Youth Tells Its Own Story on Cineshort: A Generation's Camera Diary and What They Witness

By Birgul Tombul

Every year on August 12th, World Youth Day is celebrated not just to honor young people, but as an opportunity to amplify their voice, presence, and potential. But what is "youth"? Is it an age range? A state of mind? Or is it a social dream that gets redefined in every era?

Values, expectations, and cultural norms that change over time also transform the concept of youth. From the rebellious youth of the 60s to the introspective individuals of the 90s, today's young people find themselves at the center of global crises, the digital age, and identity searches. While each generation's youth carries the voice of their own era, cinema has become one of the most powerful mirrors capturing that voice.

Short film is the most intense, striking, and sometimes most raw form of these reflections. Anger, hope, fragility, or resistance compressed into a few minutes... This is precisely why Cineshort is an unparalleled platform for discovering youth's creative energy. Every short film you watch here serves as a small but impactful document of a generation's youth. Sometimes a glance, sometimes a silence; rather than defining what youth is, it makes you feel it.

For today's youth, cinema means not just telling stories, but understanding them as well. They're searching for spaces where they can tell their own stories. Cineshort is a creative meeting point where these narratives converge, clash, and grow. Cineshort is the new generation's production and consumption hub for short films.

On World Youth Day, perhaps the best celebration is to give youth more space to express themselves through short films. Not just to watch them, but to listen to them. Short films are the language of these silent yet profound conversations.

World Youth Day

World Youth Day, the internationally recognized day for youth, doesn't just celebrate young people; it's also a call to rethink what youth means, its place within social structures, and the value that young individuals bring to the world. But what is "youth"? Is it merely an age bracket, or is it a perspective on life, that energy in the infinity of curiosity, or a scenario that social imagination rewrites in every era?

As the answers to these questions have changed over the years, so has youth's perception of itself. Cinema has become the most powerful witness and narrator of this transformation. Short film platforms like Cineshort carry the most vibrant traces of this transformation. Today, we closely witness this special relationship between youth and cinema, the evolution of the concept of youth from history to the present, and where Cineshort stands in this picture with its role as the voice of young creators.

The Brief History of World Youth Day

World Youth Day is an official day proclaimed by the United Nations. It is celebrated every year on August 12th. The purpose of this day is to bring social and political issues faced by youth to the agenda, encourage young people's participation, and support their active involvement in development processes worldwide.

The proposal to declare a special day dedicated to youth was officially made at the "First World Youth Ministers Congress" held in Lisbon, Portugal in 1999. This proposal was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly the same year, and August 12th was designated as an official day to be celebrated annually.

World Youth Day is not just a day of celebration; it's a day of awareness to make the global issues faced by young people visible. It is celebrated with a different theme each year. These themes typically include:

• Climate change and environmental awareness
• Education and employment
• Youth in the digital age
• Gender equality and inclusivity
• Peace, security, and post-conflict society building
• Health and mental health
• Youth participation in political processes

On this day, proclaimed to support young people's role in global development, amplify their voices, and encourage their social participation, many activities are organized including panels, art events, workshops, short film screenings, and youth forums.

2025 World Youth Day Theme

This year's theme is "You also are witnesses because you have been with me from the beginning." (John 15:27)

Thematically, it touches on concepts of both faith, experience, and responsibility. This theme has been specifically determined within the framework of World Youth Day events organized by the Catholic World.

This sentence comes from what Jesus said to his disciples. Its meaning can be interpreted as follows:

• To witness here doesn't just mean seeing something; it means conveying what happened, representing it, and taking responsibility.
• Young people's calling is not to remain silent in the face of good or bad events they witness in the world; they must defend values like justice, peace, and solidarity.
• Young people are no longer just observers; they are active subjects who tell the world what they see and feel.

Interpretation in the Context of Short Films

If we interpret this theme in the context of Cineshort and short films:

• As a generation that witnesses what's happening around them, young people are now taking cameras into their hands.
• They're telling what they experience, feel, and see through short films.
• Thus, they become both witnesses and authors of social memory. This is truly an important responsibility.

This year's theme poses this question to youth: "What are you a witness to, and how do you tell these stories?"

Youth: A Concept's Journey Through Time

1. The Birth of Modern Youth

Although youth has always existed as an age period throughout history, "youth in the modern sense" is actually a product of the 20th century. Before the Industrial Revolution, there was no distinct transition period between childhood and adulthood. Individuals were integrated into production processes from a young age and carried adult responsibilities.

However, with industrialization, the expansion of education systems, urbanization, and the prominence of individual rights, youth began to be defined as a separate period. Young people were now seen as the future of society, expected to go through a certain preparation process.

2. The 20th Century: The Rise of the Rebellious Spirit

In the 20th century, especially after World War II, youth became an energy, a culture, and an identity. Youth subcultures that began with rock'n'roll in the 1950s evolved through the political rebellions of the 1960s, the punk movement of the 70s, the consumption-oriented youth of the 80s, and the identity searches of the 90s. Each generation positioned itself in opposition to the previous one.

During these periods, cinema also discovered youth. Many directors from Hollywood to European art cinema told stories centered on youth. However, most of these stories were limited to feature-length films. Short films were generally seen outside the industry, mostly as student projects or independent experiments.

3. 2000s and Beyond: The Plurality of Identities

In the 2000s, the definition of youth expanded even further. Being young was no longer defined only by age, but also by social, cultural, and even digital identities. Young people now existed with both global and local, both individual and collective identities.

This new youth rejects boundaries, questions stereotypes, and opens up discussions about gender roles, race, class, and identity structures. These questionings are reflected in cinema not only politically or socially, but also aesthetically. Young people now want not just to be told about, but to tell their own stories.

Youth and Cinema: Searching for Oneself in the Mirror

How Did Cinema See Youth?

Looking at cinema history, we see that young people have generally been represented in three main roles:

1. Rebellious and defiant: Films like "Rebel Without a Cause" portray youth as individuals opposing the system.
2. Fragile and searching: Characters trying to find their identity, suffering from loneliness. Especially the favorite typology of independent cinema.
3. Caricaturized figures: One-dimensional, clichéd stereotypes frequently encountered in high school comedies or youth series.

Yet real youth is much more complex. This is exactly where short films come into play. Short films take risks that mainstream cinema doesn't dare to take. They are experimental, fragile, direct. And most of the time, they are the first expression medium for young filmmakers.

Cineshort: The Digital Stage of Young Creativity

Cineshort is more than just a platform bringing the short film world together; it's also a creative expression space, a discovery laboratory, and a digital stage that takes the pulse of youth.

Why Cineshort?

• Short but deep narratives: The films you watch on Cineshort tell stories that don't fit into the comfort zone of feature films, compressing them into a few minutes.
• Freedom of creativity: Young directors can create experimental works here without the pressure of big studios.
• Social pulse: Everything about today's youth world - climate crisis, migration, identity politics, digital loneliness, family conflicts - all find echo in Cineshort films.
• Collective experience: Viewers don't just watch; they comment, share, discuss. Cineshort is not only youth's stage but also their social space.

Short Film: Youth's Natural Language

Why Does Short Film Suit Youth So Well?

• Speed and attention span: The youth of the digital age are closer to intense and short narratives, not long content. They don't want lengthy explanations of topics.
• Limited budgets, unlimited creativity: Young filmmakers often produce big ideas with limited resources. Short film is the most suitable format for this production method.
• Experimentalism: Short film encourages taking risks in form and content. It's the freest way for young people to express themselves.
• Preparation for tomorrow: Many great directors begin their cinema journey with short films. This format serves as a school for young filmmakers.

Digital Youth: The Directors of the New Age

Today's young filmmakers are growing up not only in film schools but also on YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo, Cineshort platforms, and at independent film festivals. Thanks to their aptitude for visual storytelling, mastery of digital tools, and sensitivity to current issues, short film has become not just a beginning but a choice.

This generation is trying new ways in storytelling: interactive films, vertical formats, mobile cinema, silent narratives... And this diversity is transforming cinema both formally and in content.

Not Pointing the Camera at Youth, But Giving Them the Camera

When celebrating World Youth Day, the main issue is not watching young people, but being able to see through their eyes. The camera is no longer pointed at youth; it's held by youth. Stories are no longer told from top to bottom, but from inside to outside.

This is why Cineshort is important. Because it doesn't just listen to short films, but to youth. It opens channels for them, inspires them, amplifies their voices.

Recommended Short Films from Cineshort

#FitsPo is a very entertaining yet thought-provoking short film you can only watch on Cineshort. Our film's protagonist is a fitness influencer. While preparing a video to share, their video gets interrupted repeatedly, problems arise, but they can never prepare it smoothly. Essentially, as we see in the film, a perfect life, environment, or opportunity isn't possible. The perfect product or lifestyle perception we see in influencer videos is completely based on deception. The director's use of the flying fly metaphor to show us this deception is a very nice example of creativity. There's no such thing as perfection. The things done for physical beauty, starvation, and the industry's imposition to stay within the determined perfect measure, and our judgmental communication with each other is complete nonsense. I really liked the film and recommend you watch it.

Marie's Ambition is a great thriller film you can only watch on Cineshort. First, I congratulate the film's producer Manu Fernández. The film is quite engaging and constantly leaves you in a state of moral questioning. Our film's protagonist is the opponent of a French chess player seen as invincible worldwide. Our protagonist loses to this invincible opponent five times. They're even told that being an opponent to this invincible king is an honor and that they should no longer be an opponent. But when it comes to the sixth game, we see our protagonist at a moral crossroads. There's nothing illegal, but is everything legal always moral? This is the question it makes us ask. In fact, a line in the film really affected me: "Ambition is a violent and intense desire to achieve something difficult to accomplish." Will this violence here cause the wall providing that moral situation to collapse, or will we willfully rein in that violence? This is the point we need to decide. I really liked the film and I think Manu Fernández should produce more films. I can say I found the film quite creative. I definitely recommend it, enjoy watching.

Workshop is a youth film with beautiful messages that you'll watch on Cineshort. Our protagonists have problems with their families and are trying to solve their problems through group therapy. The biggest problem of our age is lack of communication, even when communication channels have multiplied so much. Now our words and messages fall victim to noise that prevents communication with the person in front of us, no matter how close they are to us. Especially when this mentioned lack of communication happens within the family, it causes a much more problematic process. Hoping for days when we understand each other better, I definitely recommend the film.

Baby is a romantic drama film you'll watch on Cineshort. Our protagonist is an LGBT individual. However, their closest friend group and environment don't know this situation. You can feel the environmental pressure even while watching. It's a beautiful film worth watching, I recommend it.

Tangles and Knots is a great drama you'll watch on Cineshort. Our protagonist, a mother and daughter, is throwing a party at their home and events develop in completely unexpected ways. Many elements we see in the film are the kind we encounter in daily life. The daughter's discomfort with both her mother's presence and absence is very well handled. Despite cultural behavioral differences, a man's perspective on a woman mostly doesn't change, really. I definitely recommend it to those who want to watch the film.

Work is a youth drama film you'll watch on Cineshort. Our protagonist is an ordinary woman, and the pressure, harassment, violence, and neglect that almost all women face and experience in some aspects of daily life have been reflected to the audience in a quite impressive style. The difficulty of existing as a woman in society and the apparent unsolvability of experienced problems, having no other way out than being strong, is presented to us as a thought-provoking element in the film. I definitely recommend you watch it. Enjoy watching.

The Late Wind is a wonderful romantic drama you can only watch on Cineshort. Our protagonist is a woman expecting a baby from the man she loves. The man she loves leaves for an unclear reason. Our protagonist has to think about both her unborn baby and her struggle in life. Besides overdue rents to pay and the difficulties of work life, waiting for news from the man she loves, calling him and not knowing where to find him destroys the woman. There's only one thing decorating her dreams: a proper home she'll live in with the man she loves. She has no other expectations. The livelihood problem is at its peak. In fact, the protesters' slogan exactly reflects the woman's struggle: they say "We will fight." Life is very difficult for everyone. Society imposes certain roles on both women and men. Sometimes these imposed social roles can feel heavy and create a desire to escape. But whatever happens, not running away but struggling, at least not leaving the person next to you with question marks is important, I think. Will she finally get what she's waiting for? The answer to the question is in our film. I found the film quite successful and liked it very much. Recently, films from Kazakhstan are rising with a certain momentum, making their names known and producing quite beautiful short films. This is also a wonderful situation on a sectoral basis. I definitely recommend the film to everyone.

In Conclusion: Youth Changes, Cinema Transforms

Today's youth doesn't tell yesterday's story. They tell their own time with their own voice. This voice can sometimes be anger, sometimes hope, sometimes silence. But it's definitely real.

On World Youth Day, the best celebration is to give space to youth. To understand them not through clichés, but through their own stories. Short film is a language, a tool, a revolution in this sense.

And Cineshort stands at the center of this revolution. Every new film, every new director is part of this revolution. Because cinema, and especially short film, will never disappear from our lives.

Let's remember this year's theme question to youth: "What are you a witness to, and how do you tell these stories?" Because maybe it's time for you to take action too. And to broadcast what you witness, Cineshort is excitedly waiting for you and your film.

I'm curious about your views right here. Your perspective, your views on youth, your expectations... The film you watched on Cineshort that really affected you or that you identified with. If you'd like to share your answers with us, you can reach us through Cineshort's social media accounts.

This is the unchanging rule: Youth changes. Cinema transforms. The camera rolls. Recording begins. Youth's energy and perspective establish dominance. Happy World Youth Day, dear young people. Thank goodness we have short films in our lives.