Ben Nicholson - The Film Verdict

Verdigris

Posted by Ben Nicholson | Feb 3, 2026 | Festivals, Rotterdam 2026, Verdict Shorts |

Chloe Brenan’s shimmering psychogeographic short, Verdigris, explores the nature of control and freedom in urban design through the impositions and inferences of the Paris metro.

Rotation

Posted by Ben Nicholson | Feb 1, 2026 | Festivals, Rotterdam 2026, Verdict Shorts |

A young woman goes through a form of hypnotherapy in Maryna Er Gorbach’s luminous, evocative and deeply moving new short, Rotation.

Last Shot

Posted by Ben Nicholson | Jan 31, 2026 | Festivals, Rotterdam 2026, Verdict Shorts |

The sobering drama, ‘Last Shot’, pays homage to journalists killed in Palestine with an affecting tale about displacement and a photographer’s final, tragic image.

Elements Of(f) Balance

Posted by Ben Nicholson | Jan 29, 2026 | Festivals, Rotterdam 2026 |

Like a delicately composed ecosystem, Othmar Schmiderer’s documentary ‘Elements Of(f) Balance’ is a patchwork of finely tuned vignettes that together form a thoughtful meditation on our relationship with the planet.

Author: Ben Nicholson

Verdigris

Rotation

Last Shot

Elements Of(f) Balance

Ben Nicholson’s 5 Favourite Shorts of 2025