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Title: Unease – Triumph Over Your Fears
Runtime: 3 min
Country: USA
Director: Bjorn Nilsen Stickle
Placement: Honorable Mention
Competition: June, 2025
Synopsis: Unease is a research-based animated short that explores the difference between Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Situational Anxiety, two experiences that are often confused but require very different forms of care. Through expressive animation and minimal dialogue, the film invites viewers to reflect on how we perceive anxiety in ourselves and others. Backed by an IRB-approved psychological study, Unease also investigates how animation can help shift public understanding of mental health. Festival team members can read a briefing of the current findings of Unease’s psychological study under “Files & Attachments.”
The film premiered at Athens ANIMFEST on March 30, 2025, and won Pulse Of Animation Festival’s “Best Animation Inspired by True Events” on May 1, 2025. It was also named a “Best Student Director” Finalist at the New York Short Animation Festival on June 13, 2025, highlighting its dual role as both a work of art and an educational research tool.
In addition, Unease received five Awards of Merit and an Award of Recognition from the Best Shorts Competition in June 2025 across categories including Animation (Student), Contemporary Issues, Disability Issues, Experimental, and Voiceover Talent.
It was also officially selected by the Indie Shorts Mag Short Film Festival and the Khem Animation Film Festival, marking its continued momentum across both artistic and research-aligned festivals.
Unease was recently reviewed by the New York Short Animation Festival, which concluded:
“Unease is a beautifully crafted short that bridges the gap between science and storytelling, leaving viewers both informed and emotionally moved.”