The Lund Fantastic film festival wrapped its 2026 edition in early November, gathering nearly 70 short works from more than 25 nations. Running from 28 October to 4 November in the Swedish city of Lund, the event highlighted the growing appetite for genre-bending cinema across Europe. Organisers programmed a diverse slate that blended horror, fantasy and experimental forms, allowing the jury to scout fresh voices that challenge conventional storytelling.
Dinner, the five-minute animated piece by South Korean creator Haeji Jeong, seized the Best International Short Film prize. The work fuses computer-generated 2D animation with hand-drawn paper sketches, creating a visual language that slides seamlessly from a tender romance into a nightmarish gourmet tableau. Without a single line of dialogue, the film lets the viewer taste tension through texture and timing, proving that sound-less narratives can still deliver visceral horror.
A debut that echoes Lynch
American-based director Julie Pacino, daughter of Al Pacino, made a striking first-time impact with I Live Here Now. The feature, scripted and directed by Pacino, follows aspiring actress Rose (played by Lucy Fry) as she flees an impossible pregnancy to the isolated Crown Inn. Inside, memory folds into present reality and the hotel becomes a psychological landscape populated by guests who embody fear, desire and trauma. Critics liken the film’s colour palette to Dario Argento and its structural absurdity to David Lynch, a comparison reinforced by the appearance of Sheryl Lee, famed as Laura Palmer in *Twin Peaks*.
Recognition beyond Lund
After premiering at Fantasia in 2025 and circulating through Locarno and Edinburgh, I Live Here Now secured the Best International Film award at Lund Fantastic. The film is now distributed by Utopia, positioning Pacino as a fresh voice capable of melding personal trauma with mythic symbolism.
European genre daring: Frost and the Méliès d’Argent
Serbian filmmaker Pavle Vučković earned the Méliès d’Argent for Frost, a second-feature that marries procedural detective work with regional folklore. The narrative follows Belgrade detective Mirjana (Kamka Tocinovski) as she investigates a disappearance in an isolated eastern Serbian village, only to confront living pagan beliefs that blur fact and myth. The film’s structure – a classic crime setup that ruptures halfway into a myth-driven second act – impressed the jury, which also highlighted Vučković’s earlier Cannes-recognized shorts.
Frost joins the shortlist for the Méliès d’Or, the ultimate European genre accolade, alongside other contenders such as LéaCati Vallier’s intimate family drama Mom Says This, Dad Says That. The dual recognition underscores Lund Fantastic’s role as a launchpad for ambitious European filmmakers.
The 2026 ceremony, held at Lund’s historic Kino cinema, also honoured a range of national talents: Karl Bergholtz’s I Just Want to Hear Her Voice received the Finn Fantastic award for best Swedish short, while Spanish director Paula Gallego’s Insecticide captured the Future of Fantastic prize for student work. Together, these results reaffirm the festival’s commitment to surface bold, boundary-pushing storytelling from every corner of the globe.
