European Short Film Night #1

The EUNIC Cluster Los Angeles and local partners present the European Short Film Nights 2026 as a showcase of award-winning narrative short films from all over Europe.

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European Short Film Night #1

MARCH 18, 2026
Goethe-Institut Los Angeles
1901 W. 7th Str. Suite A/B, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Limited only by their run time, short films push the boundaries of storytelling, allowing filmmakers to connect with their audiences in compact, but powerful vignettes across all forms. After presenting and screening their films, Writer-Director Maria Bobeva (SCARLET), Writer-Director Tillmann Betz (LAST CALL BLUE), and Producer Siri Hjorton Wagner (WITHOUT KELLY) joined Vera Mijojlić (SEEfest) for a discussion about the films and the unique power of short films as an independent art form.

Vera Mijojlić founded the South East European Film Festival (SEEfest) in Los Angeles in 2006, to spotlight the cultural richness of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Originally from Sarajevo, she has worked in Belgrade as a film critic and cultural reporter. She is a member of the European Film Academy. 

Organized by the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles in cooperation with the Honorary Consulate of Sweden, the Swedish Film Institute and SEEfest, the evening marked the first of a series of European Short Film Nights, presented by the EUNIC Cluster Los Angeles.  

A Reception was generously provided by the Honorary Consulate of Sweden in Los Angeles , and NOW – Nordic Opportunity Week.

Film Linup:

SCARLET  
Bulgaria (2024), Drama, 25 Minutes, Bulgarian with english subtitles.
Writer-Director: Maria Bobeva, Cinematography: Aniri, Editor: Tsvetomir Tsanov, Producer: Maria Bobeva, Petro Dushkov, Stanislava Ivy, Music: Vasko Ivanov – Dexter, Cast: Eleonora Ivanova, Nika Ignatieva, Mira Boyajieva, Pavel Hristov, Sergey Ivanov – Dodo, Stanislava Ivy, Venci Venc‘, Petro Dushkov, Petko Kamenov. 

 Stella is a social worker sent on a wellness check to a house in the suburbs of Sofia. The young woman falls into the world of 9-year-old Scarlet and her negligent mother, who in order to survive gets involved with the wrong people. Beneath the child’s innocence, charm and vivid imagination, Stella begins to slowly uncover chilling details and dark secrets of life at home. Will she be able to fight the corrupt system and the criminal world of the mother to save the girl?
-Winner Best Short – 24th Beverly Hills FF, Winner – Audience Award, Best Short – 25th NBFF

Maria Bobeva is a Bulgarian-born, Los Angeles–based award-winning director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. After several successful years on stage in Bulgaria, she moved to Hollywood and began creating her own work. Since 2017, she has written, directed, and produced three award-winning short films – Audition, Blinks, and Scarlet – all recognized at international film festivals.

LAST CALL BLUE
Germany (2025), Drama, 13 Minutes, English.
Writer-Director: Tillmann Betz, DoP: Julien Mayer, Editor: Lydie Leerstelle, Costume Design: Carla Renée Loose, Sound: Astrid Hohle Hansen, Sound Design: Raffelo Luperger, Set Design: Julia Jaksch, Cast: Zero Pilnik, Jos Nyreen, Production Co.: Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB)

Two airport employees. One checks x-ray images, the other works on the airfield. One slips a note to the other, they meet up during their break. One plays the accordion. Throughout the night, they search for ways to show affection for each other. 
-Selected for the 2025 FFA Next Generation Award

Tillmann Betz was born in Dortmund, Germany and studied Photography at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. Since 2021, he has been studying Directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). 

WITHOUT KELLY
Sweden (2026), Drama,  15 Min., Swedish with English subtitles.
Writer-Director-Editor: Lovisa Sirén, Producer: Siri Hjorton Wagner DoP: Christine Leuhusen, Sound design: Claes Lundberg, Music: Lisa Rydberg, Costume Design: Greta Weibull, Hair & Make-up: Lotta Fischer-Leven, Cast: Medea Strid, Truls Carlberg, Teodora Sundstrom Latev, Production Co.: [sic] film.

Forced to leave her baby daughter with the child’s father, young mother Esther is caught in desperation and longing. Through the night she chases touch and comfort, seeking ways to hold on to who she loves the most.
-Winner of the Orizzonti Award Best Short Film 2025 – 82nd Venice International Film Festival

Lovisa Sirén is a Swedish director and screenwriter working across short and feature films. Her award-winning shorts have been screened at festivals including the Sundance Film Festival, Locarno, and Venice. In 2025, her film Without Kelly won the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film at the Venice Film Festival, solidifying her international standing.

European Short Film Nights is a collaborative short film showcase organized by the EUNIC Cluster Los Angeles, bringing together a curated selection of outstanding short films from across Europe. The program celebrates the richness and diversity of European storytelling, offering audiences a unique opportunity to discover emerging voices, diverse perspectives, and contemporary cinematic trends from different European countries. Through film, the project fosters intercultural dialogue and highlights the creativity and cultural vibrancy of Europe.

EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of national-level organizations engaging in international cultural relations.  The EUNIC Cluster Los Angeles was founded in 2025 and currently includes the Austrian Consulate General, Consulate General of the Czech Republic, Honorary Consulate of Denmark, Alliance Française de Los Angeles, Goethe-Institut, Italian Cultural Institute, Consulate General of Ireland, Los Angeles, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland, Instituto Cervantes, and Honorary Consulate of Sweden as members and is supported by local partners such as ELMA – European Languages and Movies in America and SEEfest – South East European Film Festival Los Angeles.