The Asturian short film by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi receives the jury award for Best Short Film (International) in Kolkata, India — its tenth award and fifth selection at an Indian festival.

IUS of Time, directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, has won the jury award for Best Short Film (International) at the 8th NEXT International Film Festival in Kolkata, India. The recognition brings the film’s festival tally to ten awards and distinctions, with 74 international festival selections in more than 30 countries across five continents.

The winners were announced on 30 September 2026, ahead of the festival’s event day on 4 October 2026. The announcement also celebrates the film’s participation in the eighth edition of the festival, its fifth selection at an Indian festival since its premiere in 2025.

IUS of Time: award details in Kolkata

Best International Short Film at the 8th NEXT International Film Festival

In its award notification, the NEXT International Film Festival team praised the film’s “filmmaking, storytelling, and overall execution,” describing them as “superb,” and said that IUS of Time had truly impressed the festival team.

Based in Kolkata and directed by Indranil Banerjee, The NEXT International Film Festival welcomes national and international submissions across short films, features, documentaries, animation, music videos and other creative disciplines.

Selected winners at the 8th NEXT International Film Festival

The 2026 winners include films from Spain, France, India and Mexico. Among the awards announced by the festival are:

• Best Short Film (International): IUS of Time — Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi, Spain.
• Best Feature Film: Lulaboy — Michael Thomas, France.
• Best Short Film (National): Ragpicker’s List — Chandraveer Singh, India.
• Best Documentary: Rosa Rosa — Alenandra Gracis, Mexico.

Five festival selections in India

The selection at the 8th NEXT International Film Festival builds on an Indian journey that began with the film’s Asian premiere at the 16th KASHISH Pride Film Festival in Mumbai in 2025. That journey continued with the 13th Reel Desires – Chennai International Queer Film Festival and the 4th Utsav International Film Festival in Mumbai, both in 2025, followed by the 10th Out & Loud – Pune International Queer Film Festival in 2026.

Together, these five selections connect the film with festivals based in Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Kolkata. They form part of a wider journey through independent and LGBTQ+ film programmes around the world, taking a story rooted in rural Asturias into different cultural contexts.

IUS of Time: 74 international selections and ten awards

This tenth recognition follows the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short Film at the 5th Pillusion Film Festival in Austria and Best LGBTQIA+ Film at the 3rd Power24 International Film Festival in South Africa.

Earlier honours include the Director’s Choice Award at the 45th Thomas Edison Film Festival, the Audience Award in the Asturias section at the 24th Avilés Acción Film Festival, and cinematography awards at the 4th Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival and the 3rd Rural and Mountain Film Festival of Cervera de Pisuerga. With 74 international festival selections in more than 30 countries across five continents, IUS of Time has established itself as the Asturian short film with the widest international festival reach in recent years. Its complete festival selections and awards trace this continuing journey.

About IUS of Time

IUS of Time (original title IUS del tiempo) follows Luca, a young photography student who arrives in a small Asturian village to develop an artistic project and reconnect with his roots. He stays with Xuan, an ageing cheesemaker whose life has been shaped by silence and prejudice. Their encounter becomes an intimate exploration of memory, desire and belonging, and of the connections that can grow between generations.

Produced by Almost Red Productions with the support of the Department of Culture, Language Policy and Sport of the Principality of Asturias and the Asturias Paraíso Natural Film Commission, the film was shot entirely on location in Asturias, in northern Spain.

We warmly thank the festival jury and team for this recognition and congratulate the entire cast and crew of IUS of Time.

Discover more about IUS of Time

• Official film page
• Complete festival selections and awards
• The NEXT International Film Festival on FilmFreeway
• Festival announcements on Facebook