Three Short Animation Films at Berlinale Shorts 2026
Three animation films (out of the final 21 short films) will compete for the Golden Bear for a Short Film (and other prizes) at the 2026 Berlinale Shorts, the shorts component of the Berlin Film Festival.
The section is famous for promoting the avant-garde of arthouse filmmaking, yet it also has an eye for empathetic stories. Judging from this year's selection (and the preliminary info), we see both purposes served.
Germany-based Sasha Svirsky is a Berlinale regular. Both 'My Galactic Twin Galaction' (2020, our review) and 'Vadim on A Walk' (2021) were selected for the coveted section of the Berlinale Festival. His latest, 'Unidentifizierte Unflugobjekte (UUO) / Unidentified Nonflying Objects (UNO)' short animation film promises "an animated odyssey"'; judging from the previous hybrid and mixed narratively and visually animation efforts, this is a good promise to hold.
Leo Černic made a lot of festival waves with the queer, empathetic superhero student film 'Pentola' (our review). He now proceeds (again leaving earth) with 'Cosmonauts' (Slovenia/Italy), moving to "an intergalactic cruise for singles, lonely souls", ensuring a bit of comedy absurdity in the meantime.
The Austrian experimental film director Siegfried A. Fruhauf competed at Berlinale Shorts in 2016 with 'Vintage Print', a "medial triptych through time as stunning journey of discovery". He now returns with the experimental 15-minute animation short (as denoted in the Berlinale Shorts programme), 'Flim Flam'. The film is self-described as "a visual and acoustic reflection about perception, deception, truth and the medium of film itself".
The Animation Lineup of the 2026 Berlinale Shorts
(All listed films are world premieres)
Cosmonauts - Leo Černic, Slovenia Italy
On an intergalactic cruise for singles, lonely souls chase a kiss, a caress or just a glimpse of love among the stars. A colourful collision of desire, longing, humour and absurdity.
Flim Flam - Siegfried A. Fruhauf
A visual and acoustic reflection about perception, deception, truth and the medium of film itself. Between visibility, irritation, structure and dissolution, a space arises for one’s own vision. An experimental film that wants to be experienced.
Unidentifizierte Unflugobjekte (UUO) / Unidentified Nonflying Objects (UNO) - Sasha Svirsky, Germany
However permanent and stable any order may seem, it may eventually crumble when reality outside of the system creeps in, growing like organic matter through the boundaries that the order has imposed. An animated odyssey.
The films will compete for the Golden Bear for the Best Short Film, the Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) and the Berlinale Shorts CUPRA Filmmaker Award, endowed with 20,000 euros, as well as for the nomination for the European Film Award. The winners will be selected by a three‑member international jury (official award ceremony: 21 February 2026). With the Golden Bear, the winning film also qualifies for eligibility in next year’s Academy Award (Short Films) competition.
The full 2026 Berlinale Shorts selection
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