Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival

Opens June 7, 2025

A Cinematic Odyssey: 20 Years of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Shorts

Celebrate 20 years of spellbinding cinema at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival (SFFSFF) this June at SIFF Cinema Uptown. For two decades, MoPOP and SIFF have put a spotlight on visionary filmmakers, showcasing innovative short films that transport audiences to brand-new worlds.

The animated and live-action shorts are carefully curated and judged by a panel of film critics. Previous selections have transcended the screen, earning international distribution, Academy Award nominations, museum exhibitions, and more.

Join us this summer for captivating screenings, a filmmaker Q&A, and an awards ceremony as we celebrate 20 years of groundbreaking cinema and fearless storytelling.

June 7 Tickets: $22 SIFF Members, MoPOP Members, Students | $24 Regular
June 7 Screenings: Block 1 & 2 Films

June 8 Tickets: $12 SIFF Members, MoPOP Members | $17 Students | $18 Regular
June 8 Screenings: Day 2 Films (Next Generation Filmmakers)

Tickets

Select showtime for pricing and tickets.

Saturday, June 7, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

3:00 PM

Sunday, June 8, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown

1:00 PM

BLOCK 1

LOVEBUGS

Lovebugs

Teddy Alvarez-Nissen, USA, 12 min.

From his cozy library hidden inside the walls of a suburban home, a snail discusses love, loss, and change. As he begins to uncover a shocking connection between himself and the human living inside the house, he must race against the impending threat of fumigation.

ALPHA 27

Alpha 27

Nick Azzaro, USA, 12 min.

In the distant future, Diego, a non-Earth-born, faces deportation to his home colony, Alpha 27. Battling bureaucratic apathy and personal anguish, he grapples with the fear of leaving a life and love he has cherished for years.

HENCHMEN CHRONICLES

Henchmen Chronicles

Devon Mitchell, USA, 3 min.

A journalist in a world of superheroes documents what it’s like to be a henchman instead of a main character. Predictably, it sucks.

KINO KOPF

Kino Kopf

Jack Cosgriff, Czech Republic, 11 min.

A sentient humanoid VHS camera dreams of an electric cowboy as memories flash through their lens.

BOYS NIGHT IN SIDERA INSTITUTE

Boys Night in Sidera Institute

Adam Musa Othman, USA, 7 min.

Two disgruntled scientists plot to steal something from the institute they work for, frolicking about in the spacecraft way past curfew.

JOAN THE KID

Joan the Kid

Kat Silverosa & Grace Hackney, Australia, 13 min.

When her detention project comes to life, Jo is taken on a whirlwind trip through history by the not-so-saintly Saint, Joan of Arc.

HOUSE RULES

House Rules

Bridgette Baron, USA, 5 min.

A Grim Reaper forms an unlikely friendship with a young girl.

LUPE Q AND THE GALACTIC CORN CAKE

Lupe Q and the Galactic Corn Cake

Javier Badillo, Canada, 4 min.

Lupe doesn’t care about her abuela’s cooking lessons, she just wants to rock with her badass punk band. But when Lupe finds herself battling an alien monster with her band, her abuela's lessons will remind her that punk rock is more than just loud music and connecting with her Latin roots may just save their lives.

THE WEDDING VEIL OF THE PROUD PRINCESS

The Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess

Anna-Ester Volozh, UK, 6 min.

A princess’s impossible demand sparks an endless war, until a mysterious suitor emerges, claiming to be the one to satisfy her pride. Based on a story by L.M. Montgomery.

THE TIN WOODS

The Tin Woods

Nick Boxwell, USA, 11 min.

While exploring an abandoned cabin, the Tin Woodman finds...his original head? Based on the original Oz books by L. Frank Baum, this short stop-motion film explores the origins of the Tin Woodman and how he came to be made of tin.

8 MINUTES AND 2O SECONDS

8 Minutes and 2O Seconds

Harris Doran; USA; 9 min.

The sun goes out and there are only 8 minutes and 20 seconds of sunlight left on earth. Max must race against time to reconcile with his ex-boyfriend in order for them to be together in the last moments of sun.

BLOCK 2

CONTENT WARNINGS: NON- EXPLICIT SEXUAL SITUATIONS, VERBAL ABUSE, DRINKING, BLOOD, ANIMATED GORE AND VIOLENCE

BOBBLEHEAD

Bobblehead

Pierre-Marie Charbonnier & Simon Pierrat, France, 15 min.

Fred, influenced by a salesman, falls in love with a vintage car. Inside the car, there’s a bobblehead dog that seems to want to talk to him, to the detriment of Fred and his relationship.

FREEMIUM 911

Freemium 911

Michael Plewa, USA, 3 min.

A woman struggles to operate a new healthcare app when she needs it the most.

MINTRIX AND THE ELVEN FIGURINE

Mintrix and the Elven Figurine

Andrew Jordan & Kimberly Wood, USA, 11 min.

Seeking an ancient artifact, a young elf enlists the help of an unlikely ally: Mintrix Vandalore, an alluring bard with singular skills. From a silky parlor to the bowels of ruined catacombs, the two of them race to stay ahead of a murderous cult, while a night spent together ignites a deeper bond.

HUBBLE TENSION

Hubble Tension

Brandon Foy, USA, 13 min.

A chronically distracted man undergoes an experimental eye treatment, only to face unexpected consequences that distort his reality in increasingly surreal ways.

HEADLESS INTO NIGHT

Headless into Night

Nifemi Madarikan, USA, 14 min.

When her father sends her on a “divine” mission, Ifelayo must confront the mystical Night Mothers next door.

WEEKEND AT MAURY ISLAND

Weekend at Maury Island

Bradley Wilkinson, USA, 5 min.

Two couples vacationing at Maury Island, sitting on the back porch of their cabin, happen to see flying discs in the sky.

DARK CLOUD MEMORIES

Dark Cloud Memories

Seung-hee Jung, Republic of Korea, 12 min.

In a future where all memories are stored in the cloud, a young woman loses precious memories due to limited storage space.

THE WORLD IS ON FIRE AND I JUST WANT TO DANCE

The World is on Fire and I Just Want to Dance

Paulette Argeres, USA, 12 min.

During the apocalypse, a worldwide fire and a looming alien invasion causes best friends Astrid and Ivy to be stuck inside their separate homes. During a phone call when their situations have become unbearable, they decide to meet up in a virtual reality world to fulfill their last desires together.

GAY VAMPIRES ARE REAL!

Gay Vampires are Real!

Robert Alex, USA, 1 min.

A gay vampire wreaks havoc on an average American family after he is resurrected in Portland Oregon during an eclipse.

LES BETES

Les bêtes

Michael Granberry, USA, 12 min.

A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion animated fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich.

DAY 2

CONTENT WARNINGS: BLOOD, DESCRIPTION OF VIOLENCE, LANGUAGE, GORE, ANIMATED VIOLENCE

NEXT GENERATION FILMMAKERS

THE HUMAN UNDER THE BED

The Human Under the Bed

Euan O'Leary, Canada, 10 min.

AJ, a little monster awake past their bedtime, has made a terrifying discovery: There's a human under their bed!

NO OATS!

No Oats!

Hali Rose Morlin, USA, 7 min.

A couple creates a cake so out of this world, Aliens come and invade their home.

HOW TO SUMMON A DEMON

How To Summon a Demon

Aiman Malik, Australia, 5 min.

Four wacky flower-faced cultists go on a quest to collect 8 occult ingredients to summon a wish-granting demon.

THE NIGHT YOU CAME

The Night You Came

Lingjie Li, China, 2 min.

We are similar and different, near and far. On the night you came, we were born.

TRIGONOMETRY'S ULTIMATE METHOD TO PUTTING THE FUN BACK IN YOUR OWN FUNERAL

Trigonometry's Ultimate Method to Putting the Fun Back in Your Own Funeral

April Aquino, USA, 4 min.

A cyborg child dies suddenly when a piano falls on top of him. Death comes to take him to the afterlife, but he refuses to go until his final wish is fulfilled - to cause chaos at his own funeral.

AVA

Ava

Pui Tung Lam; Hong Kong; 13 min.

After an accident an elderly man begrudgingly accepts the help of a robot, sparking an unlikely friendship.

THE SWEET ORDER

The Sweet Order

Jorge Sebastian Flores Huauya, Peru, 6 min.

Halloween night in a remote town. Ramirez, a black cat, and his best friend Gordi escape from their house in order to find treats to eat. But everything turns around when a mysterious van appears.

WANT

Want

Zalman Zuckerbraun, USA, 6 min.

A sorcerer boldly seeks immortality, but his loyal servant doesn't wish to join him.

S.O.S.

Alyssa Anderson, USA, 2 min.

Far in the future, a spaceship crash-lands onto a deserted Earth. Its sole survivor sends out a distress signal, only to be met with silence—until one day, a lonely stranger from the past mysteriously breaks through the static, forging a connection across time and space.

I DREAM OF A DAY

I Dream of Day

Elias Barreto, Mexico, 9 min.

Lu finds the possibility of companionship when she meets Aini, a cloud-headed entity. The two will go through the girl's day-to-day life, with all kinds of people coming in and out of her house.

MICRO-PLASTINATION

Micro-Plastination

Aspen Nelson, USA, 6 min.

Monsters are scary. Microplastics are scarier.

EMET

Emet

Cate Knothe & Ethan Grossman, Czech Republic, 13 min.

Alone on her farm, a pregnant young woman creates a magical creature for assistance, much to the chagrin of her neighbor.

THE LAST CHAPEL

The Last Chapel

Kate Saltel, USA, 5 min.

Mid-wedding at a Vegas-style chapel, built as a tribute to the deceased pink poodle icon Poolvis Poodle, the celebration comes crashing to a halt when the poodle’s greedy Estate steps in and shuts it down.