AWARD WINNERS 2025
BEST FILM AWARD 2025: THE TRUCK by Elizabeth Rao
BEST ANIMATED FILM AWARD 2025: IMPOSSIBLE MALADIES by Stefano & Alice Tambellini
BEST SCOTTISH SHORT FILM AWARD 2025: HERE COMES THE NUN by Jack Willison
AWARDS 2026
We’re offering a clutch of new awards and prizes for film-makers from the films selected for exhibition at our 2026 edition including cash prizes, industry opportunities, trophies, film festival invitations and one of our rather lovely trophies.
BEST FILM AWARD
To be awarded to the director of the overall best film exhibited at the 2026 Edinburgh Short Film Festival.
Eligibility: Any director(s) will be eligible from the films selected for exhibition at the 2026 Edinburgh Short Film Festival.
Prizes: £400 Cash award, film festival invitations, inclusion on curated programmes for our film festival partnerships and the Best Film trophy.
Judges: The winner will be selected by guest judges from international film festivals.
BEST ANIMATED FILM AWARD
To be awarded to the director(s) of the best animated film selected for exhibition at the 2026 Edinburgh Short Film Festival.
The award will aim to recognise and celebrate significant creative and technical innovation and control.
Eligibility: Any director(s) of an animated short film selected for exhibition at the 2026 Edinburgh Short Film Festival will be eligible.
Prizes: £250 Cash Prize, film festival invitations, invitation to attend the manipulate visual theatre and animation festival, inclusion on curated programmes for our film festival partnerships and the Best Animation trophy.
Judges: The winner will be selected by a panel of industry judges headed by K-J Mathieson, animator, producer and art director
BEST SCOTTISH SHORT FILM AWARD
To be awarded to the director of the overall best film produced and shot in Scotland, exhibited at the 2026 Edinburgh Short Film Festival.
Eligibility: Any director(s) will be eligible from the films selected for exhibition at the 2026 Edinburgh Short Film Festival, whose film was produced and shot in Scotland,
Prizes: £200 Cash award, international film festival showcase invitations, inclusion on curated programmes for our festival partnerships and the Best Film trophy.
Mentorship By ESFF Patron Jamie Robson
Our festival patron, Jamie Robson, has been involved with some of the most successful Scottish short films to date; competing at the likes of Sundance, Toronto, London and SXSW. These projects have accumulated numerous wins including Scottish BAFTAs, Best Film and Best Actor awards. Jamie has worked extensively with both digital and celluloid processes, public and private funding, micro and macro budgeting. He’s collaborated with industry members such as Robbie Ryan, Charlotte Wells, Mark Jenkin whilst his own mentors have included Aki Kaurismäki and Gillies MacKinnon. Robson has starred in, co-wrote and co-produced a number of his films; leading to a wealth of experience in short filmmaking.
As part of their prize, our Scottish Shorts award-winner will benefit from access to Jamie in the hope of helping with their next project; throughout pre, peri and post production.
Judges: The winner will be selected by the ESFF Festival selection committee by secret ballot, as well as film festival jury members from our international partnerships.
2026 JURY PANEL
Amanda Rogers
Filmmaker & Creative Producer
Amanda Rogers, Filmmaker and Creative Producer, has been a documentary filmmaker, creative producer, videographer, and editor for over a decade. She has worked on documentary films and creative projects with organisations such as Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, Scottish Council on Archives, and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay. In 2020, Amanda created ‘Cinescapes’, an outdoor touring film festival and is the founder of Cinetopia, a radio show/podcast as well networking events for local industry professionals and is currently building a virtual hub for the local film community, Cinetopia Connect, as part of the Creative Informatics Resident Entrepreneur programme.
Aidan Stanley
Producer, Former Chair Fastnet Film Festival
Aidan Stanley is the former chair of the Fastnet Film Festival and producer of feature documentaries including ‘Why Is There Something Instead of Nothing’ and a founder member of the Triskel Arts Centre. He was the award-winning producer of Enda Walsh’s ‘Four Big Days in the Life of Dessie Banks’, featuring Cillian Murphy in 2001.
Guido Casale
Filmmaker & Festival Director Adriatic Film Festival
Guido is a Film Academy (Directing) graduate of the IFA academy and short film director, he founded the Adriatic Movie association with the aim of producing shorts and documentaries and is the festival director and programmer of the Adriatic Film Festival (7th edition in progress.) He is currently collaborating with some of the best Italian independent movie production studios in order to create a network of shorts/docs for distribution.
K-J Mathieson
Producer and Art Director
K-J Mathieson is an animator and educator from Glasgow, Scotland, with expertise in concept development, 3D technology, and animation production. Her work has been featured in 150+ international and national film festivals, including animation, children’s, and fantasy film festivals, and has been recognized at prestigious festivals including the Academy-Award, BAFTA, BIFA, and Canadian Screen Award qualifying events. Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida, teaching in the Character Animation program. Previously, she was an Associate Professor at Columbia College Chicago, teaching over fifty animation classes and playing a key role in creating new Animation degrees.
K-J is an active member of Women in Animation (WIA), ACM SIGGRAPH, and The American Film Institute (AFI). She also enjoys serving on the Professional Jury for the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (CICFF), the world’s first Academy®-qualifying children’s film festival.
Erik van Schaaik
Animator, screenwriter, film and television director, producer, production designer and composer.
Erik’s animated short films, include ‘Vent’ which won the FIPRESCI award at the International Animated Film Festival in Annecy, and ‘Under The Apple Tree’ which won a Golden Calf for Best Short Film at the Netherlands Film Festival as well as the multi-award winning ‘The Smile’ which won Best Animation at the 2023 Edinburgh Short Film Festival.
Wolfgang Leis
Animator & Filmmaker
Born in Bavaria, Wolfgang studied and lectured in Communication Science, he has been head of the Budapest Short Film Festival international juries since its beginning 20 years ago.
“As a brand consultant I know that you should differentiate, focus and position – your brand as well as your film! I am looking forward to meeting you personally figure out how best to boost communication, understanding and respect between cultures, peoples and people over and through film.”
https://bushofest.hu/
Barbara Della Faille
Co-Ordinator, Agence Belge du Court Metrage
Barbara developed a strong passion for cinema in all its forms at an early age, drawn to the vast creative possibilities it offers. After studying directing at IAD, she began her career as a film columnist at the radio Ameniclap, where she interviewed Belgian filmmakers. She later joined the Belgian Short Film Agency, first working in festival distribution before becoming its coordinator.
Ana Stefaniak
Animator
Ana is an animator and illustrator. Originally from Poland, she graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2014 and since then has been working on short animated films, video design for live ballet and opera performances as well as working on personal projects.
www.oofanimation.co.uk
Alexa Rodrigues
Co-Founder/Co-Director, Shortcutz Amsterdam
Alexa Rodrigues is the co-founder of Shortcutz Amsterdam, a platform for emerging Dutch film talents. Through Shortcutz, filmmakers can showcase their work, engage with an audience at a national and international level and connect with other professionals in the industry.
Sadie Purves
Producer
Sadie is currently a Masters student in International Festival and Event Management at Edinburgh Napier. With an undergrad and a background in filmmaking, she has previously worked as an editor, head of art department and producer in an array of student short projects. She has undertaken work, volunteering and internships in different arts and cultural festivals around Scotland, including Granite Noir, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Fringe Festival, as well as coordinating the Napier Student Film Festival, which had its first addition in 2024
Rebecca Selby-Heard
Head Programmer/Screenwriter
Rebecca is an emerging queer screenwriter and festival programmer based in Edinburgh. After graduating from her Masters in Film, Exhibition and Curation at the University of Edinburgh she has gone on to collaborate with multiple film festivals including the Edinburgh International Film Festival. As the newly appointed Head Programmer for Edinburgh Short Film Festival she is currently working towards co-curating this year’s programme.
Emma Dougherty
Founder, StopMoGo
Emma Dougherty is an animator and educator based in Edinburgh. She is the founder of StopMoGo, running fun themed stop motion animation workshops and events.
Ignatz Johnson Higham
Animator
Ignatz is a designer turned animator based in the UK. Named after a cartoon mouse, he grew up in South London and attended Camberwell College of Art. After working as a full time graphic designer for the Southbank Centre he returned to college to study for an MA in animation at the Royal College of Art. Since leaving college he has worked on a wide range of commercial projects.
www.oofanimation.co.uk
Abigail Lamb
Animator
Abigail Lamb lives in West Lothian where she can spend her time walking , eating tiny pastries and drinking coffee. She attended the Edinburgh College of Art where she turned her love of animation into a career. Between ambling and trying to befriend the local cats, she draws, writes and animates how she sees the world around her. Now she’s developing her own IP “Lochs & Legends” which won best TV/film pitch at Glasgow Film Festival 2025.
Margherita Berti
Masterclass Facilitator/Head of Selection Committee/Jury Member
Margherita is a Italian creative who has both experience in filmmaking, as well as camera and production work. After achieving a masters degree in Film Studies at the University of Dundee, she moved to Edinburgh to work as a freelancer in the Scottish film scene. Since then, she’s been working as a Camera Operator and Production Assistant for a production company based in Edinburgh, and has also been selected for a Production Traineeship in the TV industry in Glasgow.