These are ten Asian short films you shouldn’t miss at the Fantasia International Film Festival (Canada), which is taking place from July 16 to August 2, 2026 in Montreal. Quebec.

Chaar Diwaari by Syed Shadan – India | 2025 – 20 minutes

When a young man is shown an apartment by a very eager broker, he has immediate suspicions. The place is perfect, perhaps too good to be true—but certainly too good to pass up. When he moves in, his initial worries start to become outright alarm. Almost imperceptibly at first, the pleasant piece of property seems to be shrinking, its walls closing in on the ever more frantic and isolated tenant… Writer/director Syed Shadan delivers a devilish twist on the term “housing crisis” with his clever, intense short CHAAR DIWAARI, a claustrophobe’s worst nightmare come true. – Rupert Bottenberg

Screening Date:
July 30, 2026 | Thursday | Salle J.A. De Sève | 4:10 pm

Trailer:

CUT by Zheng Yinxuan – China | 2025 – 9 minutes

An absurdist black humor animated short film, entirely hand-drawn on paper. It features 8 self-contained animal stories, all revolving around the concept of “cut”. While each story is relatively independent, they share subtle connections. All narratives begin as absurdist comedies only to end in abrupt tragic twists. Given life’s inherent absurdity, one might as well laugh along.

Screening Date:
July 30, 2026 | Thursday | Théâtre Plaza | 7:00 pm

Fingerbang by Kim Yeon-woo – South Korea | 2026 – 15 minutes

An alienated woman’s world is transformed in extreme ways after she finds comfort in the touch of a strange, living finger. She can’t help but follow it into a reality-warping realm that threatens the very fabric of her existence. A mind-bendingly brilliant and disturbing work of surrealist animation by South Korean filmmaker Yeonwoo Kim that imaginatively explores the perils of romantic dependency to destructive love objects. – Mitch Davis

Screening Date:
July 26, 2026 | Sunday | Salle J.A. De Sève | 3:40 pm

I Am God by Wang Rui – China | 2025 – 24 minutes

Like the lyrics of the song “Jui Kuen”, Yan Wang Zui “knows best the mysteries within the wine.” He comes from a clan where everyone drinks nothing but alcohol from birth. The drunken state gives him the strength and courage to challenge everyone, even the God of Sun City, a place where consuming alcohol is strictly forbidden. But as he begins to believe that he himself has become a deity within the city, a mysterious power far greater than he is secretly controlling everything… Director Wang Rui, a self-taught animator, blends live-action filmmaking with animation to bridge a wild fantasy world with harsh reality. – Xige Yi

Screening Date:
July 30, 2026 | Thursday | Salle J.A. De Sève | 4:10 pm

Jeem 1983 by Jorj Abou Mhaya – Lebanon | 2025 – 16 minutes

Terror and tragedy surround a seven-year-old boy in 1980s Beirut, during the Lebanese Civil War. Jeem strives to deflect the darkness with his kindness, imagination, and the help of a certain giant Japanese robot, but can his best intentions ever overcome the worst of human impulses? Based on the childhood experiences of its creators, particularly writer/producer George Maktabi, who lost his father at the time, as well as haunting, contemporary images from photojournalist Ramzi Haidar, JEEM 1983 is a powerful and sobering reflection on how war wounds those who live through it, particularly the young. Director Jorj Abou Mhaya’s stark, graphic, comic-book art style augments the impact of a work not easily forgotten. – Rupert Bottenberg

Screening Date:
August 1, 2026 | Saturday | Salle J.A. De Sève | 4:45 pm

Trailer:

My Killer Erotic Video by Seo Sae-rom, Isaac Bae – South Korea | 2026 – 19 minutes

Sam-mi’s crush begins like a dreamy K-drama: bumping into Wo-ong at the corner of a school hallway. But there’s no spinning camera, flying flowers, or loving gaze. The next thing she knows, she wakes up in the infirmary—Sam-mi gets overwhelmed when bumping into men. She is eager for an intimate relationship with Wo-ong, but the trauma of being bullied by boys and ignored by her own grandma during middle school still haunts her, transforming every man in her life into a huge, aggressive bear. In a world where girls are constantly taught to stay quiet, how can Sam-mi overcome her fear and rage if she ever hopes to be in a relationship? – Xige Yi

Screening Date:
July 30, 2026 | Thursday | Salle J.A. De Sève | 4:10 pm

Trailer:

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six by Lai Yingdan – USA, China | 2025 – 8 minutes

On a regular summer schoolday, Miao Miao receives the most precious gift: a box of chocolates. She carefully counts the pieces whenever she gets the chance. Every count, every gentle touch, carries a quiet sense of sacredness. Until the chocolate begin to disappear for no reason. The final piece becomes Miao Miao’s greatest treasure, something she needs to protect with all her heart, even if it means breaking the rules and facing punishment. Because even as the chocolate melts in her pocket, she knows it is safe with her. The joy is that simple, the taste is sweet enough to wash away all the pain that came before. – Xige Yi

Screening Date:
July 29, 2026 | Wednesday | Salle J.A. De Sève | 4:00 pm

Trailer:

RESET by Jerry Hsu, Celine Tien – USA | 2026 – 16 minutes

In an alternate world, when citizens officially turn 65, they go through a transformative process called the RESET Program, which makes them 6 years old again. Riley now has to take care of her newly-reset mother, while trying to find her estranged father to look after her as a legal guardian. The clock is ticking before the government steps in and makes things worse. RESET is a profound sci-fi Asian-American dramedy about family, social class, and generational trauma. – Steven Lee

Screening Date:
July 28, 2026 | Tuesday | Salle J.A. De Sève | 4:20 pm

Trailer:

Scorching by Wang Beidi – China | 2026 – 19 minutes

As time passes, a new question arises: what will the future look like? Growing up in a small village, Yanyan doesn’t have many choices though. Her grandma always wanted her to work at the local chicken-processing plant, but Yanyan is opposed to that idea. Yet when her grandma asks, “where do you want to go?”, Yanyan herself doesn’t know the answer. But there’s no escaping it. She starts working at the factory, eventually. The wobbly birthday cake her mom orders for her seems like a bad omen for her uneasy future. Still, Yanyan refuse to give up, and quietly finds her own way to fight back. – Xige Yi

Screening Date:
July 29, 2026 | Wednesday | Salle J.A. De Sève | 4:00 pm

Teaser:

Shibuya Underground, Sasebo Evolution by Narushi Takeda – Japan | 2024 – 25 minutes

Tokyo’s famous Shibuya sector is hip, stylish, and bristling with energy. Sasebo is an unassuming, laidback port town on Kyushu’s west coast, best known for its signature hamburgers. Few know of the secret agreement between the municipalities, and the underground tunnel that connects the two directly. When a rebellious alien princess arrives in Shibuya, she immediately presses two hapless fools into helping her get to Sasebo—before it becomes the flashpoint of an interplanetary conflict! The countdown clock is ticking! Writer/director Narushi Takeda offers a sizzling serving of surreal sci-fi silliness with a lot of heart, the kind of harebrained, hyperactive, and highly sympathetic comedy hijinx we’ve come to love from the Japanese. – Rupert Bottenberg

Screening Date:
July 30, 2026 | Thursday | Salle J.A. De Sève | 4:10 pm

Trailer:

For more information, please visit: https://fantasiafestival.com/en/