Around International Film Festival: Back to the Roots

Around International Film Festival is an independent cinematic awards event that is quickly catching attention for its one-of-a-kind structure and its immense support of independent cinema. Its four festivals in Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin, reunited under the same name, present competition categories among which Best Feature Film or Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Music Video, Student Film, Experimental Film, and many more. The film submissions for the festival come from all over the world and by the thousands, and the online edition of 2020 was a success among the participants, who were all incredibly satisfied by the atmosphere and gladly joined the Around Films community.

The adventure of ARFF began 8 years ago online, with the idea of a festival that could be attended from any corner of the planet, representing countless countries in its lineup. With the current pandemic going on, many festivals and events have moved online, and for its 2020 edition, last December ARFF has decided as well to go “back to its roots”, reconfirming its online potential after years of in-person events. The festival presents a four-in-one structure, presenting four (and now five) events every single year. In addition to the 2021 editions of ARFF Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin, this year the team welcomes WSXA International Awards 2021, by merging together with ARFF Barcelona in March.

Director of the Festival Onno Mara mentions that “Just as the rising new era came along with the “Grand Conjunction’’ in the sky, we will continue our journey on planet Earth as ARFF International & WSXA by taking charge of the network gatherings in each city together with WScreenShowCase. In 2020, through the platform Filmocracy, the festival was available for streaming from all over the world with participation from over 110 countries, in its four major events.”

This past year’s edition featured all four international events in subsequent days: ARFF Barcelona on December 26th, ARFF Paris December 27th, ARFF Amsterdam December 28th, ARFF Berlin December 29th and closing up with the Winners Announcement which happened on the 30th through the online festival and ARFF’s blog, Fest Regards.

The festival presented an incredibly wide range of genres and formats, for everyone’s taste: from feature films to shorts, documentaries to music videos, and student films to experimental creations. Filmmakers of any background and experience were welcome, from all over the world, and of any age as well, 18-72. The festival’s staff picks and the exclusive mentions, as well as the signature Globe Award, really value the exceptional talent that could come from anywhere and be assigned to filmmakers (and films) who really outdid themselves. The Q&As, featuring moderators Henriett Tunyogi and Bastiaan Rook, was a success among the audience and filmmakers and brought to great moments of participation and exchange between artists sharing the same love for cinema.

A small regression on the festival’s structure brings out its truly unique approach. Due to its four-in-one composition, the platform has a lot going on and it may seem confusing at first, but the structure is actually quite simple. The festival accepts submissions year-round, and every month presents its set of winners. Aside from this, the jury selects what is considered the “Best Of The Best”, truly outstanding filmmakers who get to shine on at one of the four mentioned yearly events in either Spain, France, Netherlands, or Germany. So it is always a good time to jump on this festival, since even if a fest just wrapped up, one is just Around the corner, for an engagement that lasts all year.

The winners come from any corner of the world, from Iran to Argentina, from Switzerland to China, and may be viewed on the festival’s official blog, Fest Regards. The variety among the winners shows there is not only one way to make a winning piece, each one made first-class films their own original way. Since their work will be available on Filmocracy Premium, we do invite you to take a look and “judge” for yourselves. From all of the ARFF Staff, sincere congratulations go to the winners of the 2020 editions.

The event promoted community building and networking and allowed a true appreciation of amazing content. But who got to decide what really classified as the “best of the best”? An A-list jury of course, so let’s take a look at the 2020 edition’s jurors. Full biographies are available as well on the festival’s official blog, Fest Regards.

Katherine Castro – Award-winning Dominican Republic-born actress Katherine Castro is making waves with her diverse background, talent, and passion.

Harley Wallen – A prolific Swedish filmmaker who has starred in over 40 feature films and directed a dozen, many of which have won ARFF international awards.

Sonalii Castillo – Sonalii Castillo keeps pushing the boundaries of acting and storytelling on the side of her modeling career.

Michael B. Katz – is both an actor and a lawyer who operates an entertainment law firm located in various cities in Florida – United States, as well as ”Around the World”.

Libby Munro – Libby is an Australian actress and writer who has won multiple awards for her stage work with Queensland Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company, and The Ensemble Theatre.

Billie Rae Bigsby – A director of unique & experimental events, which she has hosted Around the world in great cities such as London, Berlin, New York, Shanghai, and Dubai.

Iliona Blanc – Iliona’s storytelling is strongly inspired by European filmmaking, culture, and fashion. Her music video work is visually stimulating, provocative, and edgy.

Summa Cilem – Both a photographer and a filmmaker, her self-curated shows and photographic work have been published in French Fries Magazine, HART Magazine, 7 Hues Magazine, Velonte Magazine, The Rebel, Elegant & Picton Magazines.

Federico Alotto – As an independent writer/director he has accrued multiple international awards and received praise from film festivals, press, critics, and industry experts.

Andrea Zirio – Works in theater and film, where he has starred in productions around the world. Andrea Zirio is known for “Ulysses – A Dark Odyssey” (2016) alongside Danny Glover and Udo Kier, “Richard the Lionheart” (2013), “Richard the Lionheart: Rebellion” (2014) alongside Malcolm McDowell, and many more.

Yuri + Ana – Working together for 11 years, the duo has shot for brands including L’Oréal, Adidas, Avon, Natura, Osklen, Riachuelo, Bottletop, and collaborated with magazines such as GQ, Vogue, Glamor, L’Officiel, Elle, and Instyle.

ARFF International would also like to thank all the precious collaborators from Fest Regards and the Astrall Story Filmmakers via IMDb, who are ready to finalize a one-of-a-kind Collab-Film, coming in 2021 to make a new history altogether.

Heiner Mühlenbrock – Consultant & The Awards Presenter
Margaret Duggan – Content Manager & Online Coordinator
Gaisha Madanova – Content Manager
Emre Küçükosman – P.Production Supervisor
Göksel Hizlikul – Web & IT Manager
Eda Kaymaz – Graphic & Illustration

One last thing: The event featured screenings, networking events, and Q&As with the filmmakers, so the online event presented all the features of an in-person festival, also adding the fact that one could participate from any corner of the world, and enjoy the festival with friends and family from home. To discover more about the filmmakers who were involved, the Q&A sessions, and the festival winners, take a look at Fest Regards, an ARFF International Blog. Supporting independent filmmaking and appreciating such breathtaking films has never been more important!

As they always like to say, “See you Around!”

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