Imagine Selections 2025
The tentacles are stirring… From 30 October to 9 November 2025, the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival returns to Amsterdam for a new edition filled with fantasy, horror, and science fiction — and this year, it’s under the eerie influence of H.P. Lovecraft.
The 2025 theme, “A Tentacular Touch”, invites audiences to face the unknown, explore their fears, and dive deep into otherworldly visions. From mad scientists and forbidden rituals to cosmic fantasies of psychedelia and desire — Imagine opens a portal to strange new worlds.
For over 40 years, Imagine has been the beating heart of the fantastic in the Netherlands — the country’s largest festival for genre cinema, and a proud competitive member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation, hosting both the Méliès d’argent short and feature film competitions.
IMAGINE 2025 Announces Méliès d’Argent Short Film Competition Lineup
Presented in collaboration with the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF), this competition highlights bold and visionary short films from across Europe. Here is the official 2025 selection:
A Chime in the Dark – Sylvester Le, NL, 5 min
Astray – Nick Kaiden, Hidde de Visser, NL, 15 min
Behind the Door – Justus van den Elsen, NL, 17 min
Cosmic Crash – James Smith, DE, 2 min
Do No Harm – Eron Sheean, NL, 11 min
Don’t Be Afraid – Mats Udds, SE, 15 min
Dreamwalker – Luca Schenato, Sinem Vardarli, UK, 15 min
Echoes of an Outlaw – Vivian van Enkhuizen, NL, 25 min
Facuk – Maida Srabovic, HR/SI, 13 min
Fathoming Dinner – Oleksandra Davydenko, Leja Kancerevyciute, NL, 8 min
Fatum – Pim Vogels, NL, 14 min
Foreign Body – Mathieu Mortelmans, Cécile Delberghe, BE, 17 min
Frankenstein’s Dream – Simon Pummell, NL, 20 min
Moral Hazard – Luuk Audenaerde, NL, 12 min
Papya – Constance Delorme, Erwan Dean, FR, 15 min
Paradise Morbid – David-Jan Bronsgeest, NL, 24 min
Pimple – Fernando Alle, PT, 4 min
Pocongodorie – Ivan Hidayat, Jasper ten Hoor, NL, 17 min
Primus The Robot – Max Delagrave, FR, 20 min
Radix – Anne Breymann, DE, 4 min
Red Harvest – Chadim M’Bodji, NL, 12 min
Saint Maria’s Way – Chris Turner, UK, 7 min
Secuencial – Bruno Caetano, PT, 12 min
Skin of Sadness – Hasan Ege Çaliskan, NL, 20 min
Solipsiae – Marco Manzoni, IT, 8 min
Subject – Noa Scheinowitz, NL, 12 min
The Beast Inside – Olga Poliektova, Tatiana Poliektova, FR, 12 min
The Cauldron – Thomas Pierce, SI, 16 min
The Last Snow – Rodolphe Bouquet-Populus, FR, 20 min
The winner will move forward to compete for the Méliès d’Or, the highest award for European fantastic short films.
IMAGINE‘S short film selection once again affirms the festival’s role as a platform for daring stories, new visions, and genre-defying creativity. The winning short will qualify for the Méliès d’Or competition, which annually crowns the best European fantastic short film across the MIFF network.
IMAGINE 2025 Announces Méliès d’Argent Feature Film Competition Lineup
As an Competitive Member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF), IMAGINE is part of a global network committed to championing European fantastic cinema. The feature films in this year’s selection embody the boldness, artistry, and innovation that define the genre.
Here are the movies competing for the Méliès d’argent:
• ARCO, by Ugo Bienvenu (France, 2025)
• BULK, by Ben Wheatley (UK, 2025)
• DISFORIA, by Christopher Cartagena (Spain, 2025)
• DOG OF GOD, by Raitis and Lauris Abele (Latvia, 2025)
• EGGHEAD REPUBLIC, by Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lilja (Sweden, 2025)
• L’HOMME QUI RÉTRÉCIT, by Jan Kounen (France, 2025)
• THE RESTORATION AT GRAYSON MANOR, by Glenn McQuaid (Ireland, 2025)
The winner will be automatically nominated for the prestigious Méliès d’Or, the top prize for European fantastic feature films.
As an Competitive Member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF), IMAGINE is part of a global network committed to championing European fantastic cinema. The feature films in this year’s selection embody the boldness, artistry, and innovation that define the genre.
IMAGINE continues to push the boundaries of imagination and genre, creating a unique space where fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and the surreal converge.