From 12 to 14 August 2026, the 5th Burabay International Short Film Festival (BISFF) took place in Shchuchinsk — an international short film festival founded by the British media holding Silk Road Media under the auspices of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London). The festival is part of an international network of film screenings and creative projects spanning the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America.
The fifth season welcomed participants and guests from the USA, France, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Israel, Georgia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Taiwan, Canada, India, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Austria and Singapore, making it the largest season to date. It was also the first edition of the festival to feature individual pitching sessions, allowing audiences and the jury to become acquainted not only with the films, but also with their creators.
The festival began on 12 August with a welcome dinner, where delegates had the opportunity to meet and communicate in an informal atmosphere. Organised networking remains one of the strongest features of SRM and ECG (London) events, distinguishing them from the traditionally programme-heavy festivals and conferences of the CIS and Central Asian region. Delegations from Lions Club Astana, the Mycelium creative group and the local Art Burabay creative community had the opportunity to establish connections with one another and with international participants from Georgia, Italy and Austria. Marat Akhmedjanov (United Kingdom), Founder of Silk Road Media, noted that building relationships between representatives of business, the creative industries and local communities has been the principal aim of the holding company’s international activities for more than 20 years.
The festival’s main business programme took place at the Higher Pedagogical College in Shchuchinsk on 13 August. The main competition day was held on 13 August. Following the festival’s Opening Ceremony, participants presented their projects to the jury and audience in two blocks of pitching sessions. The programme included both completed short films and screenplay projects.
Among the films presented in the first block were “Line 49” by Abdellatif Benahmed, “Hypatia of Alexandria — the solitary bee” by Erwan Le Gall, “A Mother’s Voice” by Alena Parfenovich-Traykovskaya, “Between Sky and Sea” by Ismail Abu Hatab and “Seaward” by Saksham Mehrotra. The screenings and pitching sessions generated considerable interest and discussion among the audience. Together with the jury, viewers immersed themselves in stories exploring how even the right choice cannot guarantee a successful future, how life continues under even the most difficult circumstances, and how humanity is learning to build its own home without destroying someone else’s.
The screenplay section of the competition included projects spanning a wide range of genres and themes — from family comedy-drama to stories about war, love and human relationships. The pitching sessions featured “Luba et Marcel” by Natalia Gimelli, “Kebam!” by Judson Vaughan, “Carnations Vs Roses” by Alex Levin-Arlev, “The Adventures of the Black Cat” by Irina Gurkova, “The Violin Case” and “No Place For War In Life” by Irina Egorova, “Letter From Anna Franko” by Mikhail Ananov, “A Table for One” by Hakan Ünal and “The CALL” by Lidiya Belozerova-Solonovich. The authors presented their projects, immersing the audience in an atmosphere of genuine creativity.
All sessions were accompanied by the work of an international jury comprising representatives of the film industry and creative community from different countries. The audience and contestants heard warm wishes from experienced Russian producer Tatiana Kosenko and GITIS graduate, director and film expert Dima Zenkov, who judged the contestants’ works during the preliminary stage alongside their colleagues from Kazakhstan, Nariman Sultanbekov and Anton Povekvechnov, as well as British director and producer and London Film Academy graduate Timur Akhmedzhanov. The live-stage presentations were judged by Austrian producer Christian Gessl, Italy-based Chingiz Aitmatov expert PhD Tinka Gardenghi, Kazakhstani artist Evgenia Serebryakova and SRM Founder Marat Akhmedjanov. Of particular significance to the international status of the event was the participation of the Honorary Jury Member, His Excellency Luis Francisco Martínez Montes, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Alongside the film programme, an art exhibition and fair was held at the Higher Pedagogical College in Shchuchinsk on 13 August. It was organised and presented by members of the Art Burabay creative community of Shchuchinsk under the leadership of Yusuf Krykbesov, Eurasian Creative Guild (London) Ambassador in Burabay.
A separate evening programme took place at the ECG Horizons creative residence. Guests and participants enjoyed open-air film screenings featuring British director Dan Akhm’s “A New Look: Uzbek Fashion Post-Independence”, dedicated to the development of the fashion industry in independent Uzbekistan, as well as festival shortlist finalist “Astronauta” by Giorgio Giampà. The festival’s partners from the Mycelium creative association organised a herbal tea bar, an evening campfire and musical performances. The event was also supported by Artem Volsky, General Manager of the “Dom u Ozera” boutique hotel.
The festival concluded on 14 August with a masterclass by Silk Road Media Adviser and Festival Director Taina Kaunis and the Awards Ceremony. Special awards were presented during the ceremony: an anniversary medal dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London), and the honorary Jonathan Fryer Memorial Medal, established in recognition of contributions to promoting the culture and arts of Eurasian countries. The Jonathan Fryer Medal was awarded to poet, translator and Head of the ECG (London) Expert Council on Poetry Mikhail Ananov (Georgia), while the anniversary medal was ceremonially presented to ECG (London) Custodian Dinara Kushbayeva (Russia).
Finalists of the Competition Programme
In addition to the works that subsequently received awards, the Best Screenplay shortlist included:
- “The Adventures of the Black Cat” – Irina Gurkova (Russia)
- “The CALL (ZOV)” – Lidiya Belozerova-Solonovich (USA)
- “Clumsy Bear” – Julia Massey (Paraguay)
- “The Violin Case” – Irina Egorova (Israel)
- “No Place for War in Life” – Irina Egorova, Leonid Mikhelson, Ilana Chubarova (Israel)
In addition to the winners and recipients of special awards, the Best Short Film shortlist included:
- “MFL” – Chris Mich (USA)
- “Waking Up Is a Gift” – Eser Muzafarov (Tajikistan / UAE)
- “A Mother’s Voice” – Alena Parfenovich Traykovskaya (Canada)
- “Generational Memory” – Babek Abbaszade (Azerbaijan)
- “Astronauta” – Giorgio Giampà (France / Guatemala / Italy / Mexico)
- “Fantastic 4×2” – Ermete Labbadia (Italy)
- “Thao People: Echoes of Sun Moon Lake” – Chang Hui Hsueh, Lygia Barbosa (Brazil / Taiwan)
- “Coming Home” – Lena Abraham (USA)
The Best Social Drama shortlist included:
- “Shiksha” – Abdullah Umar (India)
- “Impresiones de Resistencia: Printmaking in Puerto Rico” – Reinaldo Gil Zambrano (USA)
- “Chama (Calling Flame)” – Lucas Millions Dutra (Portugal)
- “Broken Dawn” – Hae-Oh Park (South Korea)
- “He’s Just Like Me” – Seth Fireburst, Uzak Umarkhanov (Kazakhstan)
BISFF 2026 Winners
The main award in the Best Short Film category and a $6,000 USD promotional grant went to “Hypatia of Alexandria — the solitary bee”, directed by Erwan Le Gall (France). The Jury Special Award was presented to “Seaward” by Saksham Mehrotra (Singapore), while “Line 49” by Abdellatif Benahmed (France) and “Between Sky and Sea” by Ismail Abu Hatab (Palestine) received Honourable Mentions.
In the Best Screenplay category, “Kebam!” by Judson Vaughan (United Kingdom) was named the winner and received a $10,000 USD production grant. The Jury Special Award went to “A Table for One” by Hakan Ünal (Turkey), while “Luba et Marcel” by Natalia Gimelli (France) and “Letter From Anna Franko” by Mikhail Ananov (Georgia) received Honourable Mentions.
Local partners played an important role in making the festival possible — the Higher Pedagogical College in Shchuchinsk and the Mycelium creative association (Burabay). BISFF participants were also given the opportunity to join the partner eco-ethno festival Gribofest. The organisers express their gratitude to the event’s official media partner — “Bohema” magazine (Editor-in-Chief Pavel Kossovich).
The fifth season of BISFF retained the character of an intimate international platform where the film programme was combined with educational, artistic and community initiatives. Cooperation between international participants and the local creative community, educational institutions of Shchuchinsk and Mycelium enabled the festival to function simultaneously as a professional competition platform and an open cultural event for the region.
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