Announcement of SSFF & ASIA 2025 Shot List vol.4

Announcement of SSFF & ASIA 2025 Shot List vol.4

We are excited to announce the 4th shortlist for the Academy Award®-eligible categories—Live-Action Competition, Animation Competition, and Non-Fiction Competition—at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2025!

In November, we received a total of 530 entries. Notably, the United States accounted for 21% of submissions, followed by Japan (11%) and China (10%). We were also thrilled to receive entries from Malta, Saudi Arabia, and Serbia. Among these submissions, 5% were created by first-time filmmakers, 6% were student projects, and 25% were directed by filmmakers under the age of 30. Impressively, 45% of all entries were submitted to our Live-Action International Competition.

This month, we saw a remarkable number of comedy and romance films. In terms of genre, 60% of submissions were dramas, while 11% were comedies and 7% were romances. A trending theme this month was old vs. new—exploring the clash and conflict between generations.

~SSFF & ASIA 2025 Short List vol.4 ~

The name of the film, the director name, and the country name will be listed in alphabetical order
by category

Project TitleDirectorsCountry of Origin
■International
The TranslatorNivetha BalasubramaniamDenmark
LayersKlil KoveshIsrael
Naked LightsJeda de BríIreland
Abu JudyAdel Ahmed YehiaEgypt
TUNNELSSimon OstermannGermany
Play OnTristan LhommeFrance
NOCES D’EAUAurielle JIOYABenin, Canada, France 
Family SundayGerardo Del RazoMexico
The man who could not remain silentNebojša SlijepčevićCroatia
First HorseAwanui Simich-PeneNew Zealand
JellyfishIñaki Sánchez ArrietaSpain
MelanochaitaNIKO AVGOUSTIDIGreece
We’re Here for YouTatiana DelaunayNorway
■Asia  
By handjun-sang YOUKorea, Republic of
The Black DogLing YANGTaiwan
Yongky’s First HeartbeatsGiovanni RustantoIndonesia
RAZAAPooja TolaniIndia
■Animation  
The IslandSoraJapan
mackerel-manRintaro Uekawa Japan
Inkwo for When the Starving ReturnAmanda StrongCanada
Walk InHan-eol PARKKorea, Republic of
MarthaMarcel BARELLISwitzerland
■Non Fiction  
Recipe for ChangeAlfredo RuzolPhilippines
Creating the trees and the earth after a thousand years – SORA-SHIKouki NaritaJapan
A Color I Named BluePatrizia SybillaJapan
(I kiss your hand, madame)Jeremy Luke BolatagBelgium, Hungary, Philippines, Portugal
Children of agaveIván López-BarbaMexico
Teenage CowboyMatteo GariglioSwitzerland
Am I the skinniest person youÕve ever seen?Eisha MarjaraCanada
The Detective’s DreamRyushi LindsayUnited Kingdom
■Japan  
for Dear LifeHiroho MienoJapan
Still WaterMei HendersonJapan
Summer at Shared House MebukiHiromi NakaneJapan
NIGEMIZUAkiko IsobeJapan


Festival selections will be made from among the shortlisted films. The shortlist will continue to be updated monthly until the end of March 2025, with the final list uploaded on the festival’s official website by the end of April 2025. This month’s shortlist mainly includes films submitted by the end of September, but the timing of announcements may vary.

We keep calling for the entry till Jan. 31, 2025.

https://app.lifelogbox.com/festival/shortshorts?tab=competition