Category: BEST FEATURE FILM – ARFF Amsterdam 2026

Original Film Title: The Little Ring

Director’s Name: Chakme Rinpoche

Writer’s Name: JianQiang Liu

Producer: QianYa Xu

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes 33 seconds

Film Description:

“The Little Ring” is inspired by the true story of a young Tibetan girl and two city-dwelling youths. In the film, the protagonists are portrayed as professionals in Shanghai’s contemporary art world, making The Little Ring a cinematic showcase of more than a dozen remarkable contemporary artworks. This approach elevates the film itself into a form of contemporary art exploration. In a way, the curatorial process parallels the male protagonist’s personal growth—the methodology of selecting, recontextualizing, and presenting artworks mirrors his own journey of self-reflection, inner integration, and spiritual evolution.

The film not only highlights works by celebrated contemporary artists but also presents centuries-old Tibetan devotional art, deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life. Both the contemporary pieces and traditional intangible cultural heritage works encapsulate their creators’ philosophical insights and acute observations on life and society. It is worth noting that the Sanskrit title of the film, “ādarśa,” resonates with its deeper themes—interrogating the dynamics between reality and reflection, self and other.

By delving into such dualities as“truth and falsehood,”“good and evil,” and“self and others”—while also transcending these very oppositions—the film invites viewers to engage with the world through a broader, more discerning wisdom.

Original Film Title: The Sands of Redemption

Director’s Name: Antoni McMillan

Writer’s Name: Antoni McMillan

Producer: Antoni McMillan

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 45 minutes

Film Description:

The Sands of Redemption is an independent drama written, produced by, and starring Aberdeen filmmaker Antoni McMillan. Filmed on location in Aberdeen and across Spain, including Murcia, Mazarrón, and Ibiza, the film explores themes of escape, consequence, and the search for meaning.

The story follows Jeff, a man stuck in an unfulfilling life in Aberdeen who impulsively escapes to Spain in pursuit of something more. Hoping to leave his past behind, Jeff soon finds himself drifting into dangerous territory.

When his partner Sarah (Eve Martin) travels to Spain to confront him, the pair are forced to face the reality of their choices. What begins as a desperate attempt to rebuild their relationship soon spirals when they become entangled with the wrong people, pulling them into a situation neither of them can easily escape.

As the pressure mounts, Jeff must confront the life he ran from and the consequences of the path he has chosen.

The film stars Antoni McMillan, Eve Martin, Andy Matthews, and Roxanne Heidi and represents McMillan’s debut independent feature film, produced across two countries with a small international team.

Original Film Title: Whispers In The Cloud

Director’s Name: Chuanfa Wan

Writer’s Name: Chuanfa Wan

Producer: Yu Zhang, Tianxiang Zhong

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes 54 seconds

Film Description:

This is an art genre film. Three strangers, two men, and one woman,all struggling in life, receive the same order to travel to an ancient village in search of an extinct “death ritual” known as “cloud burial”. During their search, their bond grows stronger. However, at this juncture, they simultaneously receive another order, instructing them to turn against each other and fight to the death, with only the sole survivor earning a substantial reward. Faced with life and death, they ultimately realize that what they were searching for was their own “death ritual”…

Original Film Title: Shakkar

Director’s Name: Nasim Kiani

Writer’s Name: Nasim Kiani, Mariam Vardanyan

Producer: Nasim Kiani, Mariam Vardanyan

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: Armenia

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes 38 seconds

Film Description:

In Calmaco, Shakkar, a grieving woman trapped in a loveless marriage, finds hope when she meets Ara, a 10-year-old boy suffering abuse. Driven by a maternal bond, she risks everything to save him and give him a chance at a better life.

Original Film Title: Unforgivable

Director’s Name: Julia Ford

Writer’s Name: Jimmy McGovern

Producer: Colin McKeown, Donna Molloy

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes

Film Description:

The Mitchell family deal with the devastating aftermath of an act of sexual abuse committed by a member of their own family, who after two years, is about to be released from prison.

Original Film Title: Fertile Land

Director’s Name: YU ZHU

Writer’s Name: YU ZHU

Producer: YE SHU ZHANG, SONG YI LEI

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 1 hour 31 minutes

Film Description:

Three generations of the Ma family are the last guardians holding fast to the desolate Gobi in Northwest China. One day, Ma Liang comes to his father Ma Changhai with news of his grandfather Ma Ming’s passing. As they journey home for the funeral, they spot dampness in dry pits and reviving camel thorns. Amid the trek, Ma Changhai finally comprehends his father’s profound longing and hope for fertile land.

Original Film Title: TikTok Killer

Director’s Name: Burhan Eyüp Altınsoy

Writer’s Name: Burhan Eyüp Altınsoy

Producer: Emra Erkoç

Country of Origin: Türkiye

Country of Filming: Türkiye

Language: Turkish

Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes

Film Description:

In an era where likes define worth and silence creates complicity, “TikTok Killer” drags the dark underbelly of social media into the light. The film opens with a series of shocking, live-streamed abductions of Turkey’s most popular social media phenomena. The kidnapper, a masked figure using purple smoke as his signature, creates a horrifying stage: an abandoned warehouse with no exit.

Inside, five distinct archetypes of the digital world are trapped: The “family-friendly” couple hiding perverse secrets (Sibel and Adem); the conservative-looking beauty with a scandalous double life (Sehrazat); the wannabe tough guy with a hidden heart of gold (Racon); and Masal, a mysterious girl with a “Harley Quinn” aesthetic.

The rules are simple but brutal: Tell the truth for one hour, or face a lethal gas release. As the clock ticks, millions of viewers tune in, not to call for help, but to watch the carnage unfold, turning the entire society into accomplices. The live stream exposes the terrifying reality behind the influencers’ curated personas—ranging from drug money laundering to covering up child abuse.

While Commissioner Eda races against time to trace the signal, her superior, the Police Chief, seems to be one step behind the killer. As the captives turn on each other in a desperate bid for survival, the film spirals toward a mind-bending climax. Is this a massacre, or the ultimate performance art?

“TikTok Killer” challenges the audience to question their own role as spectators in a tragedy, culminating in a twist that redefines the concept of “fake news” and reveals that in the world of social media, the narrative is the only thing that matters.

Original Film Title: Jobseekers

Director’s Name: Samuel L Savalas

Writer’s Name: Samuel L Savalas

Producer: Daniel Lazard

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 5 minutes 29 seconds

Film Description:

During the COVID-19 lockdown, three unemployed young men drift through days of boredom, escapism and uncertainty in East London. While his parents isolate on a caravan holiday, Sam is left responsible for maintaining the family home and completing everyday errands, including buying his mother’s weekly lottery ticket.
Instead, Sam spends his time smoking weed and avoiding responsibility with his friends MJ and Luke as lockdown life slowly blurs into routine. But after years of playing the same numbers, Sam’s mother finally wins the lottery, forcing him to confront the terrifying possibility that he never bought the ticket at all.
As paranoia and panic begin to take over, Sam is forced to face the reality of the life he has been trying to escape.