Bangladeshi filmmaker Wahid Ibn Reza won the Save the Earth! Minister’s Award at the 2026 edition of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA) 2026, one of Asia’s largest international short film festivals accredited by the Academy Awards.
The award, presented by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, recognises the competition film that delivers the strongest message on environmental issues.
Reza’s animated short film ‘After Us’ was selected from all competition entries for its compelling portrayal of coexistence with nature in a post-human world.
Set in a future where humanity has vanished, the five-minute Canadian animation follows a wolf and a wolverine as they navigate a silent landscape in search of a way to live in harmony with nature.
Announcing the award on World Environment Day, June 5, festival organisers praised the film’s environmental message and its imaginative storytelling.
In a statement, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment described ‘After Us’ as ‘an exceptionally thought-provoking work’ that explores the essence of coexistence with nature through the perspective of animals.
‘The film delicately yet powerfully expresses the resilience of nature to regenerate even after destruction, as well as the possibility of a new harmony emerging within it,’ said ministry representative Hirotaka Ishihara.
The ministry further commended the film for presenting environmental challenges not as distant concerns but as issues demanding immediate action.
Accepting the award, Reza thanked the festival and the National Film Board of Canada, which produced the project. ‘It’s an incredible honour,’ he said. ‘I got complete creative freedom making the film with them.’
The filmmaker also acknowledged the contributions of the cast and crew, as well as the support of friends and family throughout the production process.
Reza dedicated the award to his five-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Samara.
‘I really hope that together we can make the planet a better place for her and her generation to grow up in,’ he said.
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Reza has worked in visual effects and animation for more than a decade, contributing to Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated productions. His filmmaking work spans both live-action and animation, often drawing on elements of science fiction, fantasy, comedy and action.
