2025 short film Competition preselection
We’re thrilled to announce the preselection for this year’s short film competition! A huge congratulations to the talented filmmakers who have made it to the preselection stage.
A Phone Call
Kunchok Rabten (India)
14min 41sec
A single Tibetan mother sends her only son to India in the hope of a better future but the fate has a different plan.
A Night Garden
Tenzin Gyaphel (Belgium)
4min 55sec
Karma, a man unable to sleep, tends his garden to calm his restless mind. Through simple acts of care—watering, planting, observing—he begins to witness the interconnectedness of all life. The garden becomes a space for thought and reflection. A Night Garden is a meditative journey toward presence, belonging, and the dissolution of self.
Butter Tea
Tenzin Wangchuk Tasur (USA)
10min 42 sec
Set in the heart of Queens, New York, Butter Tea tells the story of Tenzin, a young Tibetan-American barista who begins his first day at a newly opened Tibetan cafe. Among the cafe's regular customers is an elder Tibetan named Dorjee who always orders the traditional Tibetan drink of butter tea. Their daily interactions spark an unexpected bond as the two connect across generations, and Tenzin is gradually pulled into a deeper understanding of his cultural identity, guided by Dorjee's quiet wisdom and stories. Rooted in the Tibetan diaspora experience, Butter Tea explores the power of oral tradition and mentorship in preserving heritage. The film invites viewers to see how something as simple as making tea can become an act of remembrance and belonging.
Lobsang On Camera
Migmar Jannot (France)
14min 04sec
A young monk at Drepung Monastery becomes the subject of a short film, during the filmmaker’s visit to see her uncle. Through the camera, their connection is built. The film explores how their relationship is shaped by this cinematic process.
My Sister
Phakpa Kyap (Tibet)
03min 24sec
"My Sister" is an animation film full of warm memories. The story takes place on a vast grassland closest to the sky.
The story begins when I was four years old, and that is the last day of my sister. Surrounded by a mysterious black fog coming out of nowhere, my sister fell to the ground and could no longer get up. It was the next day she left us.
I will never forget that day.
Twenty years later, I decided to animate the experience, hoping to leave the story to the world. Through the animation film I express preciousness of my sister to me and send my condolences for the deceased family.
The Curse
Tenzin Gurmey (Belgium)
7min 33sec
Three Tibetan friends on their first hike in a European forest discover a strange doll that seems to follow them, their fun trip turns into a scary night as they get lost, and the forest seems to come alive.
Shabnam
Tenzin Kuntse Gyephel (USA)
9min 10sec
Shabnam and Numa are childhood best friends growing up together. As they grow older, feelings grow stronger. Tragedy strikes Shabnam as an earthquake takes her family away from her. She has to leave the town to move to her relatives place and years ago by when they finally reunite and move on from the loss.
We Run For Tibet
Dominik Kelsang Erne (Switzerland)
06min
We Run For Tibet follows a powerful act of solidarity—a 260 km endurance run across Switzerland in March 2025, organized in collaboration with the Swiss-Tibetan Friendship Association (GSTF) and held in conjunction with Tibetan Uprising Day on March 10. Documented by a professional TV crew, the film captures the emotional and physical intensity of the journey as well as the strength of collective action.
Dominik Kelsang Erne ran the full 260 km over two days, joined by more than 30 other runners for parts of the route, while hundreds of supporters—including national politicians like Mario Fehr, and Katharina Prelicz-Huber—gathered at symbolic places such as the Tibet Institut Rikon, Zürich and Winterthur main station. As lead protagonist and writer, Dominik guides the viewer through this powerful movement, even as he faces personal limits near the end. The result is a moving portrayal of resilience, unity, and cultural identity—a film that transforms one idea into a shared voice for Tibet.