The FilmEU Alliance, bringing together eight European higher education institutions specialising in film and media arts, organises an annual festival showcasing films created by students from its partner schools. The award-winning films represent the very best of contemporary European student filmmaking, offering the 4 živly audience a glimpse into the themes, perspectives, and cinematic approaches of the newest generation of filmmakers.

This screening is presented in collaboration with the FilmEU Alliance.

Glitter Kiss

dir. Augustė Gerikaitė, Lithuania, 2025, 19 min.,

After discovering a brutally beaten drag queen, Klaudijus, in his apartment building, homophobe Rolandas reluctantly takes him to the hospital and becomes his first responder. As the police investigate and Klaudijus’ life hangs in the balance, Rolandas is forced to rethink his beliefs.

How to Listen to Fountains

dir. Eva Sajanová, Slovakia, 2025, 10 min.,

This is a film about public space. This is a film about the destruction of culture. This is a film about fountains that have had enough. In this film, fountains come to life, transforming into human beings, each with its own distinct personality. They speak up, asking people to notice them, appreciate them, and care for them. Their rebellion culminates in a protest at Freedom Square. What would happen if fountains could speak?

Prayer

dir. Sofia Geweiler, Portugal, 2025, 14 min.,

In a techno club in Lisbon, immigrant worker Abdul is on a video call with his wife, Aliyah, who is going into labor and begs him to be present, at least over the phone. At the same time, his colleague Maria desperately needs his help. Caught between work’s demands and his son’s birth, Abdul grapples with the fear of losing his job and the challenge of becoming a father from afar. On top of all that, he fights with his strict father-in-law for his right to perform the sacred tradition of reciting the Adhan for his newborn son.

Hot Flush

dir. Hana Hančinová, Slovakia, 2025, 27 min., ES

Elena is a social worker, a married woman entering a new stage of her life: menopause. As if that were not enough, Erik, one of the young men she has been supporting for a long time, misinterprets some of her gestures and initiates an unexpected sexual encounter in the staff restroom. The incident suddenly throws Elena into an existential crisis, forcing her to confront how she wants to live the rest of her life.