It is our pleasure to announce the two guest curators for the 2026/2027 T-Port Lighthouse Selections are Ben Thompson (Tribeca Film Festival) and Anne Gaschütz (Filmfest Dresden, Filmfest Locarno).
These two experts will now have the task of selecting a group of their favourite shorts from the films uploaded to T-Port by the next generation of filmmakers in 2026. The Lighthouse Selections are our premium collection of films that represent the best and brightest talents coming up in the film world right now.
Anne Gaschütz
Anne Gaschütz, festival director and programmer, grew up in Dresden, Germany before she moved to England in 2002 and later studied Film in Wales. Upon returning to her home town, she experienced all of the stages in film production at the Dresden-based production company filoufilm. Since then, she has worked as a production assistant and production manager on numerous short film projects.
She joined FILMFEST DRESDEN – International Short Film Festival in 2013 as part of the International Selection Committee, became the festival’s co-director in July 2020 and its director in June 2024. In 2021 she became a member of the Pardi di domani Selection Committee at Locarno Film Festival. She is also one of the initiators of Talking Shorts, an online platform that focuses on short film criticism, and a member of the European Film Academy.
Ben Thompson
A graduate in Film and Television Studies from Aberystwyth University, Ben left Wales for New York to begin his career. At Tribeca Film Festival he discovered a passion for short form storytelling and presenting short films to new and engaged audiences. He began working with the filmmaker and programming teams and is currently the VP of Shorts Programming.
In addition to his role at Tribeca, Ben spent time working in the UAE at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. He has also consulted several other festivals in a programming capacity. An avid filmmaker himself, when taking a break from programming shorts, he has directed and produced dozens of short films and documentaries. His multi-award-winning short film, The Yellow Balloon went on to screen at festivals around the world and was selected as part of MOMA’s permanent educational department collection in 2012.
We are Seeking the Future of Film – Submit Your Short Today
We can’t wait to see which films they pick! If you’re a filmmaker, you have until July 15th to submit your short to T-Port in order to be eligible for selection. If you’ve independently uploaded your film to T-Port before the closing date then it will be seen by the curators.
T-Port films are only accessible to professionals, so your premiere status will not be affected.
Stake your place in the next generation of filmmakers waiting to be discovered for only 15 Euros / year. Find out more on our website and get started with T-Port today. Check out last year’s selected films.
Back to T-Port Blog