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Date Sections Locations

International Competition

The latest trends in international filmmaking: our competition programmes present recent short films from around the world. The best works will be honoured with prizes at the Award Ceremony on Sunday.

International Competition I:
Voyage, Voyage

International Competition II:
Leaving Traces

International Competition III:
Game of Dreams

International Competition IV:
Into the Abyss

International Competition V:
Lullabies and Nightmares

International Competition VI:
Use Your Illusion

International Competition VII:
Small Revolutions

Swiss Competition

Discover national short filmmaking in the Swiss Competition. We also invite audiences to join us for the Award Ceremony on Sunday – watch live as the jury honours the best films of this year’s festival edition.

Swiss Competition I:
Labyrinth der Erinnerungen

Swiss Competition II:
Ich halt mich nicht fest

Swiss Competition III:
Zeit des Aufstands

Sparks

With the Sparks programmes, we hope to spark a passion for the medium of short film. Featuring highlights from this year’s competition submissions, the selection offers an excellent introduction to the world of shorts, showcasing a diverse film culture beyond the usual mainstream and YouTube videos.

Swiss Film School Day

Kurzfilmtage’s annual Swiss Film School Day is a showcase of Switzerland’s five major undergraduate degree programmes. Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL), the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD), the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), and the Lucerne School of Art and Design (Video/Animation) present a selection of their recent short films. The jury of the Swiss Competition gives feedback to the students and awards the prize for the Best Swiss School Film. Admission to the Swiss Film School Day is free – a great opportunity to get a first glimpse of Kurzfilmtage!

Swiss Film School Day:
Session I

Swiss Film School Day:
Session II

Swiss Film School Day:
Session III

Swiss Film School Day:
Session IV

Main Focus:
O Canada

Canada is an impossibly vast and wildly diverse country. Accordingly, Canadian cinema is highly eclectic, influenced by language, geography, and various cultural communities. The eight curated programmes presented here showcase the complexity of this cinema as well as its evolution through history.

Nature & Nurture

Behind the Masc

There Is a Crack in Everything, That’s How the Light Gets In

Winnipeg Film Group:
Cinematic Extravaganza

Bruce LaBruce:
Make Gay Great Again

You Are in Bear Country

Challenge for Change

Country in Focus:
Nigerian New Wave

In the early 1990s, Nigerian cinema experienced its first major commercial success. Themes of love, avarice, spirituality, and redemption became the backbone of Nigerian cinematic storytelling, resonating with audiences across the country and continent. Today, young filmmakers infuse some irreverence into those themes, often using short films as the canvas for their exploration. These shorts bear witness to the new generation’s unique ambition and creativity, and they represent a hyper-conscious departure from mainstream Nollywood.

Tales of Emancipation

Beyond Nollywood:
Spiritual Connections and the Power of the Mystical

Person in Focus:
Willy Hans

Willy Hans has developed a unique style characterized by his love of experimentation and a talent for blending genres. His films surprise viewers with unexpected twists and intriguing image compositions. In this Focus on Willy Hans, we present his own works as well as films created by the collective consisting of Paul Spengemann, Jan Eichberg, Steffen Goldkamp, and Hans.

Das satanische Dickicht

Spengemann, Eichberg, Goldkamp, Hans

Master Class:
Willy Hans

Hors Concours

Recent short films from Zurich, Switzerland, and around the world screened out of competition

Best-of European Film Awards

Kill Your Darlings:
Dismissed

Special Programmes

Short film programmes on topics that our curators are passionate about – or that are simply fun.

Death by Sports

100 Years of 16 mm

100 Years of Disney

Archival Disruptions:
A Trilogy on Race, Gender, and Sexuality

Family Programmes

Short film fun for young viewers aged 6+ and for the whole family.

Magic Lantern:
Shorts for Kids

Gala-Events

Festive events with moderation, guests and screenings.

Opening Programme

Industry Awards Ceremony

And the Winners Are... I

And the Winners Are... II

Expanded Cinema

Installations, performances, and exhibitions present the medium of film in unfamiliar forms.

Vernissage:
Kurzfilmtage x oxyd

Expanded Cinema:
Tour

Baron Lanteigne Cinematography of Virtual Matter – Touch Grass

Ursula Biemann:
Forest Mind

Marc Lee:
Used to Be My Home Too

Pascal Pendl:
hyper.inversion

Céline Brunko & Moritz Holenstein:
Forms of Representation

Music & Parties

DJ Fancystuff & Dr. Brunner

Sound 8 Orchestra (DE)

Loui G & DJ Auntone

Park Service Intl.

Belia Winnewisser (CH)

Workshops & Other Events

Events that let you dive even deeper into the world of short film.

Radio Stadtfilter Talk

Coucou Reads Cinema

Familien-Workshop:
Colouring Table (de)

Industry Events

Kurzfilmtage’s Industry Events consist of the Swiss Film School Day, the Industry Lab, and the Creators’ Room. They offer film professionals an opportunity for networking and for discussing current issues, creative methods, and aesthetic trends.

Creators’ Room

Swiss Competition II:
Ich halt mich nicht fest

9.11.2023, 20:00, Maxx 1
EN UT + Q&A

10.11.2023, 17:00, Maxx 1
EN UT + Q&A

12.11.2023, 13:30, Kino Cameo
DE UT

Display Content Notes

Discover national short filmmaking in the Swiss Competition. We also invite audiences to join us for the Award Ceremony on Sunday – watch live as the jury honours the best films of this year’s festival edition.

Part of:

Swiss Competition

Out of the Blue
Morgane Frund / Switzerland 2023 / 15'4" / DCP / colour / French / Exp/Doc

In 2013, an auteur film causes a scandal due to its sex scenes. I'm 16 and one of the angry viewers. Ten years later, I'm ready to settle the score with this film in the form of a video essay.

Beautiful Figures
Soetkin Verstegen / Switzerland/Belgium 2023 / 4'1" / DCP / colour/black & white / no dialogue / Ani/Exp

Thoughts ripple over the pages of a personal notebook, kept during a stay at various science labs in Zurich. They float from one thing to another, like a mind map of unfinished ideas on memory, medical imaging, cells, and aging.

How to Fly
Micha Muhl / Germany/Switzerland 2023 / 29'59" / DCP / colour / German / Fic

In a desperate search for therapy for her depression, Martha joins a spiritual self-help group. When this turns out to be an auto-aggressive cult, she has to decide whether to bear her fate or fly home on her own.

As três chamas
Juliette Menthonnex / Switzerland/Hungary/Portugal/Belgium 2023 / 21' / DCP / colour / Spanish/Dutch/Portuguese / Doc

In central Portugal, in the heart of a postapocalyptic landscape, the relationship between humans and nature is gradually revealed, oscillating between magic, exploitation, and cohabitation.

Runny, Run, Run
Thomas Goguelin/Marie de Maricourt / Switzerland 2023 / 22'10" / DCP / colour / French / Fic

16-year-old Johann lives in seclusion with his mother in an apartment soaked in the death of his father. He escapes into virtual reality and meets a strange group of young people, who are involved in a suicidal game.

More programmes:
Swiss Competition I: Labyrinth der Erinnerungen Swiss Competition II: Ich halt mich nicht fest Swiss Competition III: Zeit des Aufstands

Programme

The Festival

Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur is Switzerland’s major short film festival. For six days every November, we transform the city into a dynamic short film hub.

Kurzfilmtage offers discoveries for everyone: our thoughtfully compiled thematic programmes address current events or topics that our curators are passionate about. The competition programmes showcase the latest filmmaking from around the globe, while installations, performances, and other specials highlight the diversity of audiovisual forms. And a programme of special events including concerts, readings, and more enhance the festival experience.

Programme of the 28th Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur (archive)

Short Films

A short film is not just a shorter film. Shorts are a distinct art form, which we showcase at our annual festival.

Short films come in all shapes and genres, and how long – or short – they are, varies quite a bit. Simpler production processes allow filmmakers to capture the zeitgeist and quickly respond to trends. Shorts can be entertaining or surprising, they can analyse society, take a political stance, or offer glimpses of worlds unknown to us.

We compile our short films into thematic programmes or specific sections, such as our competitions, paying close attention to the selection and sequence of films in each programme. All you need to enjoy short films is an open mind for new discoveries and surprises.

Competitions — Recent short films from around the world. The best shorts will be presented with awards on Sunday evening.

Hors Concours — Recent short films from Zurich, Switzerland, and around the world screened out of competition.

Main Focus — Films that explore a region, a social phenomenon, or an artistic trend.

Country in Focus — The cinema of a country from contemporary and historical perspectives.

Person in Focus — A spotlight on the work of a filmmaker.

Special Programmes — Short film programmes dedicated to topics that our curators are passionate about – or that are simply fun.

Family Programmes — Short film fun for young viewers aged 6+ and for the whole family.

Expanded Cinema — Installations, performances, and exhibitions present the medium of film in unfamiliar forms.

Special Events — Concerts, parties, readings, and many other events enhance the festival experience.

Talks & Panels — Moderated talks and panels after the screenings offer additional context and insight into films and themes.

Industry Events — A wide range of educational events and networking opportunities.