Category: Best Cinematography – 2026 ARFF Barcelona

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Crying Backwards

Director’s Name: Edward Rice

Writer’s Name: Javier Sánchez Sánchez

Director Of Photography: Seb Boyes

Producer: Andrew Suntanaraj

Country of Origin: New Zealand

Country of Filming: New Zealand

Language: English, Spanish

Runtime: 26 minutes 9 seconds

Film Description:

Fleeing a painful past, Nico travels from Spain to New Zealand to start over, but when a vibrant young actress pulls him into an ambitious student musical film competition, he’s forced to face his fears, open up to new friendships, and rediscover the spark of storytelling that might just heal him.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Whispering Forest

Director’s Name: Katarzyna Kot

Writer’s Name: Stephane Guiran

Director Of Photography: Katarzyna Kot

Producer: Katarzyna Ozga, Stephane Guiran

Country of Origin: Luxembourg

Country of Filming: Poland

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 3 minutes

Film Description:

In the heart of the extraordinary Bialowieza primeval forest in Poland, the last in Europe, artists Katarzyna Kot and Stéphane Guiran meet scientists, women healers and inspiring local people. They discover the wounds of its inhabitants, the healing dimension of the forest, converse with its whispers, and question our way of being among the living. In resonance with the forest, with the help of local residents and other artist-musicians, they compose a vibrant tribute to this Great Living Being.
Adorned with inventive, playful cinematography and enriched by musical contributions from composer Pascal Schumacher and singer Karolina Cicha, this film offers an intimate encounter with Europe’s last primeval forest through the creative lens of an artistic duo. A captivating, poetic quest through the murmurings of the forest and its inhabitants, to find deeper meaning in human lives.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Shambhala Story

Director’s Name: Toshio Sekine

Writer’s Name: Toshio Sekine, Tamaki Fujiwara

Director Of Photography: Hiroyuki Fukuda

Producer: Tamaki Fujiwara, Hitoshi Yoshikawa

Country of Origin: Japan, United States

Country of Filming : India, Japan

Language: English, Japanese, Tibetan

Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes 50 seconds

Film Description:

In the Himalayan town of Darjeeling, India, the devout Tibetan monk, Tashi, is sent to Japan for further studies. There, he befriends a violent elderly man and his parolee granddaughter, Emi, who are both struggling to make ends meet. As the loneliness they all share brings them closer to Tashi, forbidden feelings between him and Emi emerge. Can Tashi avoid losing himself in the impossible choice between his love for a woman and his promise to his religion?

(WINNER)

Original Film Title: Bounty Uncharted: Empire of The Atlantic

Director’s Name: Jeff Ragovin

Writer’s Name: Jeff Ragovin

Director Of Photography: Michael A Cuomo

Producer: Michael A Cuomo

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : United States

Language: English

Runtime: 14 minutes 39 seconds

Film Description:

Empire of the Atlantic is a short documentary that captures a rare ecological convergence unfolding off the coast of Montauk. As the warming Gulf Stream pushes farther north, ancient migratory patterns are shifting in real time. Humpback and minke whales, bluefin tuna, striped bass, bluefish, and cownose rays gather in unprecedented abundance—turning the Atlantic into a living crossroads of ocean life.

Filmed entirely from the air, the project uses drone cinematography to reveal the ocean as it is seldom seen: vast, kinetic, and intricately connected. What emerges is both a celebration and a record—an awe-driven portrait of movement, scale, and survival at a moment of environmental transformation.

Produced by entrepreneur Jeff Ragovin and Bounty Uncharted Productions, Empire of the Atlantic invites viewers to witness the raw power of the sea while reconsidering humanity’s relationship to a rapidly changing marine world.