Mammalia wins Best International Short Film at Toronto Film Festival

The Greek-Dutch short film ‘Mammalia’, directed by Elias Kalogianni, has won the Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. The award includes a 10,000 Canadian dollar prize.

Making its world premiere in the festival’s ‘Strange Cuts’ program, the film follows two women, Antonia and Mavra, living in isolation with companion animals. The narrative explores the shifting power dynamics and the blurring lines between humans and animals within their closed ecosystem.

The jury praised the film as ‘bold, physical, and with a solid formalist approach,’ noting its ability to transform the grotesque into something ‘disturbingly familiar’ while reflecting modern social contradictions. The production was a collaboration involving Open Borders Productions, ERT, and CineSud.