In 2026, LusOFest was once again on the lookout for two winning films. One prize was awarded by the three-member jury, consisting of Tine Nowak (MfK, Kulturkapital, Leben X.0), Daniel Brettschneider (Kino Kulinarisch, Westside Kino) and Subin Nijhawan (New Generations), whilst the other was determined by audience voting at the respective screenings. This year, however, three outstanding short films were identified. The audience ratings for the two most popular short films were so close that we decided to select two winning films this year. You can find all the details, as well as the other honourable mentions from LusOFest 2026, here in this post.
The winners of the 2026 Audience Award 🏆
THE COLOURS OF GRIEF (As Cores do Luto)
Mariana Lima Mateus, Documentary, Portugal 2024, 20’
DiThe documentary THE COLOURS OF GRIEF follows Noémi as she returns to her home village of Escarigo in central Portugal for the first time after many years away. The once-bustling village is now almost deserted. We accompany the protagonist as she reminisces, meets old friends and works through her grief. The film was shot by Mariana Lima Mateus using a restrained camera style and long takes, sensitively capturing the atmosphere. The young filmmaker moved to London in 2022, where she completed her Master’s degree in documentary film at the University of the Arts London. THE COLOURS OF GRIEF was made during this time and is her first documentary feature film. The film explores the theme of rural exodus from small inland Portuguese communities through a very personal lens. The film also received a special mention from the Xerox Exotique team, who described it as a ‘slow burner’ and highlighted its surprising twists.
▶ The Colours of Grief Trailer
▶ marianalimateus.com
▶ @marianalimateus
ECHOES OF SAUDADE (Echoes da Saudade)
Marius Böttcher, Documentary, Germany/Portugal 2025, 22’
The documentary ECHOES OF SAUDADE profiles a long-established tavern in Alfama and its owner. The small pub is one of the last bastions of ‘Fado Vadio’, or street fado. The film captures a very authentic slice of Lisbon in transition, whilst also touching on the issues of mass tourism and gentrification that are currently omnipresent in the Portuguese capital. Director Marius Böttcher is a freelance filmmaker based in Leipzig. His documentaries primarily focus on cultural and historical themes and have taken him to various countries around the world. In addition to his work as a cameraman and director, he also creates media installations for museums and theatre productions.
Winner of the Jury Prize 2026 🏆
TWO SHIPS
Mckinley Benson, Animation, USA/Portugal 2024, 6’
TWO SHIPS tells the story of a couple who lead different daily lives and follow different rhythms, and are able to spend only a few moments together. The American director McKinley Benson studied at the College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, and founded the independent production studio Room 330 in 2017. The animated film was produced by a Portuguese team of animators and illustrators from Studio Cola Animation. The jury praised the way in which a multifaceted story about love and daily routines was told using a restrained, minimalist drawing style. ‘The skilful and carefully chosen visual and narrative stylistic devices lend this story a special authenticity.’
Honourable Mentions 2026 💪
AURORA
Bruna Lessa, Fiction, Brazil 2026, 19’ – Audience Favourite Short Film Day
AURORA is a moving story about a schoolgirl coming to terms with her father’s absence. She imagines him working as a miner on an asteroid. The film was screened at our early-bird session on 21 December 2025, Short Film Day, and was the audience favourite of that session. Bruna Lessa is a filmmaker and visual artist. She works as a screenwriter, director, editor and producer, and is co-founder of the independent production studio Bruta Floor Filmes in São Paulo.
OFFENBACH HAT VIEL ZU BIETEN
Manuel Francescon, Germany 2009, 4’ – Audience Favourite Lights, Camera, Activism. Special Mention 57Nord.
The humorous short film OFFENBACH HAT VIEL ZU BIETEN comes from the editing desk of Super 8 filmmaker Manuel Francescon, who was part of the Offenbach underground film collective Freaxxx. It has lost none of its charm in the 15 years since its release. The satirical film takes a tongue-in-cheek look at Offenbach and set a relaxed mood at the start of the documentary block. It was voted the audience’s favourite film of the Lights, Camera, Activision session on Friday evening.
THE SUNSET SPECIAL 2
Nicolas Gebbe, Germany 2024, 19’ – Audience Favourite Experimental Film
The animated short film THE SUNSET SPECIAL 2 is part of an interdisciplinary, audiovisual multimedia project by Frankfurt-based Nicolas Gebbe. The film makes use of found footage, video game aesthetics, distortions and glitches. Far more bizarre than the form in which the film presents itself, however, is the real-life world of mass tourism that it explores. The film has screened at various international festivals. We are delighted to have had the opportunity to show it. Nicolas Gebbe is currently working on the third instalment of the series.
GOLDEN SHOWER
Stella Carneiro, Fiktion, Portugal 2025, 12’ – Publikumsliebling Lange Kurzfilmnacht, besondere Erwähnung
Sheila, a young Brazilian woman, receives an unexpected erotic proposal from her Portuguese boyfriend. GOLDEN SHOWER by Stella Carneiro explores misogyny in today’s society, but does not set out to be a revolutionary film. “It’s just a silly film about sex.” (Stella Carneiro.) The film was the audience favourite among this year’s fictional short films. However, there were also mixed, and at times controversial, reactions to the film within the team and the jury. The jury found the way the film dealt with non-consensual and misrepresented BDSM practices problematic and would have preferred a more contemporary ending from a feminist perspective. LusOFest (Marc), on the other hand, praises the convincing performances of the young ensemble and notes that it appreciates the subtly woven intercultural Brazilian-Portuguese dimension of the couple’s relationship. In Carneiro’s film, men seem to be from Portuguese Mars and women from Brazilian Venus. Although they speak the same language, they still misunderstand one another.
The Jury of the LusOFest 2026
Daniel Brettschneider
Tine Nowak
Subin Nijhawan
Daniel’s initiatives have been incredibly important for cinema in Offenbach am Main. He runs film series in Offenbach and Frankfurt such as Kino Kulinarisch, Westcoast Cinema and the Ladenkino. Most recently, he added a monthly classic film series at the Scape. There are few photos of him where he isn’t holding a glass, and that’s fine. Long live Kino e Vino!
Tine Nowak is a curator at the Museum of Communication in Frankfurt, where she curates temporary exhibitions. She also hosts and moderates the Fishbowl discussions as part of the museum’s Leben X.0 series, which focuses on digital topics. She runs the Kulturkapital podcast, which, like her blog, covers a wide range of cultural topics.
Subin teaches at the Institute of English and American Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt. His research focuses on the role of language in education for sustainable development. He is a member of the Frankfurt regional group of Scientists 4 Future (S4F) and of the ‘Short Film Wallah’ team, the short film competition organised by the New Generations – Independent Indian Film Festival in Frankfurt.
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