AFF 2026 WINNERS

9-MONTH CONTRACT / ᲪᲮᲠᲐᲗᲕᲘᲐᲜᲘ ᲙᲝᲜᲢᲠᲐᲥᲢᲘ

Ketevan Vashagashvili • Georgia • 2025 • 79 min • Documentary

"Ketevan, you took our hearts and broke them a little – this is also the power of cinema. Thank you for making us feel alive and capable of sparking a conversation about the darker side of a practice that is becoming increasingly common and normalized in today’s world. Thank you for raising awareness and speaking with deep humanity about unjust and asymmetrical power relationships, human trafficking, obstetric violence, and the complex, powerful love of a mother in a way that is as raw as it is beautiful. We can’t wait for the world to see your documentary and for this seed you’ve planted to grow." — Natalia Reyes, President of Features Jury

A USEFUL GHOST / PEE CHAI DAI KA

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke • Thailand, Singapore • 2025 • 130 min • Fiction

"We are awarding a film that, through its absurdist comedy, shapes a bold and distinctive cinematic voice for the future. The film captivated us with its genre-bending blend of humour and tragedy, awakening a profound rage for the voices that have been silenced. May we never forget the ghosts of our past." — Amanda Nell Eu, Features Jury

CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS

Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni • Iran, Qatar, Chile • 2025 • 94 min • Documentary

"From the very first frame of this film we find Sara, a unique and brave woman determined to stand her ground no matter the consequences. The film moves fluidly as in a motorbike between moments of hope, and the harsh reality of what being a woman still means in many parts of the world. For its powerful portrayal of freedom and its unflinching reminder of the inequalities that continue to shape the lives of millions of women." — Astrid Rondero, Features Jury

LOST LAND / HÀRÀ WATAN

Akio Fujimoto • Japan, Malaysia, Germany • 2025 • 99 min • Fiction

"A siblings’ game of hide-and-seek becomes a powerful metaphor for resilience and survival in a world where human life is often treated as expendable. Through the intimate and immersive perspective of two children, the film tells a story that becomes universal in its urgency, immediacy, and emotional depth." — Juan Sarmiento, Features Jury

RUNA SIMI

Augusto Zegarra • Peru • 2025 • 85 min • Documentary

"A film that deeply moved us, leaving a lasting impact through its sweet and tender portrayal of a protagonist struggling to preserve his identity, an identity that is inseparable from language. Transporting us into the landscapes of rural Peru, and honoring the Quechua culture, this moving film reminds us that life is rooted in an appreciation of the beauty that surrounds us: in nature, in family, in community, and in a boundless love for cinema." — Cyril Aris, Features Jury

BLUE HEART / COEUR BLEU

Samuel Suffren • Haiti, France · 2025 · 15 min · Fiction

In a burst of startling colour and imagination, we were astonished by this sudden, undeniable proof of a new filmmaking talent, whose future is as bright and vibrant as the wildly cinematic tableaux through which the story is told. Surreal slivers of imagery — telephones and sewing machines and pipe smoke curling softly into the air — spring from a place of deep love for the rich culture of the filmmaker's native Haiti, and leave us breathless, wondering how it is possible that a film about a slow death can be so full of joyful life.
— Fernando Epstein, Shorts Jury

CASA CHICA

Lau Charles • Mexico · 2025 · 26 min · Fiction

Short films speak in the language of the single moment. Lau's extraordinarily complete film is a lovely act of gratitude that builds subtly yet powerfully, to one shimmering moment — a tiny gesture of connection between a brother and a sister. Showing enormous maturity and skill, not least in the amazing performances elicited from such young stars, this is also a film of quiet daring, when across one inspired edit, it seamlessly switches perspective from one sibling to the other. To make something so difficult look so effortless, and to fill it with such grace and light is a small miracle, and we award it with our whole hearts.
— Jessica Kiang, Shorts Jury

PRESENT IN THE BIG EVENTS / PRESENTE EN LOS GRANDES EVENTOS

Pamela Andrea Martinez Barrera • Panama, Venezuela · 2025 · 21 min · Documentary

In a world that seems to grow harsher by the minute, things are constantly breaking—big things like governments and laws, and smaller, more fragile ones like hearts, and, in this compassionate and cleverly structured film, promises. The film weaves together archival memories with warm, humorous, and intimate moments, creating a moving portrait of how vast geopolitical forces shape our lives in deeply personal ways.
— Consuelo Castillo, Shorts Jury