Coming This September: Bicycle Shorts Film Festival

Gaining Momentum

Now in its third year, BSFF is bigger than ever, with three 90-minute blocks of bike-themed films from across the globe. Highlights include a Spanish documentary about a paralympic cyclist, a stop-motion romance between bikes, and a gritty drama set in Philly’s BMX wheelie culture.

Wheels Within Wheels

Bicycle Shorts is part of the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, a world-class arts festival taking place all over the city throughout September. Tickets to Bike Shorts are Pay What You Can (min. $5), and can be purchased online or at Yellow Bicycle Theater on screening dates. Popcorn, candy, and soft drinks are also available for purchase in the lobby.

The Finish Line

Audiences vote for their favorite films on Saturday, September 6, and the winner from each block is rescreened on Sunday along with the winners of the juried awards:

Chick Vennera Prize for Best Narrative Film
Joseph R. Fusco Jr. Award for Best Documentary
Prix Duchamp for Best Experimental Short
Jan Švankmajer Prize for Best Animated Short

The audience vote on Sunday decides the winner of the Golden Bicycle for Best Short Film. The winners and runners up are then screened a final time at 8:30 pm on Sunday, September 28,  the last day of the Fringe Festival. We look forward to seeing you there!

Block 1: Saturday, September 6 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm

Animation, US, 6 min.

Director: Sam Méndez, Carlos Cruz

This dialogue-free stop-motion film tells the story of two bicycles that fall in love while parked outside a café, where their riders stop each morning for coffee. They realize that, to stay together, they must get their humans to fall in love.

Documentary, US, 12 min.

Director: Mariia Vigriianova

In the heart of New York City, BikeFix operates like an emergency room for the city’s cyclists—fast-paced, vital, and full of character. This short captures the grit, humor, and humanity behind every fix.

Get Your Gravel On: Gravel Racing in the Borderlands

Documentary, US, 15 min.

Director: Pablo Echevarría

A documentary showcasing the Inaugural Apacheria Gravel Race, which took place on November 15, 2024, in Douglas, Arizona.

Documentary, Ireland, 6 min.

Director: Joel Zeiser

Johnny is a bike messenger who navigates the urban jungle of Dublin not just to deliver packages but to express himself amidst the chaos. As he weaves through the city streets, he discovers that each ride is a journey of connection and self-discovery.

Documentary, Spain, 8 min.

Director: OTOXO Productions

After losing his leg and a close friend in a life-altering motorcycle accident as a teenager, Colombian Paralympic cyclist Hugo reminds us of the unbreakable human spirit and the power of resilience in the most difficult of circumstances.

Documentary, Canada, 11 min.

Director: Stefan Rath

Tamitik Trails shares the story of a remote small town in NW Canada, which in just a mere few years has gone a substantial transformation in bike culture with the whole town embracing the joy of two wheels.

Documentary, US, 10 min.

Director: Ethan Haggerty

Four men are infatuated with cycling segment hunting on the app “Strava.” A certain individual owns the fastest times on many segments in their city, including one that is close to their hearts. They tell their story about their cycling journey and the quest to get these segments back.

Documentary, US, 11 min.

Director: Annette Lein

Twenty five women ride the Southern Tier bicycle route across the USA with the woman-only touring company WomanTours. Come along for the ride as they grow into the adventure.

Documentary, Switzerland, 9 min.

Director: Martin Bissig

Tom Öhler travels to the remote kingdom of Bhutan to explore its hidden trails. Joined by Tandin Wang, a pioneer of Bhutan’s mountain biking scene, their adventure combines challenging rides with cultural discoveries.

Block 2: Saturday, September 6 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm

Experimental, Switzerland, 6 min.

Director: Jan Mühlethaler

This Super 8 film adventure accompanies a group of bike-packing cyclists on their journey to 5 remote deadend-strees in the south of Switzerland, where a stamp and a cake (Italian dolci) await them.

Documentary, US, 10 min.

Director: Nicholas Kapanke

Elite cyclist and Bentonville Arkansas resident Noah Collins reflects on his journey in the sport while hoping to inspire the next generation as he takes on the La Crosse Omnium in La Crosse, WI, the only three day omnium in the United States.

Documentary, US, 16 min.

Director: Ryan Belville

The city of Detroit is 138 square miles. You may know Midtown or Downtown, but Rabinski has been all around. Armed with only his bicycle and a camera, Rabinski takes you on a journey that even the locals have a hard time finding.

Documentary, UK, 20 min.

Director: Jude Kriwald

It has been two days since Jude has seen another person, and 24 hours since his armed guide ran off with his bike and money bag. He is deep inside Liberia’s Gola rainforest, the track in front of him is vanishing before his eyes, and he has just two days until he runs out of food.

Documentary, Germany, 13 min.

Director: Livia Giuliani

Two courageous women fight against the overwhelming dominance of car culture in Berlin, advocating for the rights of cyclists. Their lives are intertwined by ghost bicycles—white-painted memorials placed at the sites of fatal accidents.

Narrative, US, 28 min.

Director: Raphael Xavier, Gary Dourdan

After a pandemic leaves an artist out of work, he reaches out to a former street friend for some fast cash. But the friend has something else in mind. He wants him to mentor a troubled kid trying to fit in with Philly’s BMX wheelie culture.

Block 3: Saturday, September 6 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm

Narrative, Italy, 5 min.

Director: Jules Roux

There’s nothing like a bike accident to make new acquaintances…

Documentary, Canada, 18 min.

Director: Émile David, Émile Dontigny

When Arnaud Côté-Boisbert arrives in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region in the north of the Province of Quebec, he realizes the vast potential offered by the region’s Zec (Wilderness Management Areas) network.

Documentary, US, 4 min.

Director: Dave Weich

Six miles in four minutes on two wheels through the heart of Portland, Oregon. Climb on your bike and meet us for a drink in the Central Eastside.

Documentary, Canada, 6 min.

Director: Julia Creet

You are never too old to climb a hill. In this sweet parable of life, four cyclists talk hill-climbing strategies while happily riding up.

Documentary, US, 24 min.

Director: Ryan Pierce

The story of the town’s newest mountain bike outfitter, from ideation in 2019 all the way to modern day success. Some said his business plan wouldn’t work. Tenacity and creativity have proven otherwise.

Documentary, US, 16 min.

Director: Aaron Peterson

Kiko Silvelet rides elite endurance events on his beloved BMX bike, plays accordion, makes a little trouble and tells truths we all probably need to hear.

Documentary, UK, 16 min.

Director: Alexis Tymon, Ben Crocker

Bonnie Tu discovered cycling at age 57 only to realize most women’s bikes were just smaller versions of men’s. Determined to change this, she started Liv Cycling, the world’s only bike brand for women.

Spokes

Narrative, US, 5 min.

Director: John Behnke

Shot on 16mm, it’s car vs bike in a wild chase through suburbia.

Encores: Sun, Sep 7 from 2:30 pm to 4 pm and Sun, Sep 28 from 8:30 to 10 pm

Lineup to be determined by jury and audience vote on Saturday, September 6.