The European Union Film Festival (EUFF) 2026, India’s premier showcase of European cinema and one of the country’s most anticipated cultural events, has announced the jury for its inaugural Short Film Competition – The EUFF Film Project. In its 31st edition, the EUFF brings award winning European cinema to India.
Announced in September, the EUFF Film Project invited aspiring young filmmakers to submit short films that offer fresh and though-provoking perspectives on one or more of the following themes: Identity and Belonging; Migration and Diaspora; Language and Cultural Memory; Women and Their Interior World; Queer Stories; Climate Change and Its Impact; and Indigenous Stories. The initiative was open to completed short films across fiction, documentary, animation, and hybrid formats. From the competitive pool, a shortlist of 10 films will be screened exclusively at the EUFF 2026 Delhi chapter. The filmmaker and director of the winning film, to be announced during the festival in Delhi, will receive the EUFF Film Project Award 2026 along with a fully-funded opportunity to participate in the 15th edition of Script Fiesta, a screenwriting festival taking place in Warsaw, Poland, from 17 to 21 March 2027.
The jury tasked with selecting the winner comprises a distinguished panel of industry professionals, each bringing a wealth of experience from different corners of the film world including Nancy Nisa Beso, Sucharita Tyagi, Marek Brodzki, Aranya Sahay and Gregory Coutaut. Their diverse professional experiences span independent filmmaking, international production, film criticism and appreciation, directing and festival programming.
The EUFF Film Project – Short Film Jury
Aranya Sahay is a filmmaker and director whose debut feature, Humans in the Loop (2024), explores artificial intelligence, labour and algorithmic bias through the story of an Adivasi woman working as a data annotator. Educated at St. Stephen’s College and the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, Aranya’s work brings together social realism and an inquiry into science and technology.
Nancy Nisa Beso is an award-winning Indian film producer and creative entrepreneur. Working across India and the UK, she has contributed to more than 200 projects across film, television, documentaries, advertising, digital content and audio, with expertise spanning creative development, financing, executive production and international collaboration. Her latest feature, ANGH, written and directed by Theja Rio, winner for the Platform competition at TIFF 2026 got a direct pathway to the Oscar 2027.
Sucharita Tyagi is an Indian film critic whose work spans two decades across broadcast media, digital platforms and international film festivals. Based between Mumbai and New York, she runs an independent, self-funded film criticism and interview platform on YouTube, where she engages with filmmakers, actors and other creative professionals shaping contemporary cinema. Known for her candid and thoughtful approach, often informed by a feminist perspective, Sucharita brings a contemporary critical lens to the way films are discussed and understood. Her work connects with younger audiences seeking meaningful engagement with cinema and popular culture.
Marek Brodzki is a Polish director and screenwriter who has been active in the film industry since 1984 and has taught at the Warsaw Film School since 2009. His career includes collaborations on Polish and international productions with acclaimed filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, Krzysztof Zanussi, Andrzej Wajda and Roman Polański. He directed the feature film and television series The Witcher (2000–2002), which reached audiences across Europe and Asia. His other work includes television docudramas for Germany’s ZDF, the documentary The Brick and Other Movie Awards about Andrzej Wajda, and projects exploring accessible storytelling, including Seeing the Silence, an internet series for hearing-impaired audiences. His extensive experience across fiction, documentary and television brings a wide-ranging directorial perspective to the jury.
Gregory Coutaut is a French film critic, journalist and programmer specialising in international arthouse cinema. After beginning his career in audiovisual translation and working with film publications and distribution, he founded Le Polyester in 2017, an online magazine dedicated to international arthouse cinema, where he serves as co-editor-in-chief. He regularly interviews filmmakers and covers film festivals in France and internationally. In 2022, he joined the selection team for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival as an artistic adviser, overseeing the short-film selection. In 2024, he joined the committee responsible for short-film selection at Cannes Critics’ Week. A member of FIPRESCI and the French Syndicate of Film Critics, and a voting member of the Académie des César, Gregory brings significant experience in film criticism, international programming and the discovery of emerging cinematic voices.
With this distinguished jury, EUFF 2026 reinforces its commitment to nurturing emerging talent and creating a platform for diverse cinematic voices. The Short Film Competition adds a new dimension to the festival’s wider mission of encouraging cross-cultural dialogue, celebrating bold storytelling and connecting audiences with fresh perspectives from India and around the world.
The 31st edition of the European Union FIlm Festival kicks off in Shillong from Nov 12-18, followed by its chapter in New Delhi from November 25 to December 4, before concluding in Pune. The festival showcases 28 films from EU Member States and Ukraine in 30 languages. Through this vibrant showcase of European films, EUFF continues to foster Indo-European cultural collaboration, offering audiences a Window to Europe, its people, culture and society.
All films at the festival will be screened with English subtitles, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis. Some films carry an 18+ rating; audiences are advised to check the classification before attending a screening.
Shortlisted Short films under the EUFF Project
Aham By Saloni Pachori I Rise Above Fear By Jayaraman Chezhiyani I Batayan By Anwesh De I In The Name Of God By Saran B I The Lost Calf By Vasu Bhatia I After Coal | Rajhara’s Post-Mining Futures By Pubarun Basu I Statements By Karthik Kumar A M I The Hangover Cure By Ranveer Chauhan I Silence of a Sacred Land by Rishabh Arora
EUFF Film Festival European Films Line-Up:
Rose (Austria); Merckx (Belgium); Bring Me Home (Bulgaria); Drazen (Croatia); Summer School, 2001 (Czech Republic); Maricel (Cyprus); The Last Viking (Denmark); Rolling Papers (Estonia); Stormskerry Maja (Finland); The Richest Woman in the World (France); DODO (Greece); 22 Lengths (Germany); Mommy Blue (Hungary); A Year of School (Italy); Wolfwalkers (Ireland); Maria’s Silence (Latvia); Sand in Your Hair (Lithuania); A Boat in the Garden (Luxembourg); Żejtune (Malta); Jippie No More (Netherlands); No Ghosts on Good Street (Poland); Projecto Global (Portugal); Nasty (Romania); Path to the Impossible (Slovakia); Hidden People (Slovenia); Sirat (Spain); The Dance Club (Sweden).
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