Shorts Industry Shortcut (SIS), the first section of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, is gearing up for its second edition, taking place 14–15 November. Building on last year’s successful debut, SIS continues its mission to elevate emerging filmmakers in the short film landscape, exploring current trends in short-form storytelling and strengthening the bridge between Baltic creators and the global shorts community.
Shorts Industry Shortcut (SIS), the first section of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, is gearing up for its second edition, taking place 14–15 November. Building on last year’s successful debut, SIS continues its mission to elevate emerging filmmakers in the short film landscape, exploring current trends in short-form storytelling and strengthening the bridge between Baltic creators and the global shorts community.
According to Tara Karajica, Head of Shorts Industry Shortcut, the 2025 edition naturally evolves from the first. “We are making the event friendlier to film students this year with masterclasses in both live action and animation branches, a short film distribution lecture as well as a fireside chat on short film etiquette and two panels on short film festivals and programming,” she notes.
This year’s programme once again blends masterclasses, lectures, and panel discussions led by acclaimed directors and industry voices. Estonia’s own hitmaker Anna Hints will host a session dedicated to the complex leap from short films to features, reflecting on this pivotal moment as they embark on their first fiction feature. The same topic will be explored from the animation perspective by producers Kerdi Oengo (Nukufilm) and Kristel Tõldsepp (A Film Estonia).
In collaboration with Tallinn University’s Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM), SIS will present the live-action masterclass “Anatomy of a Film”. Ruairi Bradley, director of We Beg to Differ – PÖFF Shorts’ 2024 EFA candidate and New Talents winner – joins Laurence Boyce to unpack the film’s journey: from Bradley’s days at the Irish National Film School to shaping the film’s concept, production process, and eventual festival trajectory.
On the animation side, the masterclass “The Clay Animation World of Izabela Plucińska” will spotlight the acclaimed Polish director’s path from drawing and sculpture to filmmaking. Plucińska will walk attendees through her creative process, demonstrating key stages of her clay animation workflow and sharing the artistic influences behind her films.
With PÖFF Shorts hosting the Emile Awards this year, SIS will also convene leading figures in European animation. Vassilis Karamitsanis (Animasyros, ASIFA), Kerdi Oengo, Carolina López (Animac), Mariam Kandelaki (Saqanima), Holger Lang (Under the Radar), and Anna Zača will examine the current challenges of producing and distributing animated shorts across Europe.
CEE Animation will introduce its upcoming Co-development Animation Awards, presented by Matija Šturm and Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Institute. Their session will outline how this new international development mechanism aims to support animation projects at their earliest, most crucial stages.
The programme opens with a panel on boutique short film festivals, featuring Laima Graždanoviča (2Annas), Adrian Barber (Bolton Film Festival), Holger Lang (Under the Radar) and Ben Vandendaele (Radiator IP, FilmConnector). In partnership with the Short Film Conference, festival programmers such as Jana Riemann (Berlinale Shorts), Carolina López (Animac) and Laurence Boyce (PÖFF Shorts) will later shed light on how programming decisions are made behind the scenes.
A fireside chat on festival etiquette will bring together Jana Riemann and Tara Karajica to discuss practical “do’s and don’ts” of the shorts circuit: from how to submit a film, to approaching programmers, to preparing for markets and festivals. Immediately afterward, distributor Ben Vandendaele will outline best practices in short film distribution and present FilmConnector, his latest platform designed to streamline strategy, planning, and reporting for filmmakers and industry professionals.
As in its inaugural year, SIS will again host its popular speed-dating session connecting filmmakers with short-film professionals. “It is quite eclectic and there is something for everyone — maybe even a little more for animators. So, I hope everyone comes away with something useful,” says Karajica.
The second edition of SIS runs from 14-15 November 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia, during PÖFF Shorts (11-19 November 2025) and Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event (14-21 November 2025).
Read more about the available accreditations and day tickets here.
Check out the full schedule here!text
Photo: SIS mingling evening in 2024.