Encounters Reveals 2025 Competition Lineup
By Natalia Albin Legorreta
In its 30th edition, Encounters, the short film, animation and VR festival held in Bristol, will showcase 105 films from over 50 countries, including 44 premieres. The festival will take place from Wednesday 24th to Sunday 28th of September 2025.
Some line-up highlights include:
HOW TO SHOOT A GHOST (dir. Charlie Kaufman // USA, Greece)
Two newly dead young people meet in the streets of Athens, amid the pulsing cityscape and the ghosts of history. One a translator, the other a photographer, they were outsiders in life; in death they struggle with the residue of their longings and mistakes. They wander the city together, finding consolation in the difficult beauty of existence and its aftermath.
Starring Jessie Buckley and Josef Akiki
ROMINA (dir. Paola Mendonza, animation Bee Grandinetti // USA, Brazil, Sweden, Spain, France, Russia, Finland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico, India, Germany)
The true story of a 14-year-old girl facing an unplanned pregnancy in a state in the USA where abortion is banned. Despite the legal barriers, a community rallies around her, ensuring she can access the abortion she desired.
RHODA (dir. Alex Lawther // England)
When a lodger's arrival in a lonely woman's house strains against the fixed boundaries of her life, the woman's reality begins to disintegrate, pushing her to breaking point.
Starring Juliet Stevenson and Emma D'Arcy
You can read our interview Alex Lawther about making Rhoda here.
RARE BOOTS (dir. Ellen Mcdougall // UK)
Amy is forced home after a break-up but her mum, Sue, has her own heartache as a huge second home development threatens her beloved farm. They begin the gruelling job of planting a hedge along the boundary, slowly finding the rhythm of reconnection.
Starring Linda Bassett and Charlotte Ritchie
OVARY-ACTING (dir. Ida Melum // Norway, Sweden, UK)
While stuck at her sister’s baby shower a thirty-something woman is forced to decide whether she wants to have kids or not after unexpectedly giving birth to her reproductive organs.
Starring Synnøve Karlsen, Sofia Oxenham and Katy Secombe
FAMILIAR STRANGER (dir. Ace Mahbaz // UK)
Ava walks into a pub expecting a first date like any other. What follows is anything but. As truths surface and tensions rise, two strangers must decide if the past they carry will push them apart—or pull them closer.
Starring Rachel Shenton
ANIMALS (dir. Modiyar Abdukadyr // Kazakhstan)
After his mother's death, kind-hearted Darkhan moves to a village where he's mocked by local kids. When he rescues a stray puppy, he finds brief happiness, but growing pressure from his father and a gang of bullies leads him towards a tragic end.
Starring Daniyar Shakhniyaz, Asanali Apakhan, Nurken Oteul and Altynay Nogerbek
RAZEH-DEL (dir. Maryam Tafakory // Iran, UK, Italy)
Synopsis for an impossible film. In 1998, two high school girls sent a letter to the first-ever women’s newspaper in Iran.
GENEALOGY OF VIOLENCE (dir. Mohamed Bourouissa // France)
A young couple sits in a car when two policemen pull up to command a routine identity check. They ask the man to get out and proceed methodically with a pat-down, as he stands in front of the car, watched by his dismayed girlfriend.
Starring Nina Zem, Lucas Mortier and Bilel Chegrani
ADIÓS (dir. José Prats // Spain)
During a hunting day in rural Spain, a father struggles to accept that his adult son is moving abroad, dealing with the feelings of being left alone.
Starring Ginés García Millán, Pepe Villena
We interviewed José Prats about his BAFTA-nominated film which you can read here.
Executive Director of Encounters Dave Taylor-Matthews says: "This programme represents everything Encounters stands for - bold new voices, exceptional storytelling and the continued vitality of both British filmmaking and cinema's universal language. We're thrilled to present UK premieres from Charlie Kaufman, Mark Jenkin, and many other celebrated auteurs alongside stunning new works from artists that will define the future of film."
Encounters is a qualifying festival for the Academy Award, the BAFTA Award for Best Live Action Short Film and Best Animated Short, and the European Film Awards
The full line up can be found here.