family.

Berlinale alumni featured in the Berlinale Shorts programme are: Evgenia Arbugaeva, Christian Avilés, Zuza Banasińska, Siegfried A. Fruhauf, Radu Jude and Adrian Cioflâncă, Pavel Mozhar, Marthe Peters, Sasha Svirsky and Yolande Zauberman.

21 world premieres from 20 countries of production compete for the Golden Bear for the Best Short Film, the Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) and the Berlinale Shorts CUPRA Filmmaker Award, endowed with 20,000 euros, as well as for the nomination for the European Film Award. The winners will be selected by a three‑member international jury and announced during the official Award Ceremony on February 21, 2026. With the Golden Bear, the winning film also qualifies for eligibility in next year’s Short Film Oscar competition.

Interviews with the filmmakers and texts about their films will be available on the Berlinale Shorts blog.

CUPRA is an official partner of Berlinale Shorts.

The films of Berlinale Shorts 2026