With Clermont-Ferrand, Shorts is happy to be one of two European short film festivals to make the list.
"Another festival that has likely just taken place as you read this, this Baltic celebration of groundbreaking films is set during snow season in the Baltics, and “has to be one of the best organized festivals I’ve attended,” says Katie Bignell, who notes “bustling screenings and a high concentrate of attending filmmakers” and adds, “they really do look after you.” You’ll feel the festival’s presence all over town, thanks to the many displays of its distinctive wolf logo."
Festival guests before the 2025 awards ceremony and tram party. Photo: Saara Mildeberg
"Bignell notes that it’s “a safe picturesque space, and more than once I walked back from one of the nightly parties where I’d pass the flower market setting up for the next day in the small hours of the morning.” Among the unforgettable events: a “tram party” that delivers filmmakers to the awards ceremony. And what a ceremony. “It’s orchestrated as a live promenade performance with actors and the winners read out by the judges in set installation pieces,” says Bignell.
Pancakes and coffee at the annual Night Cinema. Photo: Saara Mildeberg
"The festival is BAFTA and Oscar qualifying, and there are great ways to unwind: “If you fancy it, there’s also some wild cold swimming followed by a sauna to get the blood flowing,” Bignell advises."
Thank you for the kind words, Katie! The Black Nights Film Festival and PÖFF Shorts would be glad to have you back.
The choice was made by a panel that includes Ian and Katie Bignell, Heather Brawley, Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz, Ray Smiling, H. Nelson Tracey, the filmmaking duo Zhang & Night, and Milana Vayntrub.
The 2025 award ceremony took place in a make-believe fighting ring. Photo: Saara Mildeberg