Genre: Thriller

The award-winning shorts of CineYouth 2025 showcase the talent and vision of eight young filmmakers from around the world.

Surreal visuals and wry humor animate a layered tale of a prop master who worries over a weapon on set and a conspiracy-minded car-crash victim.

Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

In this striking horror film, a teen boy’s embrace promises an end to pain—until the dark side of his power comes into disturbingly detailed focus.

When Vahid thinks he recognizes his former torturer, he sets out to prove the man’s identity even as he’s plagued by doubt in this gripping revenge thriller.

In this water polo camp-set thriller, newcomer Ben is told one of the boys has the “plague.” Will he join in the bullying or risk being cast out himself?

When a reclusive farmer finds the lifeless body of a girl on his land, his search for truth unearths the darkness lurking among the reeds.

Unfulfilled dreams, dark obsessions, and illicit desires take center stage in this program that transports viewers into the bold and blood-curdling world of genre film. From ventriloquist dummies to unrequited love, these shorts expose our darkest fears… and create new ones.

After a young woman goes missing at a rave, her father and brother brave the arid Moroccan landscape searching for her in a world on the brink of collapse.

Diagnosed with terminal insomnia, Cillian clings to his past, obsessively building a time machine in his final days only for it to fail.

As poachers encroach on the wilderness she supervises, Irish park ranger Jen must reconcile past trauma with new threats in this white-knuckle thriller.