Best of December 2025

The Old Man goes to the town where he was born to investigate his past, but when he arrives he finds the town abandoned. Here, the Old Man tries to resolve the memories he cannot remember.

MA NISHADA centers on seven-year-old Amina and her father, Jalil, who enforces the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on her. His wife, Shameena, protests, but Jalil reacts violently to assert his dominance. After the ritual, Amina lies unconscious and bleeding. The mother in Shameena rises. She rebels, terrifies Jalil, and-with the support of his brother-rushes Amina to the hospital. Jalil is left alone to confront the consequences of his actions. Ma Nishada explores the harrowing consequence of FGM and reveals how an individual is transformed when forced to confront their own beliefs. The tension, created in the very first frame, builds steadily and reaches its peak with the physical violation of the child. A revelation strikes Jalil’s mind as he reads the words of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: “If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins.” This quote becomes the “inside force” that initiates Jalil’s spiritual awakening. But before he can act, a tender human body is mutilated. His redemption is quiet, gradual-a shift from blind tradition to heartfelt faith. As he purifies himself of his sins, his deeds become a manifestation of belief: mending the broken doll, freeing the goat. These are wordless testaments to a new beginning rooted in faith and empathy.

WITHIN is a 3-minute psychological mystery short film created entirely with artificial intelligence. It follows a lonely man haunted by the sound of a pen writing somewhere in his apartment — until he finds a note that says: “Don’t turn around.” As he sets up cameras to uncover the truth, he realizes that the writer is none other than himself — or his reflection. A minimalist and haunting exploration of identity, time, and perception, WITHIN blends philosophy and technology in a surreal meditation on self-awareness. It questions who truly controls the present — the mind or the consciousness that observes it.

An autobiographical descent into psychological horror, this experimental short film explores the raw, fragmented reality of living with mental illness.

In a world where dreaming is the last remaining luxury, life demands more than it ever gives. Alcohol becomes both refuge and sentence, a gentle wound that keeps digging deeper. Through a series of fragmented images, the film portrays a youth suspended between desire, disillusionment, and quiet self-destruction. Guided by a haunting voice-over, the short explores what survives after dreams collapse under the weight of reality.

Esther’s life feels stagnant as she navigates a routine disconnected from the world around her. Observing from the safety of her home, she witnesses dog walkers chatting and bonding, knowing that joining them might be too much for her. Despite her best efforts to connect with one dog walker that ends abruptly, she remains on the sidelines. Determined to change, she buys a robotic dog, hoping it will push her to engage with life again. But even with help from the robotic dog, Luno, the sense of isolation doesn’t disappear immediately. The walks feel awkward, and she still wrestles with finding her place. Yet, little by little, those daily strolls begin to offer glimmers of connection. When she meets another robotic dog owner struggling just like her, she finally feels seen. It’s a small moment, but enough to show her that she’s moving closer to overcoming the quiet struggles of her depression and anxiety. It’s not perfect, but it’s progress. And, for Esther, that’s a start.

"Juvenile Bruises" is a short film that explores various aspects of domestic violence in relationships following our main character Jade who is being abused by her partner.

A repressed homosexual recounts the time he fell in love with his friend while bonding over a campy noir TV show and the horrific event that stemmed from it.

Arash is an actor. He loves Roya. But Roya loves the doctor. So Arash decides to become a ape.

A middle-aged actress grapples with a fading career and aging body while preparing for a laughably low-stakes audition, only to be interrupted by a younger rival.

Daisy and Nate are the perfect influencer couple, but behind the scenes, their marriage hangs by a thread as they viciously fight over the direction of their co-created channel.

Emily, Abby, Dan and Jake, arrive at the remote cabin for a relaxing weekend. After settling in, Jake receives a call and leaves abruptly, expressing concern over a family emergency. Later that evening a hysterical woman, Amber, shows up in a panic pleading for safety. Unfortunately, Amber has led an dark, ominous cult right to their front door.

Single father Raghu is pulled into a deadly conspiracy when his child is taken hostage, forcing him into a violent game of crime and fate. Hunted by a mysterious masked figure, he must confront the consequences of his past choices. Mrityormukshi is a gripping thriller about guilt, morality, and the price of one’s actions.

He and She meet only in dreams — two souls connected in sleep but forgetting each other every morning. When He begins to show signs of a mysterious illness, doctors mistake it for anemia. Yet the woman from his dreams knows the truth: it is cancer. Based on the short story “Eyes of a Blue Dog” by Gabriel García Márquez, this film is a contemporary experimental adaptation exploring the fragile border between reality and the subconscious, between memory and oblivion. Shot entirely without visual effects or computer graphics, the film relies on rhythm, light, and silence — creating a dreamlike visual language where meaning is felt rather than explained.