Category: AUDIENCE AWARDS – ARFF Amsterdam 2026

Original Film Title: Jarak

Director’s Name: Joey Pavić

Writer’s Name: Joey Pavić

Producer: Nina Smythe, Esther van Asselt, Dewi Sarginson, Sylvia Arredondo

Country of Origin: Netherlands

Country of Filming: Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Runtime: 15 minutes 12 seconds

Film Description:

Ryan meets his mother Nia for the first time since his coming out in a restaurant to celebrate the life of his late father. And their waiter is Ryans old fling Gabriel.

Original Film Title: Goddess Bunny Superstar

Director’s Name: Matthew Kuhara Patrick

Writer’s Name: Matthew Kuhara Patrick

Producer: Matthew Kuhara Patrick

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 24 minutes 54 seconds

Film Description:

85 minute Documentary and Cult Film. The intersex (hermaphrodite) entertainer from the LA Underground filmed for over 30 years. For private test screenings only.

Sandie Crisp, better known as Goddess Bunny, is a one-of-a-kind icon: a disabled, transgender drag queen whose presence is shocking, hilarious, abrasive, and unexpectedly tender all at once.

There has simply never been anyone like her. This documentary is a wild, emotional ride through a life lived without apology. It begins in 1991, when Sandie is 31 years old, and follows her extraordinary journey across three decades.

At its heart is the deeply personal relationship between filmmaker and photographer Matthew Kuhara Patrick and Sandie herself.

Over the years, their bond grows into something more than collaboration, they adopt each other as family: Matthew as the protective older brother, and Sandie as the fiercely independent little sister.

Against all odds, Sandie becomes a cult figure in the world of underground film, performance art, and music. She appears in independent movies, television broadcasts, and rock videos, including the unforgettable appearance in The Dope Show by Marilyn Manson. Her striking portrait by legendary photographer Joel-Peter Witkin now hangs in the Louvre Museum.

But fame is only a small part of Sandie’s story. Life dealt her a brutal hand, physical disability, poverty, exploitation, and a world often unwilling to see her humanity. Death and hardship linger constantly at the edges of her life. Yet Sandie confronts it all with biting humor, fierce honesty, and a spirit that refuses to surrender.

This is not a comfortable story. At times it’s shocking. At times heartbreaking. At times wildly funny. But it is always riveting.

Original Film Title: No Russian

Director’s Name: Jaromír Moravec

Writer’s Name: Jaromír Moravec

Producer: Jaromír Moravec

Country of Origin: Czechia

Country of Filming: Czechia

Language: Czech, English, Russian, Ukrainian

Runtime: 14 minutes 48 seconds

Film Description:

Solomija, a young Ukrainian woman living in Prague has a trip planned with the purpose of her Russian boyfriend meeting her sister for the first time. She, however, planned it for February 24th 2022, the day the Russian invasion of Ukraine started. An uneasy trip follows. It is marked by her reluctance to speak the language which positions one of them as a victim and the other as an oppressor, and his desperation to prove he is not an enemy. All that while surrounded by Czechs focused on the real travesty taking place in the world, the trains running late.

Original Film Title: FEDERICO FAGGIN – THE MAN WHO SAW THE FUTURE

Director’s Name: Marcello Foa

Writer’s Name: Marcello Foa, Paolo Guerrieri, Alessandro Visciano

Producer: Massimo Belluzzo

Country of Origin: Italy

Country of Filming: United States, Italy

Language: Italian

Runtime: 52 minutes 2 seconds

Film Description:

Federico Faggin is one of the greatest minds of our time. Bill Gates once said, “If Faggin didn’t exist, Silicon Valley would just be a valley.” And it’s no exaggeration—Faggin invented the microchip, the touchscreen, and the touchpad, forever transforming the way we interact with technology. He founded several successful companies, yet he remains largely unknown to the general public.
Born in Vicenza, Italy, Faggin emigrated to California, where his brilliance would go on to revolutionize the tech industry. But his path was far from smooth. At one point, Intel even tried to claim credit for his inventions—a saga worthy of a novel.
Faggin found success: he is happily married, has three children, and enjoys financial prosperity. Yet behind the celebrated scientist was a man tormented by a deep inner dissatisfaction, often pretending to be happy. This unrest led him to embark on a spiritual journey that culminated in a profound experience of enlightenment—one that would change his life forever.
For the past twenty years, he has devoted himself to exploring the intersection of quantum physics, consciousness, and spirituality.
At 82, Faggin lives with the energy of someone decades younger, dividing his time between Silicon Valley and Vicenza. He leads his foundation, writes bestselling books, and gives lectures around the world—captivating audiences with his humility, brilliance, and sharp sense of humor.
This documentary, conceived and directed by Marcello Foa, tells the extraordinary story of Federico Faggin with the dramatic arc of a feature film. It engages, inspires, and reveals the vibrant authenticity of a remarkable Italian. A documentary that pays tribute to one of the greatest minds of our era—and opens powerful new perspectives on the relationship between science and the search for the meaning of our existence.

Original Film Title: Invasive: Modern Dentistry Reimagined

Director’s Name: Andrew J Lane

Writer’s Name: Andrew J Lane

Producer: Tommy D Anderson

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: Bahamas, United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes

Film Description:

For millions without access to traditional dental care, a cavity can become a lifelong crisis. INVASIVE follows the pioneers challenging dentistry’s drill-and-fill model with simple, evidence-based treatments that preserve teeth and bring care to the communities that need it most.

Original Film Title: End of the Cycle

Director’s Name: Sammy Jaye, Soraya Simi

Writer’s Name: Sammy Jaye, Soraya Simi, Lauren Brinkman, Veronica Pinkham

Producer: Sammy Jaye, Soraya Simi

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes

Film Description:

END OF THE CYCLE is a feature-length documentary about endometriosis that weaves together intimate first-person stories from Amy Schumer, Olympic medalist Brittany Brown, Julianne Hough, Janel Parrish, and Folakẹ Olowofoyekú. The film also incorporates groundbreaking science, historical revelations, and moments of humor and cultural critique, as well as never-before-shared details about Marilyn Monroe’s own experience with endometriosis, giving us the unique opportunity of re-writing her legacy in a more empathetic manner.

Original Film Title: Was I there, or was I there?

Director’s Name: Simon Reay

Writer’s Name: Simon Reay

Producer: Barny Revill, Maddy Darrall

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 37 minutes 30 seconds

Film Description:

Gary Charles Rowlands has an unseen past. He bought a 35mm film camera in the early 80’s for photographing aeroplanes. But captured something entirely different when he went on his first anti-fascism march. As a black resident of West London he couldn’t escape its impact. And ever since he’s been taking photographs of some of the most significant protests in history. However, these photographs have remained unseen until his neighbour – cinematographer, Simon Reay – started talking to him during lockdown. Together they scanned hundreds of negatives and Gary’s story began to unfold. A story that reveals Gary’s own arrest, a reactionary decision to study criminology, and a window into an era of rising fascism that powerfully reflects our modern times.

Original Film Title: Ari

Director’s Name: Fabio Breccia

Writer’s Name: Fabio Breccia, Rosanna Cacciarella

Producer: Rosanna Cacciarella

Country of Origin: Italy

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 22 minutes

Film Description:

Ari is a freak. He dresses like a ninja to buy groceries, yet rules the nights of Berlin as dungeon master at the infamous KitKat Club.
Ari moves through extremes. An intimate, comic and dramatic portrait of one man unfolds alongside a raw depiction of Berlin’s BDSM scene. The absurd collides with the experimental, the theatrical with lived pain. Interviews dissolve into testimonial cinema, laughter slips into tears. Ari refuses middle ground.