Category: 2026 ARFF Barcelona

(FINALIST)

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: Velintonia 3

Director’s Name: Javier Vila Galarza

Writer’s Name: Javier Vila Galarza, Leticia Salvago Soto

Producer: Virginia Moriche Tirado, José Antonio Hergueta

Country of Origin: Spain

Country of Filming: Spain

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes 49 seconds

Film Description:

A chimera. A symbol. A creative refuge in dark times. An oasis of freedom. The literature of the 20th century silenced between its decadence and abandonment. Velintonia, the house at number 3, cries out to return to what it was. Let the poets return.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Music of our Neighbors

Director’s Name: Juniper Hill, Cornelia Günauer, Steffen Boseckert

Writer’s Name: Juniper Hill, Cornelia Günauer

Producer: Juniper Hill

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: German

Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes 13 seconds

Film Description:

Nestled amongst the vineyards in the Main River Valley lies the picturesque German town of Würzburg. What musics do the people of this provincial Franconian city play, sing, and dance to? With a third of the 130,000 residents having a migration background, diverse traditions from across five continents can be heard in our neighbors’ homes. The feature film Music of Our Neighbors comprises a series of six intimate portraits of musicians and dancers in and around Würzburg who perform Spanish Flamenco dance, Canadian Métis music and indigenous rock, German accordion music, Indian Kathak and Bollywood dance, Arabic rap, African drumming, and Bolivian folkloric music and dance. These portraits reveal the often unrecognized cultural spectrum of rapidly diversifying provincial Europe. As individual artists share their struggles, joys, and life journeys, we see how music and dance are creatively used to cope with challenges, connect to heritage, build new communities, and bridge cultural divides.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: The Banned

Director’s Name: Haman Vaferi

Writer’s Name: Haman Vaferi

Producer: Haman Vaferi

Country of Origin: Iran, Islamic Republic of

Country of Filming: Iran, Islamic Republic of

Language: Persian

Runtime: 38 minutes

Film Description:

Haman, a musician whose works have been repeatedly censored, embarks on a personal and artistic journey to uncover the deeper implications of artistic suppression. Rather than remaining in exile, he returns to his homeland, where he engages in raw, unfiltered dialogues with other artists who have faced similar restrictions. Through archival footage, live performances, and firsthand testimonies, the film explores not only the external forces that silence artists but also the internal struggles they endure. Is censorship merely a political act, or does it embed itself into the psyche of those it targets? The Banned is an unflinching documentary that exposes the hidden mechanisms of control over artistic expression while giving voice to those who refuse to be silenced.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: The Colors of White

Director’s Name: Nil Pagès Xuclà, Martí Colomer Morera

Writer’s Name: Nil Pagès Xuclà, Martí Colomer Morera

Producer: Futuro Studio

Country of Origin: Spain

Country of Filming: Andorra, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Spain

Language: Catalan

Runtime: 1 hour 4 minutes

Film Description:

BARRACA is a visual artist and mountaineer who, in 1985, pioneered a unique discipline in the world: nivopainting, the art of painting on snow. After taking this form of expression to the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Andes, and the Himalayas for more than thirty-five years, he sets out on a new adventure. This time, he ascends to 2,700 meters of altitude to create his most monumental work: three kilometers of crosses marking a border.
But an act of vandalism destroys his entire creation. In the face of this adversity, Barraca decides to return to his roots to close the circle. Alongside his team of mountaineers, he climbs and paints the north face of the Pic de l’Infern, reaffirming his commitment to both art and nature

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Seon Actually

Director’s Name: SoYoung Lee

Writer’s Name: SoYoung Lee

Producer: SoYoung Lee

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 47 minutes 23 seconds

Film Description:

Visual and poetic storytelling about a legendary Seon (Korean Zen) Master Seung Sahn who came to the West since 1972. Practicing this particular technique of sacred Korean monastic zen meditation becomes an incredible tool for the westerners who are able to heal themselves with this sacred and exclusive technique that are often forgotten even in Korea. 4 years of exclusive interviews over 80 practitioners who are taking this way of life seriously, not just to heal themselves but to heal the world as we become real human beings.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Section 1591_Sex trafficking of children in the U.S.A

Director’s Name: Dan Poole, Cort Kristensen

Writer’s Name: Dan Poole

Producer: Dan Poole, Cort Kristensen

Country of Origin: United Kingdom, United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

Film Description:

As our film prepares for its broader release in summer 2026, it is available to be presented in its original 4K scope cinematic form, and Dolby Vision, showcasing an extraordinary Dolby Atmos mix by Oscar winning Paul Massey.

The documentary, Section 1591 is a gripping and poignant documentary that juxtaposes the hidden world of sex trafficking in America, with the story of former U.S. Special Forces operator Jeff Tiegs, who now fights to free the oppressed as he once did in combat.

As the film unfolds, layers of Jeff’s character are revealed, showing that he shares more with the survivors than we might initially imagine.

But Section 1591 is not just Jeff’s story—at its heart are the survivors. Their voices, courage, and resilience form the backbone of the film. As Jeff works alongside these women who have escaped their traffickers, their stories rise above statistics, humanising the devastating realities of sexual exploitation for us watching.

Supported by advocates, law enforcement officers, district attorneys, and Homeland Security, the survivors are central to exposing this hidden epidemic, dismantling networks of exploitation, and demanding justice for those still trapped.

More than a call to action, Section 1591—filmed over six years—delivers unflinching vérité footage and a powerful, survivor-driven narrative. It compels us to confront not only the harsh reality of modern sexual slavery but also the lasting scars of PTSD carried by both the women and Jeff himself.

Section 1591 is definitively an exploration of courage, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of justice.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Make it to Munich

Director’s Name: MARTYN ROBERTSON

Writer’s Name: MARTYN ROBERTSON

Producer: LOUISE STORRIE

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 32 minutes

Film Description:

Hot from closing Glasgow Film Festival 2025 and shot in the run-up to Euro 2024, Make It To Munich follows Ethan Walker, a promising teenage footballer from Aberdeenshire who, just months into a football scholarship at a New York State University, suffers life-threatening injuries (including multiple fractures, two brain haemorrhages and the complete dislocation of his right knee) in a road traffic accident. Aided in his recovery by pioneering Glasgow surgeon (and former Rangers footballer who was signed by Graeme Souness and worked with Ally McCoist) Professor Gordon Mackay, Ethan decides to cycle from Hampden to Munich for Scotland’s opening match against Germany in Euro 2024 -just nine months after his accident. Entrusted by the Scotland National team to carry the match pennant on his back for the whole journey and deliver it in time for kick off, Ethan is accompanied in this epic quest by Gordon, Tartan Army foot-soldier Stephen Collie and Martyn (filmmaker) himself. Make It To Munich is an uplifting story of human willpower, scientific ingenuity and the questionable wisdom of making a film with one hand while the other one grasps the handlebars for a 1200 Kilometres cycle.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: CONCEPCION

Director’s Name: Jochi Melero, Carlos Larrieu

Writer’s Name: Carlos Larrieu, Victor Morales

Producer: Toya Bonnin, Cesar G Concepcion

Country of Origin: Puerto Rico, United States

Country of Filming: Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes 44 seconds

Film Description:

This captivating documentary explores the life and legacy of César Concepción (1909-1974), a maestro of La Plena, and trailblazer in Latin music. Featuring rare performances, personal interviews with Gilberto Santa Rosa, Danny Rivera, Rafael Ithier, Frank Grillo “Machito” and other iconic figures of his era, it brings his contributions to life while showcasing the timeless power of his music.