Category: GLOBE AWARD – 2025 ARFF AMSTERDAM

(Finalist)

Original Film Title: Beyond The Veil – Paranormal Exploration

Director’s Name: Tim RIGAUD

Writer’s Name: Tim RIGAUD, Marie MARCO

Producer: Ludovic LUTZ

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming : France

Language: French

Runtime: 45 minutes

Film Description:

In 1987, while pregnant with her third child, Isabelle begins to perceive invisible
presences and communicate with the dead. Initially terrified, she consults several
psychiatrists—none of whom diagnose any mental disorder. Over time, she comes to
accept this “gift,” which becomes part of her life.
But in 2010, the purchase of a 16th-century home changes everything: the
manifestations become oppressive, violent, and are no longer limited to Isabelle alone.
A couple hired to renovate the house, along with several friends, witness these
disturbing events.
This documentary gives voice to the protagonists of this extraordinary story. It blends
intimate testimonies, on-location footage, and spiritual reflection through the insight of
an exorcist priest, offering a rare and profound perspective on these phenomena.

(Finalist)

Original Film Title: IRABŪ of the Kudaka Island, Okinawa

Director’s Name: Kazuo OKADA, Yuki SUZUKI

Writer’s Name: Kazuo OKADA, Yuki SUZUKI

Producer: Kazuo OKADA

Country of Origin: Japan

Country of Filming : Japan

Language: Japanese

Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes

Film Description:

Kudaka Island in Okinawa is home to just over 200 people and holds a sacred cultural legacy centered on the grand IZAIHŌ festival, celebrated once every 12 years for more than six centuries. The island is renowned for its traditional production of IRABŪ, smoked Erabu sea kraits, revered as a divine gift from the gods and once presented at banquets for distinguished guests of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

　In the late 1980s, following the passing of key highest priestesses, both the festival and IRABŪ making were halted. This documentary seeks to revive that legacy by digitizing unreleased high-definition footage from the last 1978 IZAIHŌ and capturing new 4K testimonies from surviving practitioners.

　By exploring traditional craftsmanship, culinary heritage, and enduring faith, the film emphasizes the importance of passing on traditions across generations, making it essential viewing for those interested in Okinawan cultural history. This extraordinary profound journey into revered heritage.

(Honorable Mention)

Original Film Title: Death in Palermo

Director’s Name: Caterina Pasqualino

Writer’s Name: Caterina Pasqualino

Producer: Angelo Barbagallo

Country of Origin: Italy

Country of Filming : Italy

Language: Italian

Runtime: 1 hour 4 minutes 59 seconds

Film Description:

Morire a Palermo’ is a stunning hour-long documentary that reveals the farce behind the Rotoli cemetery in Palermo, Italy, and its treatment of the dead. Renowned filmmaker and anthropologist Caterina Pasqualino uncovers the tragic story of ‘the waiting dead’, where over 1,500 deceased have been waiting years to be buried, as their grief-stricken relatives are held hostage to bureaucracy, bad politics, and, in some cases, Mafiosi bribes in their fight for a final resting place for their loved ones. This situation prompts Caterina Pasqualino to make enquiries at the cemetery and in the city, where she meets some Palermitans who weave complex relationships with their deceased loved ones. She tiptoes into the stories, into their lives, and among their dead, to explore that thin border that exists between life, death and the poetic desire for rebirth.

(Honorable Mention)

Original Film Title: MALVINAS: LEGACY OF BLOOD

Director’s Name: Daniel Ponce

Writer’s Name: Daniel Ponce

Producer: Pablo Yotich

Country of Origin: Argentina

Country of Filming : Argentina

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 6 minutes

Film Description:

More than forty years after the armed conflict in the Islas Malvinas, a group of Argentine veterans embarks on an unprecedented journey: to return to the land where they once fought—this time, accompanied by their children and grandchildren. For them, this trip is not only a reunion with the past but also an act of passing down memory—an opportunity for new generations to understand history through the voices of those who lived it.
Through a deeply human lens, Malvinas: Legacy of Blood reconstructs the experience of these soldiers, balancing the memory of horror with the pursuit of peace. The film immerses us in moving testimonies, where stories of battles, sacrifice, and loss intertwine with the fresh, curious perspectives of the young girls accompanying them. These girls—a daughter and a granddaughter of veterans—represent the future: a generation that inherits not only the pain of war but also the responsibility of keeping history alive.
The documentary features never-before-seen footage of the Islas Malvinas, achieving a cinematic milestone by being the first to film at night in the Darwin Cemetery, capturing an atmosphere of overwhelming intimacy. It also includes 2D animation sequences that bring to life events never before depicted in such detail—from the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano to critical moments on the front lines. These sequences complement the veterans’ accounts, allowing viewers to vividly and emotionally visualize scenes that had previously existed only in the memories of those who lived them.
More than a war documentary, Malvinas: Legacy of Blood is a portrait of memory, sacrifice, and identity—a universal story about the inheritance of the past and the power of testimony in shaping the future.

(Finalist)

Original Film Title: Activismo: Art & Dissidence in Cuba

Director’s Name: Philip Richard Sugden

Writer’s Name: Carole Martha Elchert

Producer: Philip Richard Sugden

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : Cuba

Language: English

Runtime: 45 minutes

Film Description:

Activismo: Art & Dissidence in Cuba explores how Cuban artists place their lives on the line to use “Art as Activism” to transform and improve the human condition under a nationalist regime that has imposed laws that limit the freedom of speech and expression.

(Finalist)

Original Film Title: Rediscovering Fanon

Director’s Name: Rico Speight

Writer’s Name:Rico Speight

Producer: Rico Speight

Country of Origin: Algeria, Martinique, United States

Country of Filming : United States, Algeria, France

Language: English, French

Runtime: 1 hour 24 minutes

Film Description:

REDISCOVERING FANON renews the legacy of Frantz Fanon, the revolutionary psychiatrist and psychoanalyst of colonial oppression in the 20th century, by exploring the ongoing relevance of his ideas in the context of 21st-century racism in America. The film examines the tragic shootings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Walter Scott, Philando Castile, and the murder of George Floyd, underscoring Fanon’s insights into the peril of Black bodies within the milieu of anti-Black racism. Fanon’s analysis extends beyond the immediate impact on the lives of Black people and “the other,” delving into the psychological trauma that systemic racism inflicts on both the oppressed and the privileged, blacks and whites.

Through anecdotes and reflections, close members of Fanon’s family—including his daughter Mireille Fanon, son Olivier Fanon, niece France-Lyn, and first cousin Fulbert—move beyond hearsay and hyperbole to reveal the true character of a man often subject to endless speculation. Film scholar Lewis Gordon serves as the film’s principal narrator, while psychoanalyst Alice Cherki, who was Fanon’s intern at Blida Hospital in Algeria during the 1950s, offers poignant reminiscences of Fanon’s years in Algeria.

(Finalist)

Original Film Title: Town Nexus

Director’s Name: Vera Jingyi Xia, Pei Zhang

Writer’s Name:

Producer: Vera Jingyi Xia, Pei Zhang

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming : China

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Runtime: 47 minutes 54 seconds

Film Description:

“Town Nexus” is a graduate project by Yang Yajing, a social design student from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, based in her hometown—Fusheng Village, Jinggang Town, Changsha, Hunan. The name “Town Nexus” echoes the Chinese phrase for “supporting a performance,” while “Nexus” implies a new bond between rural communities and the younger generation of migrant talents.

Having lived away from her village for 11 years, Yajing initiated a community event during the Lunar New Year—a time when many return home—by organizing a “village gala” inside an abandoned greenhouse. With the help of villagers, friends, and fellow students, she created a space for reconnection, reflecting on rural identity, land usage, and the emotional gap between those who leave and those who stay.

Rather than measuring success in binary terms, she sees the project as a process of rebuilding ties—with her family, her village, and herself. “Town Nexus” is not just a performance—it’s a social intervention, a personal journey, and a collective act of return.

(Finalist)

Original Film Title: THEY FIGHT WITH CAMERAS

Director’s Name: Nina Rosenblum, Daniel Allentuck

Writer’s Name: Daniel Allentuck

Producer: Nina Rosenblum, Daniel Allentuck

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : United States

Language: English

Runtime: 55 minutes

Film Description:

One of the most decorated Signal Corps combat cameramen of World War II in Europe was a 25-year-old Jewish American soldier from New York’s lower east side named Walter Rosenblum, who recorded many of the conflict’s storied engagements in stunning photographs and motion-picture footage. From the bloody D-Day landings on Omaha Beach and the capture of Cherbourg, La Haye-du-Puits, Saint Lo, St. Malo and Brest, to the bitterly fought winter campaign in Alsace, and the advance of the U.S. 7th Army across southern Germany, Rosenblum quickly proved to be one of the Signal Corps’ ablest and most courageous cameramen. After eleven months of near-continuous combat, Rosenblum accompanied the first American troops when they liberated the concentration camp at Dachau on April 29, 1945.

(Finalist)

Original Film Title: The Enlightened Zone

Director’s Name: Edward Kui-ming Li, Ellen Ngai-luen Pun

Writer’s Name: Edward Kui-ming Li

Producer: Edward Kui-ming Li

Country of Origin: Hong Kong

Country of Filming : Japan

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes

Film Description:

The term “Mystical Zone” (結界) is a Buddhist concept, derived from the Sanskrit word Sima-bandha, with a history spanning over 2,500 years. It was inherited from India and was introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty over 1,200 years ago, flourishing among both the aristocracy and common people, and becoming a secretive ritual not shared with outsiders. In recent years, the term “Mystical Zone” has gained widespread attention, with layer upon layer of its mysterious veil being unraveled. Its essence has unexpectedly become a valuable treasure in today’s turbulent world, worthy of being studied and learned. The documentary “The Enlightened Zone” is said to possess extraordinary powers, such as overcoming failure, creating miracles, and harmonizing the soul. It showcases Japan, a country that remains one of the few places in the world where such secret techniques are still practised.
In this documentary, 4 young urban professionals, each highly skilled and accomplished in their respective fields, are invited by Master Li Kui-ming, a famous Esoteric and Fengshui Master, to act as guides for the audience, revealing the lesser-known aspects of “The Enlightened Zone” . The film is divided into 9 chapters (Chapter 1: The Mystical Zone of the Vengeful Spirits / Chapter 2: The Mystical Zone of Acala Buddha / Chapter 3: The Mystical Zone of Gods and Spirits / Chapter 4: The Hexagonal Mystical Zone / Chapter 5: The Mystical Zone of animals / Chapter 6: Some other Mystical Zones / Chapter 7: The Mystical Zone of Longevity / Chapter 8: The Mystical Zone of Reincarnation / Supplementary Chapter: The Bubbling Mystical Zone), each segment is not only fascinating and engaging but also provides the audience with practical knowledge and skills that can be immediately applied for self-protection and empowerment.
Master Li Kui Ming, after producing the highly successful and popular film “The Supernormal” in 1990, has continued his work in the genre of paranormal documentary over the years. “The Enlightened Zone” marks his 11th paranormal documentary project in a career spanning 35 years, continuing his exploration and documentation of supernatural phenomena.

(Finalist)

Original Film Title: The Passion of A Revolutionary Cinderella

Director’s Name: Siamak Dehghanpour

Writer’s Name: Siamak Dehghanpour

Producer: Siamak Dehghanpour

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : United States

Language: English, Persian

Runtime: 1 hour 15 minutes

Film Description:

The Passion of A Revolutionary Cinderella (75 min.) is the story of an Iranian women’s rights activist and journalist who converted to Christianity at 17. Mary Mohammadi was arrested and imprisoned for her faith at age 19. After enduring multiple arrests and sexual violence, she left Iran in 2022 to prove that no one can silence her. Under the sponsorship of a church, the American government moved her to the US. In America, Mary faced new restrictions on her activism. Resilient and determined, she didn’t give up fighting for her mission and advocating for freedom in Iran and suffered for it.