Short film competition

On Friday, May 1, the festival invites you to the fifth edition of the Short Film Competition at Cinema ZED! This competition showcases a carefully curated selection of international short films competing for prestigious prizes. Each short film features people with disabilities as actors, directors, or producers.

Don’t miss the unique opportunity to be part of a special experience. Cast your vote for the audience Award. You get to decide which short film earns the most recognition!

Additionally, a jury prize will be awarded. The expert jury is composed of national filmmakers and representatives from communities of people with disabilities.

As a cherry on top, your ticket for the Short Film Competition entitles you to a drink at our bar after the festive award ceremony. We warmly invite you to join our informal reception, where you can meet other film lovers and discuss the films and the festival!

Here are the members of the professional jury:

• Stijn Coninx (1957) studied film direction at RITCS and debuted as a film director in 1987 with the comedy 'Hector'. He is best known for his film 'Daens', which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Non-English Language Film in 1992. His filmography includes several biopics and television series such as 'Het Peulengaleis'. He taught film at the RITCS.
• Kwinten Van Heden (1984) studied Dutch-French Language and Literature at KU Leuven and immediately started working as a journalist for the youth news program ‘Karrewiet’ on Ketnet. His passion for theater eventually led him to pursue theater studies at LUCA Drama, where he graduated with his performance CruX. He has appeared in the VRT series ‘Thuis’ (as Stijn De Belder) and in productions directed by Joren Seldeslachts and Maarten Thomas Ketels.
• Ans Janssens uses her love for film and theater, along with her experience as a wheelchair user, to promote inclusion. Her focus is on the portrayal of people with disabilities in the media. She worked at Grip vzw as a member for Kijk Op Handicap, where she developed a handbook for media makers. She also selected ‘Ketnet’ programs, screening them for diversity. She continues to provide advice to VRT and various filmmakers. As an actress, she is part of ‘WeThePeople’, an inclusive theater company, of which she is also the president.
• Yasser Ibrahim Abu Wazna (1981), born and raised in Gaza City, holds a degree in English literature, philology and management. Yasser is an award-winning video journalist and filmmaker based in the Gaza Strip. He has produced a wide range of feature films and short documentaries. Major international media channels consider him one of the best video journalists and filmmakers in the Arab world and the Middle East. He has been working in and around the media since 2005 and brings years of experience to the table, including through his work on important projects with the United Nations. In 2025, he won the prestigious Rory Peck News and Features Award.
  
• Elisabeth De Schauwer (1976) has worked at the Department of Special Needs Education at Ghent University since October 2000. Her research focuses primarily on the influence of disabilities on (pedagogical) relationships within educational and family contexts, and she collaborates closely with organizations to promote inclusive education. For her, disability is a socially lived category, reproduced and perpetuated by political, historical, economic, religious, cultural, and social structures that privilege able-bodiedness.