Category: Best Student Film – 2026 ARFF Barcelona

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Aegean Drift

Director’s Name: Berkalp Turper

Writer’s Name: Berkalp Turper

Producer: Berkalp Turper

Country of Origin: Turkey

Country of Filming: Turkey

Language: English

Runtime: 15 minutes

Film Description:

Aegean Drift is a time-lapse short film exploring the silent passage of time through the shifting relationship between land, sea, and sky. Filmed over the course of four years, the film observes nature in constant motion, revealing how time reshapes landscapes while human presence remains small and fleeting. Without dialogue, the film invites the viewer into a contemplative experience where time itself becomes the main subject.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: The Dead Of Three Villages

Director’s Name: Muhammed Kaya

Writer’s Name: Muhammed Kaya

Producer: Muhammed Kaya

Country of Origin: Turkey

Country of Filming: Turkey

Language: Kurdish

Runtime: 16 minutes 28 seconds

Film Description:

In the early 1900s, a 38-year-old man rode through the villages of Diyarbakır on horseback. He fell off his horse and died at a crossroads between three villages. Children who witnessed this immediately informed their elders. Scholars from three religions (a Muslim Kurdish mullah, an Armenian Christian priest, and a Yazidi Kurdish sheikh) began discussing the deceased’s religion in the village square, placing the deceased before them. The mullah, the sheikh, and the priest attempted to interpret the deceased’s death from their own perspective. The mulla attributed the dirty and worn knees to prayer, Sheikh Halit attributed the injury to the sun, and the priest attributed it to his morning prayers to God. The mullah suggested that the man had been circumcised. Taybet Ana, an elderly villager, requested that the deceased be taken to her home to have his circumcision performed there. The deceased was taken to the old woman’s house. The deceased, who was circumcised, was not Christian. The scholars of the three religions left the funeral to perform their religious duties. The mullah goes to perform ablution, but his arm hair is combed back. Noticing this, the mullah tells the religious scholars that the hair is combed back when performing ablution. Based on the mullah’s suggestion, the man is examined. This claim is deemed insufficient. Three religious scholars, having determined that the man was Muslim due to the stone mark on his forehead, send him to wash the body. While washing the body, Gassal turns it over and notices the hammer and sickle tattoo on its back, summoning the religious scholars again. The three religious scholars stare at the tattoo.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Sironok

Director’s Name: Natalia Gallardo Trejo

Writer’s Name: Natalia Gallardo Trejo

Producer: Natalia Gallardo Trejo, Sonia Isadora Hernandez Barroeta

Country of Origin: Mexico

Country of Filming: Mexico

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 16 minutes 29 seconds

Film Description:

Andrea is a young woman who has opted out of motherhood. To avoid pregnancy, she hires a doctor through the mobile application, Sironok. But when she goes under the effects of anesthesia, her doctor abuses her instead of operating on her.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Echoes from the Valley

Director’s Name: Wenzheng Hu

Writer’s Name: Wenzheng Hu

Producer: Wenzheng Hu

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 25 minutes 51 seconds

Film Description:

Echoes from the Valley follows Charlton Athletic Football Club through a pivotal season marked by fierce battles for promotion places. It explores how football shapes identity and community in southeast London, linking past and present—from memories of former Chinese captain Zheng Zhi to Charlton’s dramatic rise to the Championship in its 120th year. The film tells a story of hope, resilience, and cultural connection.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: The One in Red

Director’s Name: Nicholas Muzzillo

Writer’s Name: Nicholas Muzzillo

Producer: Lorena Da Cruz, Hayley Kirk

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 16 minutes 38 seconds

Film Description:

A Legendary Ronin.
A Troubled Past.

A Red Ronin, guided by his past to a place of great significance, is hunted by a Gray Ronin, but not for the reasons we think.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Theeradha Kadhal

Director’s Name: Gurumoorthy Kovai

Writer’s Name: Gurumoorthy Kovai

Producer: Gurumoorthy Kovai

Country of Origin: India

Country of Filming: India

Language: Tamil

Runtime: 14 minutes 51 seconds

Film Description:

A man lives in quiet harmony with his beloved wife, sharing everyday moments filled with love and routine. Their bond seems untouched by time, revealing a tender story of devotion, memory, and emotional depth. Inspired by a true story.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Memory of Buki

Director’s Name: Adam Hadrousek

Writer’s Name: Adam Hadrousek

Producer: Adam Hadrousek

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 5 minutes 48 seconds

Film Description:

Memory of Buki is a powerful animated tribute to a young boy from Sarajevo whose life and dreams were tragically cut short in 1941. Buki, a six-year-old with a vivid imagination and a passion for drawing, once filled the streets with colorful chalk art. He and his family, like many others, were taken to a concentration camp during WWII and never returned.
In 1955, his neighbor and fellow artist Dobrivoje Beljkašić painted Memory of Buki to honor him. But this touching oil painting was later destroyed during the siege of Sarajevo in 1992.
Though both Buki and Beljkašić are gone, and the original artwork lost, this animation breathes new life into their story — preserving their memory in a digital world and sharing it with generations to come.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Monster in the Dark

Director’s Name: Hongyu Lu

Writer’s Name: Hongyu Lu, Diana Carolina

Producer: Diana Carolina

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Runtime: 3 minutes 20 seconds

Film Description:

10-year-old Ann goes on an adventure while taking out the trash

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: MULAN

Director’s Name: TIAN ZHAO

Writer’s Name: TIAN ZHAO

Producer: Wang Dingxian Dingxian Wang, Wang Jiaan Jiaan Wang, Zhao Lingyu Lingyu Zhao, Zhang Yu Yu Zhang, Xia Zihan Zihan Xia, Liu Ke Ke Liu, Chen Xueyan Xueyan Chen, Yang Chengyuan Chengyuan Yang

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 5 minutes 45 seconds

Film Description:

The name of our short film is “Mulan”, and its theme is peaceful coexistence, win-win cooperation, and opposition to aggression. The general plot is as follows: The story is set in Xiamen, China, in 2035. There is a “Sino-Japanese-Korean Future World Theme Park” here. In the park, there is a robot named “Mulan” jointly developed by scientific research personnel from China, Japan, and South Korea. Mulan has two different forms: a service form and a combat form. On a sunny afternoon, the “11th Sino-Japanese-Korean Cultural Exchange and Art Festival” is being held in the park. China, Japan, and South Korea are all conducting characteristic cultural exchanges in different venues. Suddenly, invaders arrive and disrupt the harmony and joy in the park. All the “Mulan” robots in the park transform into their second form and engage in the battle. Eventually, they defeat all the invaders and safeguard the safety of the park and the tourists.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Partial Rebel

Director’s Name: Aiden Liu

Writer’s Name: Aiden Liu

Producer: Zihong Rong

Country of Origin: Hong Kong

Country of Filming: China, Hong Kong

Language: English, Yue Chinese (Cantonese)

Runtime: 17 minutes 26 seconds

Film Description:

On the night of graduation, Michele and her friends decided to do a protest to show their growth and social responsibility. They painted on a wall, laughed, escaped from National Security Agency. But they had to face consequence.