Category: Best Actress & Actor Award – 2025 ARFF Barcelona

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The Passion of A Revolutionary Cinderella – dir. Siamak Dehghanpour

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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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, Iran, Islamic Republic of, Turkey, 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.

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A Different Shade of Emma – dir. Raja Mukherjee

(FINALIST)

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Original Film Title: A Different Shade of Emma

Director’s Name: Raja Mukherjee

Writer’s Name: Raja Mukherjee

Producer: Pia Mukherjee, Nic Knight

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming : United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes 43 seconds

Film Description:

Emma is a neurodiverse young adult woman who finds her parents missing when she gets home from a work trip. She calls Sean, her best friend, to help her look for her parents. They both end up in the police station being questioned for murder.

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CALL IT A DAY – dir. Liang Ba

(FINALIST)

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Original Film Title: 到此为止

Director’s Name: Liang Ba

Writer’s Name: Liang Ba

Producer: Liang Ba

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming : China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes 57 seconds

Film Description:

Bad judgment leads to the suicide of a high school student, and the case is covered up by power, leading to another chain of cases that exposes the secret hands behind one corruption case after another. For the sake of his children he chose to fill the void of the law with revenge in his own way.

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Wedlock – dir. Magdalena Ralcheva

(WINNER)

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Original Film Title: Wedlock

Director’s Name: Magdalena Ralcheva

Writer’s Name: Yuri Dachev

Producer: Nuance Films

Country of Origin: Bulgaria

Country of Filming : Bulgaria

Language: Bulgarian

Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes

Film Description:

On the threshold between the 19th and 20th centuries in the Rhodope Mountains, the orphaned Meto falls in love with the wayward and charismatic Hattë, the daughter of the wealthy Sharko. Adil, the harsh uncle, raised the boy. Bosha, a folk healer and Meto’s confidant serves as their go-between. On her wedding day to an unwanted bridegroom, Hattë runs away with Meto. At the sight of the enraged wedding guests, Metto is frightened and runs away. Adil takes responsibility and announces that he is the man she ran away with. After a fight with the groom, Hattë decides to stay with Adil.
Twelve years later, the once wild boy is a settled man with a cobbler’s workshop and a family. However, the possibility of being killed in the upcoming war, leads him to cheat on his wife and try to see the love of his life once more, before the mobilization.
Having come up with the idea of a few-day visit, Meto realizes that he cannot part with Hattë. She pushes him away, making it clear to him that he is unwanted and that she respects her family commitment. Motto remains nonetheless. Circumstances weave an unusual love triangle of love, hate and mutual dependence. The three begin to live together.
Adil’s death leaves just the two of them. At Hattë’s insistence, the two moved to live elsewhere, away from the shadow of the deceased. They throw a wedding just for two, and this time everything seems happy. The two begin to live as husband and wife in a world that is harsh in both nature and custom.
A messenger arrives from the city, sent by Meto’s wife. She wants to know if he is alive. Meto gives a clear sign that he has made his choice: he prefers to be dead for his family and stay with Hate until the end of his days…

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Real Heroes Don’t Die – dir. Roman Mitichyan

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: Real Heroes Don’t Die

Director’s Name: Roman Mitichyan

Writer’s Name: Michael Pashan

Producer: Michael Pashan, Alex Anagnostidis

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : United States

Language: English

Runtime: 16 minutes 32 seconds

Film Description:

Real Heroes Don’t Die is a proof of concept dark comedy centered around WWII Veteran Khachik and the retellings of his adventure filled experiences captured by Nazi soldiers. After his escape, he found himself in possession of a key to unfathomable Nazi treasure in the oddest of objects. This short film sets the scene following Grandpa Khachik’s grandson’s journey to uncover his family’s past and the treasures that lie within.

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What You Eat – dir. Gabby Weltman

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: What You Eat

Director’s Name: Gabby Weltman

Writer’s Name: Gabby Weltman

Producer: Gabby Weltman

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : United States

Language: English

Runtime: 8 minutes 24 seconds

Film Description:

A friendship between two young women is put to the test when one finds out her father is about to be “Me-Tooed”.

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Greed – dir. Paula Blanco Perez

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: Greed

Director’s Name: Paula Blanco Perez

Writer’s Name: Paula Blanco Perez

Producer: Christie Waterman

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : United States

Language: English

Runtime: 11 minutes 38 seconds

Film Description:

Alice questions her morals after confronting an uninvited woman in her backyard.

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Besties, Borders, and Barks – dir. Inga Moren Tapias

(WINNER)

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Original Film Title: Besties, Borders, and Barks

Director’s Name: Inga Moren Tapias

Writer’s Name: Debora De Sola Habsburg, Susan Dean

Producer: Debora De Sola Habsburg, Susan Dean

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : United States

Language: English

Runtime: 11 minutes 47 seconds

Film Description:

The comedy adventure follows Teresa, a feisty do-it-all Latina producer and Sabrina, her Texan, dog-loving actress and best friend as they embark on a voyage to Amsterdam in order to represent a movie at a film festival. Teresa hopes the film will garner her enough press to get the green card she so desperately wishes to get for her wheelchair bound husband. Sabrina, tags along to support, but ends up messing up all their plans. Both discover that no matter how hard they try, destiny has its own plan for them and sometimes success is just being able to let go and be there for each other when things go wrong.