HFF 2026 // COMPETITION SHORTS 2

A MOVE
Dir. Elahe Esmaili | Iran | 26'

Elahe returns to her hometown in Mashhad, Iran, to help her parents move to a new place after 40 years. Influenced by the Woman-Life-Freedom movement, she's also hoping for a bigger move beyond just a new apartment.

Trailer: youtu.be/T4dACSDnxok

BEFORE THE SEA FORGETS
Dir. Ngoc Duy Le | Singapore | 17'

On Da Nang's peninsula, where echoes of war linger, a gay tourist couple searches for a forgotten Vietnamese soldier's grave, shadowed by a mysterious skate crew carving their paths.

Trailer: youtu.be/oXmBIyZjBMg

THE STEAK
Dir. Kiarash Dadgar | Iran / Canada | 8'13"

A birthday party preparation is thrown into chaos by an awful event.

Trailer: youtu.be/CFSH_mLZVqM

DREAMS FOR A BETTER PAST
Dir. Albert Kuhn | Netherlands / Spain | 20'41"

Albert Kuhn (b. 1986) is a filmmaker whose work blends personal memory and archival research to explore silence, guilt, and transgenerational history. His short film DREAMS FOR A BETTER PAST (2025) embodies this approach, weaving a family story into a broader meditation on the ways the unspoken continues to shape us. In addition to his filmmaking, Kuhn has collaborated on international co-productions and taught as a guest lecturer at the Netherlands Film Academy, ESCAC, and Sahara Cinema School.

Trailer: youtu.be/aOl9aoy_VX8