Genderation Shorts
Screening: Sunday Nov 22, 11.00 AM | NGMA
Directors: Sneha Singh, Faizan Shah
11 min | 2026 | India | Hindi
Apeksha and Isha are two girls who carry loneliness in very different ways. Apeksha is quiet and withdrawn – her isolation visible in her silence. Isha is loud, affectionate and outwardly cheerful yet her loneliness remains hidden behind her warmth. When the two connect through anonymous online conversations, a space opens where neither has to perform or explain themselves. As their bond deepens, they learn to hold each other with honesty and care, finding the courage to express their feelings and face a world that often misunderstands them.
Director: Katie Lambert
8 min | 2025 | UK | English
I Hate Helen is a snapshot of teenage life, a short film about the tidal wave of queer curiosity some girls feel during growing-up years and letting those feelings just wash over you. But our protagonist Priya isn’t going without a fight. She hates Helen, and she hates the way she is feeling.
Director: Cristian Valenciano
14 min | 2026 | Spain | Spanish
Summer 2003. Miguel and Javi, spend their days between swims, video games, and a bet that follows them all summer long: to see who can hold their breath underwater the longest. Javi always wins; he says his swimsuit is magical. Intrigued by the mystery, Miguel begins to see his friend in a different way.
Director: Lam Can-zhao
15 min | 2026 | China, Switzerland | Min Nan Chinese, Cantonese
In a remote mining village plagued by nightly blackouts, Tia, a teenage girl, expresses herself through Michael Jackson’s dance moves on TikTok—her only outlet in a world defined by restriction. When Wynne, a city woman, becomes her stepmother, their lives begin to intertwine in unexpected and fragile ways.
Director: Nino Bouhnik
14 min | 2025 | France | French
Set in Paris’s 19th arrondissement, Zack is hosting a casual afternoon with friends when his younger brother Elie unexpectedly appears, wearing makeup with quiet confidence. Caught off guard, Zack reacts with discomfort that quickly turns to anger, trying to push Elie away. But his friends respond differently meeting Elie with warmth, acceptance, and playfulness. In an unexpected gesture of solidarity, they begin putting on makeup themselves, gently turning the moment. As the atmosphere shifts, Zack is confronted with his own fears, as acceptance finds its way back to him.