Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2026 Announces 28th Edition with the Theme "Cinema Engineering"

The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA), Asia's largest international short film festival and an Academy Award® qualifying festival, will be held from Monday, May 25th to Wednesday, June 10th at multiple venues in Tokyo and online (online venue until Tuesday, June 30th). The opening ceremony and red carpet will be held at "MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives," an experimental museum located within TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY, which will grand open on March 28th, followed by the film festival screenings.

Approximately 5,000 submissions from over 100 countries and regions worldwide, including war-torn nations like Iran, Israel, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, and Ukraine. AI-powered short films reach a record high of 368, with a trend in AI-generated music.

The submitted works capture the "now" from around the globe. In the International Competition, trends show films sharply depicting family bonds and regeneration from loss, while the Asia Competition focuses on loneliness due to urbanization and conflicts amidst war and political constraints. The Japan Competition features intimate psychological dramas exploring economic recession, the pressures of digital society, and modern family structures. The Animation and Non-Fiction departments highlight works that question society through visual expression, such as warnings against social media addiction, global warming, and re-examinations of nuclear issues. Works utilizing AI reached a record high of 368 submissions, surpassing last year's numbers. Notably, works that create and utilize AI-generated "music," where copyright issues can be a significant hurdle, are an interesting trend. Furthermore, this year, we have partnered with the "WORLD AI FILM FESTIVAL," the world's first and largest AI-focused film festival held in Kyoto in March, to specially screen major award-winning films aiming for the cutting edge and highest standards in AI visuals.

What is the true value of the cinematic experience? Under the theme of "Cinema Engineering," special programs featuring "Food" and "Art" experienced through the senses will also be presented.

Cameras, lighting, sound, and AI. Meticulously combining these to construct an experience that reaches the audience's hearts – this year's film festival shines a spotlight on film as "engineering," holding the event under the theme of "Cinema Engineering." In an era overflowing with videos and consumed by algorithms, this film festival encourages us to collectively consider the true value of the "cinematic experience." With AI breaking down expressive barriers and "vertical format" establishing itself as a new visual language, creators from around the world gather to explore the future of visual media. Furthermore, this year's SSFF & ASIA will feature special programs designed for a multi-sensory experience. A "Food" program will showcase life dramas woven with "food and memory" from diverse perspectives, including a story about Italian prisoners confronting their past and hopes through cooking and acting, and a story about girls who, after fostering friendship during the isolation of the pandemic, reunite over a bowl of ramen. An "Art" program will offer a taste of various arts, including dance, music, and animation, within the tatami-matted festival venues...