World Cinema Short Film Showcase
Returning for its second year, GASP! are so proud to once again showcase some of the best and most exciting new filmmakers from around the world. Featuring fantastic shorts from Japan, France, Peru, Spain and Croatia to name a few, this showcase provides animation, hard hitting and thought provoking themes, horror comedy, disturbing body horror, a mind bending sci-fi epic, an exploration into a fascinating part of Japanese cinema history, and so much more with one thing in common; they’re all essential viewing!
Her Body
European Premiere
Written and Directed by David Liang – Starring Chia Chi Chang, Jia Xian Shen – Taiwan, 2026, 3 minutes
A creepy night with a man and a dead body...
Birdies
Exclusive Manchester Screening
Directed by Franka Bogović and Oleksandr Saško Moskalov – Croatia, 2026, 2 minutes
Two child animators, motivated by their personal interest in horror, created a short animated film inspired by watching famous clips from Hitchcock's The Birds. The film was made using a very demanding chalk drawing technique on a wooden board to make the frames as dark as possible, and additional tension was created by sound effects of roars and thunder, and music that increases the tension.
Freya
UK Premiere
Written and Directed by Fredrik Lindton – Starring Max Nilén, Myra Mayers – Sweden, 2025, 14 minutes
Content Warning: Automatonophobia, animal death, and baby endangerment
"A fathers first time being alone with his daughter" He notices that something is horrible wrong, his daughter Freya is missing her face, where the eyes, nose and mouth should be, is just skin... With an old folk lore book he desperately tries to fix Freya, but is the book really helping him?
Children at the Rooftop Cinema
European Premiere
Japan, 2026, 10 minutes
Content Warning: Flashing images
Children watching a movie on the roof. The film depicts moments of rebirth. The children react differently to each unique portrayal of rebirth - some applaud while others boo. Are these children angels? Fallen angels? Or perhaps gods themselves?
CAREFUL
Exclusive Manchester Screening
Written and Directed by Camille Lagaisse – Starring Alba Guilera, Franz Liebig, Lia von Blarer – Germany, 2025, 13 minutes
Content Warning: Sexual threat and references to sexual assault
When a secret feminist group assigns Lucie her first mission — to lure an unpunished abuser into a trap — the lines between justice, healing, and revenge begin to blur.
Pishtaco
International Premiere
Written and Directed by Alvaro Hurtado – Starring Cesar Marticorena, Erick Herrera, Ariana Beraun – Peru, 2026, 5 minutes
A man is followed home by a stranger.
The Beneath
Directed by Lisette Vlassak, Written by Lasse Feijen – Starring Frieda Barnhard, Daniël Boissevain, Regina Ayarza – Netherlands, 2025, 8 minutes
When an underground evil terrorizes her garden, a troubled woman must face her demons head-on to stop her fear.
SHIFT
Written and Directed by Mauro Romano – Starring Caroline Moser – Switzerland, 2025, 4 minutes
"What's on television? Are we watching it… or is it watching us?"
Timid Intentions
World Premiere
Written and Directed by Léo Louvel, Co-Written by Benoit Chaieb – Starring Victor Marqueste, Maewenne Declerieux, Garance Mesnier – France, 2026, 16 minutes
February 2002. Sam, a young filmmaker, decides to attend the 20th anniversary screening of his favorite film, Blow Out, but ends up meeting a young woman who stirs unexpected questions within him.
Amira
Exclusive Manchester Screening
Directed by Javier Yañez Sanz, Written by Sadrac González-Perellón – Starring Aroa Haren Varela, Ruth Díaz, Alberto Sanchez Pisionero - Spain, 2025, 16 minutes
Content Warning: Child death
In the XVIII Century there’s a music school where it’s always dark.