Category: BEST FILM SCORE & SOUND DESIGN – ARFF BERLIN 2026

Original Film Title: Dali’s Dream. An Experimental Art Film

Director’s Name: Lisa Monde

Writer’s Name: Lisa Monde

Producer: Lisa Monde

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes 18 seconds

Film Description:

Based on Lisa’s award-winning original play of the same name – Winner of the Broadway World Awards 2024 / Best Play (Central New York).

Salvador Dali worshiped the famous psychoanalyst – Doctor Sigmund Freud and ardently wished to meet him. One such meeting had occurred, but it did not meet the expectations of the famous painter.
Once, in a dream, Dali finds himself on the psychoanalyst’s couch during his visit to Professor Freud’s sanitarium! So, who is he—a genius or a paranoiac? Thanks to Freud’s method, the surrealistic fog that envelops Dali’s figure starts to dissipate.

The play Dali’s Dream originally premiered Off-Broadway at the Gene Frankel Theatre and was warmly received by audiences and theatre critics. The film version of the play was made specially for the exhibition at the Dali Museum, Florida, St. Petersburg on the occasion of the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the famous surrealist.

Original Film Title: CARMILLA, Gothic Opera

Director’s Name: Andersen VIANA, Coletivo Pitágoras/Carmilla

Writer’s Name: Andersen VIANA

Producer: Andersen VIANA, Cláudio COSTA VAL

Country of Origin: Brazil

Country of Filming: Brazil

Language:

Runtime: 13 minutes 13 seconds

Film Description:

This film-opera (short film), unique in its genre, was inspired by the pioneering novel “Carmilla: The Vampire of Karnstein” by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.

Carmilla, staying at Laura’s house, sneaks out at night to meet her kind… It’s her birthday, but in reality, Carmilla is Countess MIRCALLA, the Queen of Blood, who will celebrate her 160th birthday in the ruins of the Karnstein Castle…

Original Film Title: The heavens and the stars

Director’s Name: Clemence de Angelis

Writer’s Name: Clemence de Angelis

Producer: Élodie Rouxel, Lucie Barrier–Fennech

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming: France

Language: French

Runtime: 10 minutes 40 seconds

Film Description:

A group of friends gathers one summer afternoon for a sunny lunch, sharing laughter and memories.
In the attic, photos and objects awaken their past, and each memory becomes a little journey.

Original Film Title: Elena

Director’s Name: Albert Bernal

Writer’s Name: Albert Bernal

Producer: Albert Bernal, Julio Pérez, Ivis Perozo

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 16 minutes 49 seconds

Film Description:

An aging woman battles against her memories of wasted youth and decides to rebrand herself.

Original Film Title: Quantum Qi:The Taoist Art of Nurturing Life

Director’s Name: Sharron Rose

Writer’s Name: Sharron Rose

Producer: Sharron Rose, Douglas Kip Beechwood

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes 33 seconds

Film Description:

Quantum Qi is a cinematic journey into the living intelligence of Qi—the vital life force that animates all of existence. Featuring 27 globally revered masters, scholars, and healers from the worlds of Qigong, Tai Chi, Martial Arts and Traditional Chinese Medicine, this spellbinding documentary bridges ancient Taoist wisdom with emerging paradigms in integrative health and energy medicine.

Filmed across stunning landscapes and modern sanctuaries, Quantum Qi blends breath-taking aerial cinematography, a richly layered original score featuring grammy nominate Erhu virtuoso, Jiebing Chen, and visionary animations to immerse viewers in the felt experience of energetic cultivation. Each segment reveals practical, contemplative, and scientific insight into timeless practices that awaken vitality, restore balance, and ignite the body’s innate power to heal.

Whether you are a wellness seeker, martial artist, medical professional or hungry for insight into self-care and enhanced vitality, Quantum Qi is a cinematic gateway to health, happiness, and contemplative depth—an invitation to return to the Tao—the sacred flow of life—and to nurture it within and all around you.

Original Film Title: The Christmas Writer

Director’s Name: Christin Baker

Writer’s Name: Christin Baker, Katie Williams

Producer: Scott Donley, Lissa Forehan, Phillip R. Garrett, Don Gregory, Trenton Julius, Andrew James Myers, Jack Roman

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes 45 seconds

Film Description:

A lesbian romance novelist returns to her hometown after her mother’s death, struggling with writer’s block. Meeting a single mom who owns a bookstore forces her to make a life-changing choice.