Annual Aarhus Film Festival 2026 Day 2
The Annual Aarhus Film Festival returns in May with a bold and diverse programme of 13 short and feature-length films. Taking place on May 9&10 at Øst for Paradis, the AAFF2026 will welcome the city's vibrant crowd for the first time over two days.
Combining films that touch upon various themes through fiction and life-based stories, the annual film festival showcases the power of independent cinema. Sharing the voices of upcoming and established filmmakers from Denmark and beyond, the annual Festival aims to serve as an inspirational cinematic event.
DAY 2 | MAY 10
FEATURE FILM
18.00 - 19.45
Highly Explosive • Kerstin Polte • 95' • Germany • 2024 • Feature Film Competition
A tragicomic episodic film that weaves together stories of resilience and connection in a city on the brink. Captivating, human, and deeply moving. In the heart of Hamburg, the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb not only leads to a large-scale evacuation but also triggers an emotional state of emergency. As residents are forced to confront their long-suppressed fears and traumas, unexpected encounters arise amid the chaos—meetings that would never have happened under normal circumstances.
SHORTS PROGRAMME
20.00 - 21.35
Kotowari • Coralie Watanabe Prosper • 23' • France • 2025 • Short Film Competition
After two and a half years of waiting, Saki, a Japanese citizen, and her French wife, Tom, are heading to the prefecture to finally pick up Saki's first residence permit. A daunting day awaits them, a day like many others at the immigration office.
Actually, I Didn't Want to Stay Long • Andreas Grützner • 23' • Germany • 2025 • Short Documentary Competition
How has the treatment of people in psychiatric institutions changed from the 1970s to the present day? Who are the people who live in such an institution and what is the experience of a young man who starts working there in the 1970s? Confronted with a traumatic discovery in his family biography, a reflection begins.
Nativity Scene • Felipe Bibian • 18' • Brazil • 2025 • Short Film Competition
On Christmas Eve, Dejair, a former resistance fighter against the military dictatorship, gathers with his family in the backyard. A water gun gift leads Dejair to denounce the absurdity of giving a child a weapon.
Mambo No.2 • Anne Feldmeier • 9' • Germany • 2024 • Animated Short Competition
The last text message sent, a quick dressing up in the elevator and Betti's date with Tom can begin. As planned, he is smitten by her and the two perform an impeccable courtship dance. But suddenly, an unforeseen little something forms in Betti's bowels. And wants to get out. Of course, that's not possible, not here and now. And so Betti embarks on a relentless battle against her own body, which ultimately leads her closer to herself.
Skin of Sadness • Hasan Ege Çaliskan' • 20' • Netherlands, Turkey • 2025 • Student FilmCompetition
A shocking act of violence becomes a unique bond between two lonely men, which leads them to discover the meaning of love in the most unexpected ways.
**Films in English or with English subtitles**