In times of shattering events, language seems to be the first, immediate victim — we collect words like beads, and reject many as inappropriate. What is this distance between words, in which we fall, unable to grasp the turbulent reality? How can the tension between language and expression form new meanings?

It seems we know things with our bodies before we give them names — so what does the gesture of naming and defining mean? What does it hold for our intimate lived experiences, and for political expression? How is language related to our imagination and image-making — how can it guide us, and trick us?

With this open call, we invite you to explore the fragility of language — to challenge its limitations, and to dive into the playfulness of meaning. We invite your imaginary glossaries, alphabets, riddles, your expressions and hesitations embodied in language, your interpretations and translations, all the stammering and silent pauses — all of it explored through the moving image.

With this open call, we invite you to explore the fragility of language explored through the moving image.

Who can apply: open to all.

What you get: Selected films will preview at Kyiv International Short Film Festival (KISFF) at the end of September before touring the world, and filmmakers will receive an artist fee. All submissions (including those not selected for this series) will become part of The One Minutes Collection, which is preserved by the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision and may be selected for future series, installations, exhibitions, and film festivals.

Submit your One Minute video!

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO: 12 OCTOBER 2026