Category: 2026 ARFF Barcelona

Posted on

PUPA – dir. Mizhqua Rinoa Jin Tabuena Natividad

(FINALIST)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: PUPA

Director’s Name: Mizhqua Rinoa Jin Tabuena Natividad

Writer’s Name: Mizhqua Rinoa Jin Tabuena Natividad

Producer: Mizhqua Rinoa Jin Tabuena Natividad

Country of Origin: Ireland

Country of Filming: Ireland

Language: English

Runtime: 4 minutes 5 seconds

Film Description:

‘PUPA’ is an animated short depicting envy, perfectionism, and its destructive effects. Butterflies, often the symbol of beauty, do not start as the perfect specimens we admire. Their metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly happens in the pupa, where they melt their bodies down and rebuild themselves to perfection.

And where perfection exists, envy follows.

Envy is an archaic emotion. An amalgamation of the strongest feelings a person may feel. It is a carnal and destructive emotion that even humankind’s oldest religions warn against.

PUPA depicts the push and pull of both perfectionism and envy in the form of two dolls. One being the former favourite, and the other, a shiny new doll. The older doll’s envy starts as a sinking, impending doom of replacement, which eventually pushes her to the edge.

Posted on

UMBRA – dir. Danny Bohmer

(FINALIST)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: UMBRA

Director’s Name: Danny Bohmer

Writer’s Name: Danny Bohmer

Producer: Danny Bohmer

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States, Colombia, Mexico

Language: English

Runtime: 6 minutes 45 seconds

Film Description:

A short horror film dealing with the fear of the dark.

Posted on

The Family Photo – dir. John Norris Ray, Maria Victoria Sanchez

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: The Family Photo

Director’s Name: John Norris Ray, Maria Victoria Sanchez

Writer’s Name: John Norris Ray

Producer: John Norris Ray

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States, Colombia, Mexico

Language: English

Runtime: 8 minutes 48 seconds

Film Description:

What happened after an Earth astronaut left a family photo on the moon fifty-plus years ago? This animated short explores the butterfly effect of such an action. How will it affect us all?

Posted on

IT’S YOU. BABY YOU. – dir. Maciej Zdrojewski

(FINALIST)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: IT’S YOU. BABY YOU.

Director’s Name: Maciej Zdrojewski

Writer’s Name: Maciej Zdrojewski

Producer: Kamila Boruc-Adamska | TRUSKAVKA PRODUCTION HOUSE

Country of Origin: Poland

Country of Filming: Poland

Language: English

Runtime: 3 minutes 38 seconds

Film Description:

Baby You is a poetic short film, balancing on the edge between reality and dream, intimacy and distance. In a short, intense format, it explores the fleeting moments that define interpersonal relationships. The film explores the inner child—who we are—using minimalist language and subtle narrative. The script was inspired by an artistic installation of a massive, 34-meter balloon shaped like a sleeping child. The installation, created by the PRZEKRÓJ Foundation, is a metaphor for the potential that lies within each of us and reminds us of childhood joy, wonder at the world, and the ability to fully experience the moment.

Posted on

Menopause Menopaws – dir. Akiko Matsumoto

(FINALIST)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: Menopause Menopaws

Director’s Name: Akiko Matsumoto

Writer’s Name: Akiko Matsumoto

Producer: Akiko Matsumoto

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 14 minutes

Film Description:

This short comedic film about menopause uses humor as a powerful tool to break down walls and spark honest conversations. While menopause can be overwhelming—hot flashes, mood swings, sleep issues—it also has moments of unexpected hilarity. By leaning into the comedy, the film shines a light on the realities of this transition, helping women feel seen, less alone, and hopefully sharing a few well-earned laughs along the way.

Posted on

TORNANDO A EST – dir. Antonio Pisu

(WINNER)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: TORNANDO A EST

Director’s Name: Antonio Pisu

Writer’s Name: Antonio Pisu

Producer: Maurizio Paganelli, Andrea Riceputi

Country of Origin: Italy

Country of Filming: Bulgaria, Italy, San Marino

Language: Bulgarian, Italian

Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes 21 seconds

Film Description:

1991. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, international tensions in the world seem to have
eased, but many espionage operations continue to take place in the shadows: SISMI
(Italian military security intelligence service) is on the trail of Paolo Dinucci, a former
Italian carabiniere; Natalino Francalanci, a Tuscan leather trader; and Luigi Rampone,
an electronic engineer from OTO Melara (a company linked to Italian Defense).
The three are smuggling sensitive information to be resold to Bulgarian intelligence
services and the KGB.
Pago and Rice, on the other hand, have returned to their lives in Cesena, while Bibi
for six months now, continues to commute between Italy and Sofia having become
engaged to Yuliya, a Bulgarian girl.
Prompted by his new girlfriend, Bibi brings Yuliya to Italy so that she can finally meet
her family and her two closest friends. Yuliya, however, finds herself under blackmail
by officials in her country and, during her stay, secretly meets with Dinucci.
Unaware that the man had already been under surveillance by SISMI for some time
now Italian agents also follow the woman’s trail.
A few days later, in the spirit of wanting to relive old adventures, Pago and Rice
decide to leave again with Bibi and Yuliya for Bulgaria thus setting off a spiral of
misunderstandings that will make the three friends appear to be international spies.
The three, caught up once again in a series of unfortunate coincidences, now head
for Sofia. They will experience a journey full of encounters, emotions and twists and
turns. A film about discovering old, distant worlds that continue to exude a history not
to be forgotten.

Posted on

Faith and the Christmas Star – dir. Anne Trenning

(FINALIST)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: Faith and the Christmas Star

Director’s Name: Anne Trenning

Writer’s Name: Anne Trenning, Abby Davenport

Producer: Anne Trenning

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 22 minutes 29 seconds

Film Description:

An animated chidren’s Christmas film with original instrumental soundtrack. The message is Faith, hope and love are the manifestation of Christmas and as a result Christmas lives in our hearts every day.

Posted on

NEO DOKKEBIZ – Hmmm – dir. JIEUN YU

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: NEO DOKKEBIZ – Hmmm

Director’s Name: JIEUN YU

Writer’s Name: JIEUN YU

Executive Producer: JIEUN YU

Producer: Michelle Yu

Music Producer: JUNJAMAN

Country of Origin: South Korea

Country of Filming: South Korea

Language: English, Korean

Runtime: 3 minutes 18 seconds

Film Description:

Where K-POP, Korean heritage, and AI meet.

A traditional Korean guardian spirit, “dokkaebi” (Korean goblin), is resurrected as a virtual K-POP idol through generative AI.
A cinematic music video featuring NEO DOKKEBIZ, a dokkaebi who has come to spread good fortune across the world.

Posted on

Enemy Heroes – dir. Mark Diamond

(FINALIST)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: Enemy Heroes

Director’s Name: Mark Diamond

Writer’s Name: Mark Diamond

Producer: Mark Diamond, Laura Lee Diamond

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 7 minutes 51 seconds

Film Description:

Enemy Heroes “Because… sometimes it is not easy to tell… Who is the Enemy?.. Who are the Heroes?”

Enemy Heroes is a multi-level WWII version of ‘All Quiet on The Western Front’ in which the audience agonizes over the heart-wrenching choices the protagonists are forced to make – and in so doing clarifies their own values.
It’s not a film about War. It is a film about Humanity.

Posted on

DreamBrew – dir. Ben Bayliss, Anthony Hampshire, Joel Dutton

(FINALIST)

Red Carpet & Award Ceremony 🎫 Get Your Tickets

Original Film Title: DreamBrew

Director’s Name: Ben Bayliss, Anthony Hampshire, Joel Dutton

Writer’s Name: Ben Bayliss, Anthony Hampshire, Joel Dutton

Producer: Ben Bayliss, Anthony Hampshire, Joel Dutton

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 2 minutes 10 seconds

Film Description:

The project is designed to be used as an uncommissioned advertisement for the company Dreambrew (owned by simon squib)– an iced
coffee brand. A young woman stuck in office drudgery is given an opportunity to dive into her
dreams and explore what she is truly passionate about. She awakens from her dream and
decides to quit her job and follow her dreams.