Category: BEST STUDENT FILM – ARFF Amsterdam 2026

Original Film Title: Tides of Tradition

Director’s Name: Nina van Belzen

Writer’s Name: Nina van Belzen

Producer: Nina van Belzen

Country of Origin: Netherlands

Country of Filming: Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Runtime: 34 minutes 41 seconds

Film Description:

In Arnemuiden, a village on the Walcheren peninsula in the Dutch province of Zeeland, residents traditionally wore the village’s costume. Today, there is only one woman who still wears this clothing in her daily life. In an effort to preserve their cultural heritage, a dedicated group of women works to transmit this knowledge to future generations. With care, attention, precision, and a certain piety, they craft new garments and teach community members the traditional dressing methods.

Tides of Tradition explores Arnemuiden’s traditional costume revival, revealing tensions between old and new perspectives. The film captures raw and intimate encounters between villagers and an outsider who struggles to navigate the community’s value system – a community firmly committed to preserving its heritage while simultaneously embracing new interpretations.

Original Film Title: The Perfect Poisoning

Director’s Name: Fangda Wang

Writer’s Name: Fangda Wang, Yashi Yu

Producer: Fangda Wang

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese, English

Runtime: 23 minutes 53 seconds

Film Description:

Zhang Linli, a gifted sophomore chemistry student and captain of his university basketball team, falls into a mysterious coma after a poisoning incident and is left fighting for his life in the ICU. As the investigation unfolds, two people closest to him — his quiet roommate, Siwen, and ambitious classmate, Tang Zhuoyue — become the prime suspects. Through their conflicting testimonies, the film reconstructs the same events from different perspectives, gradually revealing hidden tensions, silent rivalries, and dangerous secrets. Who is the killer, what is the motive, and where does the truth truly lie?

Original Film Title: Luminiscence

Director’s Name: Ekaterina Cheporova

Writer’s Name: Ekaterina Cheporova

Producer: Ekaterina Cheporova

Country of Origin: Netherlands

Country of Filming: Netherlands

Language: English

Runtime: 8 minutes 20 seconds

Film Description:

Luminescence / Celestial is a poetic exploration of how collective memories of pain, loss, and transformation travel through generations—quietly shaping who we are and how we connect to the world. The film delves into the invisible imprint of transgenerational trauma, revealing how experiences of suffering and resilience are carried not only in our stories but also in our bodies, gestures, and silences.
Through a blend of movement, imagery, and sound, the film traces how the remnants of historical and social wounds echo through time, influencing emotions, relationships, and collective identity. Yet, amidst this darkness, Luminescence / Celestial seeks the possibility of light—the moment when understanding, empathy, and renewal begin to emerge.
Drawing inspiration from nature, shadow, and the biblical command “Let there be light”, the film transforms pain into illumination, exploring how acknowledgment and connection can bring healing. Luminescence / Celestial is both a reflection and a prayer—a visual meditation on the persistence of memory, the resilience of spirit, and the quiet beauty that rises from the act of remembering.

Original Film Title: Diary of An African Model

Director’s Name: IFE TANITOLUWA FAYANKIN

Writer’s Name: IFE TANITOLUWA FAYANKIN

Producer: IFE TANITOLUWA FAYANKIN, GAFAR GBOLAHAN

Country of Origin: Nigeria

Country of Filming: Nigeria

Language: English

Runtime: 20 minutes

Film Description:

After a glamorous photoshoot in Lagos, 20-year old aspiring model Eniola is locked out by the only relative she has and left to wander the unforgiving streets in search of shelter. As the night deepens, rejection follows rejection, until desperation leads her to a brothel, where she faces her most dangerous encounter yet.

Now stripped of her illusion of glamor, Eniola is forced to confront the harsh reality behind the entertainment industry’s glittering facade.

As dawn breaks, she must choose either to surrender to her circumstances or rise above it.

Diary of an African Model is a raw, intimate, character-driven portrait of ambition, dignity, and resilience. It is the untold stories of many artist around the world. The story of an artist fighting to survive the night without losing herself.

Original Film Title: The Drifter

Director’s Name: Huang Zhouyiliao

Writer’s Name: Huang Zhouyiliao

Producer: Yang Yufei

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 39 minutes 50 seconds

Film Description:

The film follows Dai Honglei, a migrant worker in Hengdian, who returns home after his father falls gravely ill in Guangzhou. Their long-awaited reunion in Jieyang sparks clashes over housing, careers, and belonging — revealing two lives woven together by blood yet struggling to escape each other’s fate.

Original Film Title: Wishes

Director’s Name: Yuqi Liu

Writer’s Name: Yuqi Liu

Producer: Yuqi Liu

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 4 minutes 59 seconds

Film Description:

From the time the girl received the birthday cake she didn’t like, she assumed it would be another birthday like the past that no one cared about. But the old man’s offer to make a cake together left her with a different memory.