International Competition
UPPSALA GRAND PRIX
Uppsala Film Jackdaw, and the prize sum of 50 000 SEK. The international jury awards the Uppsala Grand Prix to the director of one of the films in the International Competition. Uppsala Film Jackdaw is the traditional bronze festival statuette designed by Torbjörn Forsberg.
THE UPPSALA AWARD IN MEMORY OF INGMAR BERGMAN
The award, which consists of 50 000 SEK, is awarded by the Cultural Affairs Board in Uppsala. It is given to a young and promising filmmaker who pushes the boundaries of film art.
AUDIENCE AWARD
The audience vote for their favourite film in the International Competition.
UPPSALA SHORT FILM CANDIDATE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS EUROPEAN SHORT FILM – PRIX VIMEO
The jury selects a film to be the Uppsala Short Film Candidate for European Short Film Prix Vimeo at the 40th European Film Awards.
Niels Putman
Niels Putman is the artistic director and coordinator of yanco, a magazine and streaming library for short-form moving images as well as co-founder and co-editor of Talking Shorts. As a freelance film programmer, Niels is affiliated with De Cinema, the film museum section of Antwerp’s Museum of Contemporary Art. He is also a member of VAF’s short film commission, the board of European Short Pitch, and the board of oKo, a sector federation for professional arts.
Maja Jankowska
Maja Jankowska is a Polish film programmer, curator, and cultural producer based in Lisbon. She heads industry programming at the Reykjavík International Film Festival, connecting Nordic, Arctic, and international film professionals, and serves on its Selection Committee. In Lisbon, she co-founded grassroots initiatives dedicated to feminist and queer cinema from Central and Eastern Europe, alongside platforms supporting creative exchange and film development.
Lena Nitsch
Lena Nitsch is Forum Manager at Nordisk Panorama, one of the Nordic region’s leading platforms for documentary professionals, bringing together industry meetings, development and funding. She has held key industry roles at IDFA, Sheffield DocFest and Tempo Documentary Festival, working across documentary and short film. Her experience also includes serving on international short film selection committees and as a pitch jury member at IDFA. She holds a Master’s degree in Film Studies from the University of Vienna.
National Competition
BEST SWEDISH SHORT FILM
The Swedish jury awards the director of one of the films in the National Competition with the Uppsala Film Jackdaw and 50 000 SEK from the Swedish Film Institute.
AUDIENCE AWARD
The audience votes for their favourite short film in the National Competition.
UPPSALA EARLY BIRD
The jury awards the Uppsala Early Bird to a talented, daring, and challenging filmmaker at the beginning of their career. In addition to a prize sum of 10 000 SEK, the film is offered distribution via the VOD-platform Draken Film and given a chance to be seen by large audiences across all of Sweden.
Julie Rousson
Julie Rousson holds a Master’s degree in cultural project production, with a master’s thesis about the impact of internet and the digital revolution on the short film industry. She is a member of the Festival International du court métrage Clermont-Ferrand selection committee. She coordinates the industry events at the Short Film Market, such as the coproduction forum Euro Connection, and the relation with administrative institutions. She is a board member of the Short Film Conference.
photo credit: © Clara Hugueney
Sasha Prokopenko
Sasha Prokopenko is a Ukrainian festival programmer, curator, and translator. For six years, she has been Head of Programming at the Kyiv International Short Film Festival, working as a curator, mentor, and jury member at numerous festivals. She has worked at KyivMusicFilm since 2016, as well as at 100 Films in 100 Minutes, INTRO film festival about music and culture, and Kino Susidiv. She’s a Berlinale Talents (2024) and Festival Academy (2025) alumna.
Max Bergmann
Max Bergmann is a film scholar and artistic director of VIENNA SHORTS, where he was previously a curator and head of collaborations. He has worked as an editor for various media and cultural institutions and holds a PhD in Film and Media Studies. His academic work focuses on nonlinear narration, internet culture and digitalisation in contemporary cinema.