The competitions are the beating heart of the festival. Besides the European Competition, there are Flemish competitions for fiction, animation and documentary. The perfect chance to find out which young directors will be making waves in the coming years. Additionally, the highly sought-after VAF Next Generation competition will be awarding her winners at the festival!

Popular programmes like Shorts for Children, Animation Nations and Virtual Reality are indispensable at the festival. Immerse yourself in the Labo programme or be amazed by short films from famous directors in Big Names, Short Films.

This year, the country in focus is Norway. This includes a masterclass by short film veteran Lilja Ingolfsdottir and there is a focus on the shorts of Kristoffer Borgli. The Norwegian Kortfilmfestivalen Grimstad also sent two focus compilations our way. The Belgian Artist in Focus Pieter Coudyer returns to Leuven with his newest film. Even more focus programmes: A Sense of Home, South-South Futurisms and Witches.

Compilations featuring award-winning or acclaimed short films that are a must-see for every film fan: Oscar Shorts, Best of European Film Awards, Best of Peer Award and the winners of this edition.

During the guest screenings, local partners of the festival show their favourites: VRT CANVAS, Humo, yanco and Sabam. You can also enjoy a night full of discussion and music by Faravaz Farvardin following the screening of My Orange Garden. And of course, the festive opening and the legendary closing night are an integral part of the festival too.

Kortfilmfestival Leuven does not only showcase short films, the festival is also a forum for filmmakers and other professionals. You can get to know the makers during the Q&As and screenwriters, film critics, cinematographers, students and other professionals can get to know each other during workshops and networking events.