A new edition of La Grotta dei Piccoli ready to welcome children and young people on another exciting journey into the world of animation. Once again, we will present 100 animated short films from around the globe, carefully selected to offer a rich, stimulating, and engaging variety of styles, techniques, and storytelling. As always, the program will be divided into two parts: the first dedicated to younger children, and the second designed for older kids, ensuring a tailored cinematic experience for each age group. This year, we are also introducing a special section titled Teen Drama, created specifically for teenagers.

This program will feature short films that explore themes close to them, capturing what it means to grow up in a challenging world and to navigate instincts, relationships, situations, and the realities that shape one’s everyday life.

The Cambur selection once again confirms our commitment to environmental awareness, presenting animated shorts that explore sustainability in creative and poetic ways.

The Children’s Jury returns, giving young viewers the opportunity to vote for their favorite short film at the end of each screening, encouraging dialogue, reflection, and shared participation. La Grotta dei Piccoli continues to be a space where cultures meet and imagination has zero limits, offering each evening a diverse and enriching experience.

Valeria Weerasinghe, curator of La Grotta dei Piccoli

CHILDREN SELECTION

ANEMOIA

Alessio Delfini | 2026 | 4′ | Italy

The fragile boundary between memory, dream, and reality.

AT TIMES I AM AFRAID

Jiani Fei | 2025 | 4′ | Switzerland

When a young woman is called to speak before a crowd, panic floods her.

AUTOKAR

Sylwia Szkiłądź | 2025 | 17′ | Belgium, France

In the 1990s, 8-year-old Agata leaves Poland for Belgium. Her perspective transforms the migratory reality into an initiatory experience.

 

LE GOÛT DU CIEL

Pierre-Julien Fieux | 2025 | 3′ | France

In the stillness of a rainy night, a curious firefly appears in the countryside.

CHÈRE FIN

K. Cousin, L. Franckel, L. Le Boursicot, A. Masson, J. Mounier, C. Saden
| 2025 | 12′ | France

An old postman goes through his last tour of deliveries in the archipelago that he worked in his whole life.

CHILDREN OF THE BLACK SEA

Mihaela Mîndru | 2025 | 10′ | France

A girl discovers a strange world governed by mysterious rules and unusual treatments.

CHOO, CHOO, CHOO, CHOOSE

Xiaohan Sun | 2025 | 2′ | China

Ignored by her mother, a little girl wonders if her death would finally make her seen.

CITY IN THE FOX

Mikael Lindskov Jacobsen | 2026 | 9′ | Germany

A curious fox discovers a children’s book about planet Earth and becomes fascinated by the human world of knowledge.

COCOON

M. González, A. Tijerina, D. Gutiérrez, E. Sibilla | 2025 | 3′ | Mexico

Two small aliens lose their home planet and while escaping they crash land in an unknown location.

CULTIVATION, HARVESTING AND DISPERSAL OF THORNS

Jeanne Girard | 2025 | 12′ | France

Growing thorns requires several steps. The Hat Man scatters the fruits of his gathering under the soles of passersby.

DRIFTWOOD

Christian Komaromi | 2026 | 7′ | Germany

A disembodied head gets carried through a world full of strange creatures and oddly familiar scenarios.

Duck & Sauerkraut

Eloi Henriod | 2025 | 9′ | Switzerland

Sauerkraut sees the duck as a remedy for his loneliness. The duck sees Sauerkraut as a meal.

 

EENY, MEENY, MINY, MOE

Andrea Szelesová | 2025 | 11′ | Slovakia

A lonely mythical boy from the clouds, has trouble finding friends.

EVER ENDING SUMMER

Nikki Girod, Sylvia Jorde | 2026 | 6′ | Germany

Maya is a young woman who moves to a new city and leaves her home and childhood behind.

FIRE IN MY POCKET

Janka Feiner | 2026 | 10′ | Hungary

A little boy, bored with building a bed, seeks something more exciting.

FIRST FLIGHT

Adrian Jaffé | 2025 | 3′ | Germany

Three baby birds, one big challenge: their first flight!

FISH

Yingdan Lai | 2025 | 7′ | USA

A girl and her pet fish share a love-hate relationship.

FUNGI DREAMS

Pietro Leddi | 2026 | 3′ | Italy

A dark, hallucinatory experience where every expectation is turned upside down.

GRIMEY TIMEY

Ana Caro | 2026 | 6′ | Colombia

An old washing machine narrates the smelly adventures of a group of clothes.

HORDE

Janina Ksieska | 2025 | 7′ | Poland

A crowd of people under the influence of the alluring rhythm feels a sudden urge to come to a mysterious tower.

IF ONLY

Ada Güvenir | 2026 | 6′ | Belgium

A story about being in many realities at once.

JUANA MOLINA 'UNINHUMAN'

Dante Alan Zaballa | 2026 | 5′ | Argentina

A song inspired by the story of the Monkey King from the Chinese classic Journey to the West.

KIKI AND BOUBA

L. Bugajski, K. Chłodek, A. Krzych, B. Szczerbanowska, J, Wiereńko | 2025 | 4′ | Poland, Portugal

The meeting of two farmers, who have different ideas of what it means to grow the perfect peach.

KITO & MAJA

Eliza Płocieniak-Alvarez | 2025 | 4′ | Germany

Kito and Maja reenact the story of how the millers of Lusatia were saved by a mysterious lone wanderer.

KITTY KOTTY HAS A BROTHER, NUNUSH

Marta Strozycka | 2025 | 7′ | Poland

Beloved by toddlers, Kitty Kotty is getting a little brother!

LINE 12

Sarah Schulz, Christopher Schmier | 2025 | 8′ | Germany

Dutiful Peregrin navigates his train through dangerous terrain like a well-oiled clock.

LISTEN CLOSELY

Franz Impler | 2026 | 3′ | Germany

A kid walks alone through the dark. Is there something hiding in the bushes?

LITTLE STORY

Mirjam Plettinx | 2025 | 14′ | Belgium, Netherlands

When Ant realizes that Egg needs more care and attention than she can possibly give, she has to make the most difficult decision of her life.

MISFOLDING

Soetkin Verstegen | 2025 | 5′ | Belgium

‘To fold into an incorrect three-dimensional shape that is typically nonfunctional’.

MONSTER & ME

Tom Field | 2025 | 8′ | New Zealand

Motmot lives a monotonous life until one day he meets an unknown creature, a human boy.

MOUNTAIN MOUNTAIN

Ben Tan Kai Xiang, Grace Cheu Li Qing | 2026 | 7′ | Singapore

Two young adults ride a cable car up Mount Faber in search of mountains in the small island of Singapore.

 

MURMURATION

Janneke Swinkels, Tim Frijsinger| 2025 | 12′ | Netherlands

An elderly man realises he’s suddenly turning into a bird.

PAIDIA

Anne Lucas | 2026 | 5′ | Estonia, Germany

Creatures gather to play…

PAREZY

Julie Černá, Lene Lekše | 2025 | 3′ | Czech Republic

During a nighttime walk, two lovers stumbled upon a frog who clearly wasn’t looking for company.

PUCIO AND THE CROCODILE

Marta Strozycka| 2025 | 7′ | Poland

After painting a family portrait, Pucio refuses to take a bath, but the arrival of a muddy crocodile might change his mind.

RITA

Francesca Colombara | 2025 | 4′ | Italy

Rita was my grandmother, a big snail who got around with a walker.

SERVICE BUS

Elmer Mikael Lødemel | 2026 | 4′ | Denmark

After pressing a bus stop button out of boredom, a traveler sets off a chain of unexpected consequences.

SLIPPER KEEPER KITTY

Rok Predin | 2024 | 11′ | Slovenia

Careless children must confront the consequences of their actions when a mysterious cat takes their lost slippers.

SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS

Sakshi Jain | 2025 | 3′ | USA, India

A gridded series of over 1500 improvised drawings in a tiny sketchbook, each smaller than a centimeter, compiled digitally into an animation.

STRAWBERRY MERINGUE CAKE

Sophia Johnson | 2025 | 3′ | USA

A cat and a dragon navigate their differences, testing whether connection can survive their inner struggles.

SWEET JOY

Bianca Caderas | 2025 | 4′ | Switzerland

The once flickering joy reveals itself as an old, wrinkled lady who finds it increasingly difficult to enliven and fill the person she inhabits.

THE EMPTY PANEL

Thibault Chollet | 2025 | 12′ | France

Since the death of his dog, Paul has given up drawing the fantastic adventures in which they were heroes.

THE LIGHT IS BIG

Markus Duffner | 2025 | 5′ | Portugal

First we giggle. Then we repeat syllables. Then words.

THE SKY WAS CANDY

Anh Tú Nguyen | 2025 | 3′ | Germany

A yellow and blue day in the life of a little child

THREE SEALS

Dou Dou | 2025 | 8′ | Brazil, China, Germany

Three seals embarked on a journey about themselves.

TIME

Robert Löbel, Max Mörtl | 2025 | 6′ | Germany

A surreal mosaic of how time is perceived, stretched, fractured, and consumed.

UNSOULED

Jack McHugh, Conor McNally | 2026 | 3′ | Denmark, Ireland

An unenthusiastic strawberry seller is taught a lesson by his boss.

THE MAGIC YOU NEED IS WITHIN

Chelsea Sik | 2025 | 2′ | USA

In this fast changing world of social media, AI, and technology; new jobs are created now that didn’t exist 10 years ago.

WHERE WERE WE?

Suresh Eriyat | 2026 | 4′ | India

A surreal micro-odyssey.

WITH EACH PASSING DAY

Emanuel Nevado | 2025 | 11′ | Portugal

D. Piedade is an old mouse who lives in a small village in the mountainous interior of Portugal.

YUGEN

Nayelli Ojeda | 2025 | 6′ | Mexico

When the rain refuses to sleep and the sky forgets its peace, a girl born of pottery searches for the last giant to save her own world.

EACH, ALL AND EVERY

Nikoletta Veress | 2026 | 11′ | Hungary

Trapped in endless possibilities, Mr. Rabbit loses one choice by accident—and with it, his freedom. What remains is an obsessive fixation on the loss.

BLUEBELLS

Julia Mueller | 2026 | 4′ | Germany, UK

After an old tree dies, an ever-changing life cycle starts over night, bringing about all kinds of magical new life forms.

BIRDS OF PARADISE

Tomek Ducki | 2025 | 9′ | Poland, France

Once happy with simplicity, the birds now face the price of progress.

CAMBUR SELECTION

a film selection for the environment

HARRISON AND ME

Abdelraouf Zaidi, Jean Duval | 2026 | 11′ | France, Italy

What if nature knocked on your door… and it was HUGE?

LIFE

Manuel Artuto Aragon | 2026 | 3′ | Colombia

A robot awakens in a desolate desert and sees a nearby city.

PROUT

Marc-Henri Wajnberg | 2026 | 8′ | Belgium

Obsolete household appliances and waste of all kinds are sent to the planet Prout, Earth’s dumping ground.

SILILI AND TREE

Eric Lee | 2025 | 15′ | Hong Kong

Seeking balance between self and world, Silili embarks on a transformative journey to become a tree spirit.

CE QUE JE VOIX

Maï Calon | 2025 | 8′ | Belgium

Various moving materials search for a different language, the language of trees.

BICI, THE STORY OF A BIKE

Otoniel Lopes Oliveira | 2026 | 9′ | Brazil

Bici is a mountain bike that travels to Afuá, a city in the Amazon region, to experience adventures.

BEETLES

Piotr Chmielewski | 2025 | 10′ | Poland

Are we aware of our privileges?

BUG'S STORY

Natalia Malykhina Bratli | 2026 | 11′ | Norway

How friendship helps resist bullying.

 

YOUTH SELECTION

ALL YOU CAN EAT

Kelly Ann Schiesswohl | 2026 | 14′ | USA

A small town crumbles as it prepares for the annual pie eating contest.

 

ANAGLYPH

Valle Comba | 2025 | 9′ | Spain

Violet must learn to see in a new way to understand herself, her mind, her ghosts.

CARCASSONE-ACAPULCO

Marjorie Caup, Olivier Héraud| 2025 | 14′ | France

Above the Atlantic Ocean, the pilot, co-pilot and flight attendant are startled by unexpected knock at the door!

CARGO VOYAGE

Dániel Diószeghy | 2026 | 12′ | Hungary

A young warehouse worker suffers under the monotony of his life.

 

DOG EAR

Péter Vácz | 2025 | 20′ | Hungary

Berci spends an afternoon alone with his dog, struggling with the emotions left behind after witnessing his parents’ violent fight the day before.

FLOATING

Jelena Milunović | 2026 | 7′ | Serbia

A daughter gradually realizes that her father is struggling with mental illness.

FOREIGN BODIES

Lysander Wong | 2026 | 3′ | UK

A simple itch descends into an outbreak with many legs.

GAUZE

N. Fikri Alezabi, N. Arujah, X. Ma, Y. Yue, X. Zhou | 2025 | 8′ | France

14-year-old Zain, a Palestinian swimming champion, faces war and man-made famine.

GOOD-BYE, GOOD BOY

Oscar Renni | 2025 | 3′ | Italy

A dog too old, a nostalgic elderly woman and a disenchanted veterinarian.

HOTEL OBLIQUE

Merlin Fluegel | 2025 | 8′ | Germany

A budgie finds itself in a luxurious wellness hotel that promises stressed birds peace and relaxation.

I AM A FLOWER

Ariel Victor Arthanto | 2025 | 13′ | Germany

At a fancy flower spa, Sam prepares for their blooming and bodily transformation.

I MET PAPO AND PEPE

Viktoria Filmako | 2026 | 8′ | Switzerland

A magical journey between dream and reality, exploring identity.

IN CIRCLES

Marian Obando | 2025 | 6′ | UK

In circles is a charcoal animation & song exploring grief through time.

IN THE BEGINNING

Ala Nunu | 2025 |  11′ | Poland, Portugal, Spain

A spaceprobe called beresheet, legless birds of paradise, hamster cull and humanity trying to make the world make sense.

LE JARDIN ROSSINI

W. Burger, S. Jacob, O. Laine, Garance -mondamert, T. Rewal, M. Vergereau, A. Wong | 2025 | 10′ | France

Herve Rossini is a renowned artist who expresses himself through his surrealist garden.

LEGEND OF THE SUN KNIGHT

Remy Rosenthal, Sam Billings, Oscar Waldman, Landon Nuzum-Clark | 2025 | 10′ | USA

A battle for freedom begins when a wandering knight stumbles into the Moon Lord’s kingdom.

LES VIEUX

Axelle Fuset, Boris Boidron, Fanny Ghesquiere, Lucile Brunet, Jérémy La, Lauren Félines, Maëlys Guillemoteau, Manuel Mabayog | 2025 | 6′ | France

A brief interlude of life, where the end gently unfolds beneath laughter and warmth.

LIPSTICK

Éilis O’Neill | 2025 | 4′ | Ireland

Three generations of women within one family dealing with ageing, sickness and interdependence.

LOST TOUCH

Justine Klaiber | 2025 | 12′ | Switzerland

Amelia is the sole survivor on a damaged spaceship.

MAPLE BLUEBEARD

Patrick Volve | 2025 | 7′ | France

Once upon a time, there was a kind young girl named Céline who lived in Montreal with her sisters.

METEORIC

Paul Ó Muiris | 2025 | 7′ | Ireland

When an artist is hit by a meteor, the result is a “painting” that captivates the world.

OSTRICH

Marie Kenov | 2025 | 9′ | Switzerland

Try as it might, a sparrow can never truly be an ostrich.

RANDAGHI

Enrico Motti, Emanuele Motti | 2025 | 15′ | Italy

In a summer afternoon, two boys meet by chance on the edge of a broken reality.

SASSY

Qieer Wang, Calvin Lofton | 2026 | 6′ | USA

Sassy, his conjoined sister: Nancy, and their Yaoguai family find themselves caught in wacky adventures.

SIGNAL

Emma Carré, Mathilde Parquet | 2025 | 17′ | Belgium, France

Obsessed with contacting extraterrestrial life, a lone scientist drifts away from reality and those around her.

SLEEP DREAMS

Anastázie Rainischová | 2025 | 7′ | Czech Republic

Overwhelmed by constant noise and information, one character searches for escape, but true refuge may be impossible.

STONE OF DESTINY

Julie Černá | 2025 | 10′ | Czech Republic

Singing Stone is accompanied not only by a newfound freedom, but also by a fear of failure.

STORY OF A SAD BOY

Carlos Blázquez Rámila | 2025 | 5′ | Spain

A boy, whose mother feeds him birdseed with the promise that he will grow wings, suffers rejection from the other children his age.

THANKS, YOU TOO

Marion Täschler | 2025 | 10′ | Switzerland

Two strange birds get to know each other over dinner.

THE GIRL WHO WASN'T AFRAID OF BEARS

Lea Vučko | 2025 | 20′ | Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia

A young girl escapes the roles forced on her by disguising herself as a man.

THE LAST DROP

Anna Tőkés | 2026 | 11′ | Hungary

Kata is a member of the national rhythmic gymnastics team that is exposed to extreme coaching techniques.

The Synthetic Age

Dimitris Armenakis | 2025 | 8′ | Greece

In a city where people consume cartoons, a dog reconciles with its old friends, and together, they try to escape from humans.

THE UNDYING PAIN OF EXISTENCE

Oscar Jacobson | 2025 | 5′ | Germany

A model is posing with statuesque stillness for an elite drawing class – until an unfortunate mosquito bite challenges his self-control.

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MILK

Cliona Noonan | 2025 | 4′ | France, Ireland

Oona’s mother seems to think more about her cows and their milk than her own daughter.

VISITING THE ZOO

Maria Zilli | 2025 | 4′ | Italy

Three characters move through the city like animals in a zoo, gradually reconnecting with their primordial instincts.

WACKY HORSES!

Touka Fatemi, Iara de Jong Gonçalves, Anna Müller, Ysabel Steiner, Marija Simović | 2025 | 4′ | Switzerland

A young adult embarks on a journey into her mind.

WEIGHT OF AIR

Jihye Jung  | 2026 | 7′ | South Korea

Balloons swell with every use of language. A novelist writes about a protagonist living in a foreign city.

WUTHERING HEARTS

Laura Jayne Hodkin | 2025 | 3′ | UK

On the windswept Yorkshire moors, emo teen Helena navigates a turbulent journey of love.