Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival kicks off on Thursday with its Austrian focus screening, Best of Friss Hús block, and already sold-out premiere screenings. The first day will feature the first block of the Hungarian Competition lineup, but those eager to see more can watch sport-themed shorts and the festival’s beloved @Midnight (horror) block at Toldi cinema. The Hungarian Competition films will also be screened at the City Hall court, starting at 9 pm.

For seven days, Toldi cinema will provide a home for the Hungarian and international shorts competition, as well as diverse thematic screenings, such as the above-mentioned @Midnight and sport-themed blocks, as well as the Queer Dreams section. This year, the festival has chosen Austria for its country focus: the audience will get to see the latest and finest Austrian shorts on the festival’s opening day.

For the first time, Friss Hús will offer a Quickie: three exciting shorts from this year’s lineup including a national, an international, and a documentary film for those who only have a short hour late at night to go to the movies. The element of surprise is quintessential for the Quickie program – the specific films of the given Quickie block will only be announced in the morning hours of its screening day.

On Saturday afternoon, viewers can watch Interfilm Berlin’s thematic screening at Toldi, with short films depicting Europe’s present and future. The filmmakers will also be present for the screening.

Within the frames of Friss Hús’ industry programs, field experts and industry professionals will dissect topics on green filmmaking, new formats and technologies; on Friday afternoon, eight short film projects will be presented at this year’s Friss Pitch, the festival’s recurring pitching forum.

Aside from Friss Pitch, the organizers of the festival will strive for alternative ways to steer the spotlight toward young artists who are in the early stage of their careers. Friss Csillag (‘Fresh Star’), the festival’s new initiative, will bring the work of young actors into focus. The first two stars are Katica Nagy (Student Union, Bad Poems) and Gergely Váradi (Guerilla, The Informant), who are also featured in this year’s competition shorts. Nagy can be seen in Thank You For Staying and Perfect Match, while Váradi is back in the festival program in the leading role of Craze. Gergely Váradi was awarded the Best Hungarian Actor prize last year for his performance in A Quiet Neighborhood.

Tickets are available at Toldi cinema’s ticket office and website. For outdoor screenings, visit TIXA’s website. Entry for the industry programs is free of charge but registration is required here.