Category: 2026 ARFF Barcelona

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: The Coptic Grave

Director’s Name: Ahmed Tharwat

Writer’s Name: Ahmed Tharwat

Producer: Ahmed Tharwat

Country of Origin: Egypt

Country of Filming: Egypt

Language: Arabic/English

Runtime: 60 minutes 4 seconds

Film Description:

The documentary is inspired by the story of Kyriakos, a Coptic Egyptian who lived in my predominantly Muslim village for years. His life—and his extraordinary burial in a Muslim cemetery—broke with tradition, revealing a deeper story of coexistence, identity, and belonging.

Through personal narratives and historical reflections, this film intertwines his journey with my own as a minority Muslim living in the U.S. As I return to my village, revisiting familiar places and voices, a new story emerges—one that speaks to the quiet harmony of a rural Egyptian community of 5,000 people.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: THE NON–FICTION MAN

Director’s Name: Hai yi Li

Writer’s Name: Hai yi Li

Producer: Wei hao yu, Sheng hui Tang

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

Film Description:

In a quiet corner of the city, Sun Boling—a drifter claiming extraordinary experiences—wanders the streets, murmuring about fate, time distortions, and solitary trials. A film crew encounters him and tries to capture his complex worldview, woven with ancient prophecies, apocalyptic memories, and a mysterious resilience. Rejecting modern norms like health checks, he speaks cryptically of a body altered by history and survival. Through fragmented stories and songs, Sun reflects on loss, destiny, and the fragile line between reality and illusion. As the world moves on, he gradually vanishes into the unseen corners of the city—an echo of a phenomenon hidden in the dark.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Holding Up the Sky

Director’s Name: Bob Nesson

Writer’s Name: Bob Nesson

Producer: Heather Merrill

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 48 minutes 27 seconds

Film Description:

Holding Up The Sky is a powerful and timely documentary that follows the intertwined lives of Ed and Jimmy – two formerly incarcerated men whose personal journeys reveal the transformative power of education, mentorship, and opportunity, and offers a humanizing lens on reentry and resilience.
Their stories defy stereotypes. As a 17 year old in a tough Black neighborhood, Ed was repeatedly assaulted – and killed his tormentor. Jimmy, a white former altarboy, was a victim of clergy sex abuse who rebelled, joined a gang – and was convicted of felony murder at age 15. They met in the lifer’s section of a tough prison. After decades inside, they were released – and they continue their friendship.
Despite leading meaningful lives on the outside— building a business, contributing to their communities, and mentoring others—Ed and Jimmy remain under lifetime parole, a system of intrusive surveillance that undermines true freedom.
Holding Up The Sky challenges viewers to confront the urgent need for cultural and policy changes. With empathy and insight, the film opens space for dialogue about systemic injustice, second chances, and what it truly means to be free.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: The Joy of Curiosity

Director’s Name: Kum-Kum Bhavnani

Writer’s Name: Kum-Kum Bhavnani, Ryan Pettey

Producer: Kum-Kum Bhavnani

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: India

Language: English, Tibetan

Runtime: 1 hour 9 minutes 50 seconds

Film Description:

Guided by faith and shaped by journeys far from home, three young Tibetan monastics embark on an exploration of how science and Buddhism mirror each another. Through the rhythm of sacred rituals, the warmth of shared laughter, and devotion to those who will follow, their stories reveal a grounded harmony where curiosity, compassion, and wisdom move as one.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Me and the one I used to be

Director’s Name: Maria Constanza Niscovolos

Writer’s Name: Maria Constanza Niscovolos, Elizabeth Wendling

Producer: Maria Constanza Niscovolos, Elizabeth Wendling

Country of Origin: Argentina

Country of Filming: Argentina

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 9 minutes

Film Description:

Adriana Lestido is a fundamental figure in Argentine photography. Her work reveals a loving and stark look at captivity, motherhood, and the most primitive basic human impulses. Over time, she strips away the human figure and approaches elements in their pure state through landscape. In “Me and Who I Was,” the camera turns to show her from an intimate perspective, at 64 years old, seeking new horizons and her desire for transformation and growth.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Still Rollin’

Director’s Name: Diana Puzikova

Writer’s Name: Diana Puzikova

Producer: Todd Seligman

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 46 minutes 27 seconds

Film Description:

An inspiring documentary about a man who began his music career after the age of 50, defied expectations, achieved success, and toured with world-famous artists. A powerful story that proves it is never too late—and, as his tattoo says, “If you believe, everything is possible”.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: HOPE: In the Shadows of the Bosphorus

Director’s Name: LATIF TAS

Writer’s Name: LATIF TAS

Producer: LATIF TAS

Country of Origin: Turkey, United Kingdom

Country of Filming: Turkey

Language: English, Turkish

Runtime: 1 hour 15 minutes

Film Description:

‘HOPE’ breaks new ground as the first documentary to comprehensively explore the culture, and contemporary lives of different – internal and external migrant groups – in diverse city of Istanbul. They say Istanbul is a city of dreams, but for those living in its shadows, it is also a city of silence, waiting, alienation and survival.
Through intimate storytelling from different characters, this film is the story of those who leave their homes, cities and countries behind and try to rebuild a new life, create a pluralistic society, and of those who welcome them or not.
The film’ elevating voices beyond its borders, zooming in on the corners of the rich diverse city of Istanbul and exploring different migrants’ stories that reflect the pluralist society. By walking around different neighbourhoods and experiencing the lives they lead, the places they live and many unspoken truths and views they share, ‘HOPE’ reveals contemporary universal themes of displacement, resilience, pluralism and the powerful hope to live.