Another international success for Paweł Chorzępa’s short film ‘The Tuners’. The documentary won the Non-Fiction Best Short Award at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2026 in Tokyo, Asia’s largest short film festival and one of the most important events of its kind in the world.
“The Tuners” was selected for the Non-Fiction Competition. The film is a portrait of the experts responsible for tuning pianos during one of the world’s most important piano competitions. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at their work and their quest to achieve the perfect sound from the instrument, which could determine the success of the future competition winner.
The award presented in Tokyo is of exceptional significance. The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia is one of the festivals accredited by the American Film Academy, and the winners of the main prizes in the international, animation and documentary competitions qualify to compete for an Oscar nomination in the short film category. This means that the triumph of “The Tuners” paves the way for the film to continue competing for the most prestigious accolade in the global film industry. This is the third award – following Balinale and the Krakow Film Festival – to qualify for the Academy Awards.
Established in 1999, the SSFF & ASIA festival has for years been one of the key events on the global short film scene. Every year it screens hundreds of films from around the world, and its winners regularly go on to compete for Oscars. This year’s award for “The Tuners” is therefore not only a prestigious festival success, but also an important step in the international career of Paweł Chorzępa’s film.
The film is produced by Joanna Chorzępa, Bees Film House, and KFF Sales is responsible for its international festival tour.