ISN Community Film Event: Kidney Stories From Around the World

in collaboration with World Kidney Day

Capturing kidney care journeys on camera

From an indigenous community in Canada to rural areas in Sri Lanka, and from transplant journeys in India to stories of care in Colombia, the ISN Community Film Event harnesses the voices of patients, families, and healthcare workers around the world to spotlight the challenges and resilience that shape kidney care.

Since it launched in 2019 at WCN’19 in Melbourne, Australia, more than 200 films from over 40 countries have shown what’s possible when lived experience meets storytelling. These stories don’t just raise awareness… they empower others to act.

Click on each dot for a preview of each film’s description.

Watch the films and interviews with winners

“2025 ISN Film Community Best Film” winner
SACRED GIFT
Submitted by:Caroline Tait (Metis) (Indigenous Platform Lead, Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Canada); Sean Muir (First Nations)(Indigenous Story Studio, Canada); Kevin Settee (Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Canada); Craig Settee (Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Canada)
Sharron Rouse’s journey with apol1-mediated kidney disease: embracing advocacy and raising awareness
Submitted by:Olivia StMartin (Vertex Pharmaceuticals, USA); Lyndsey Scull (Vertex Pharmaceuticals, USA) ; Hayley Lambert (Vertex Pharmaceuticals, USA); Matt Gelineau (Vertex Pharmaceuticals, USA)
Positivity breeds resilience despite dialysis dependent renal failure
Submitted by:
Wan Hazlina Wan Mohamad (Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) ;Muhammad Syahmi Azman (Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); Azrini Abdul Aziz (Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
ISPD – 40 years of empowering patients on dialysis worldwide
Submitted by:International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis
Heroes de cada dia: sueños y esperanza en dialisis / everyday heroes: dreams and hope in dialysis
Submitted by:Milenka Flores Pacara (Dr Mario Ortiz Suárez “Children´s Hospital”, Bolivia)
Donate life: pablo’s story
Submitted by:Paula Marioli (Renálida, Argentina); Maximiliano Bresciano (Renálida, Argentina); Federico Mendoza Correa (Renálida, Argentina); Hugo Petrone (CUCAIBA, Argentina)
Avia’s story
Submitted by:Katrina Chau (Regional Dialysis Centre, Blacktown Hospital, Australia); Tanya Smolonogov (Regional Dialysis Centre, Blacktown Hospital, Western Sydney Local Health District, Australia)
“2024 ISN Film Community Best Film” winner
Local Strengths for Local Weaknesses: A Lifeline to Wellassa
Submitted by:Dr. Udana Ratnapala, CKD Prevention Task Forece, Monagarala, Sri Lanka
“2024 WKD Best Film” winner
An act of love, the first kidney transplant with a living donor in the history of medicine in Nariño
Submitted by:Dr. Andrea Caicedo, Fundacion Hospital San Pedro, Pasto, Colombia
Kidney Care UK Supporting Kidney Patients at the British Transplant Games
Submitted by:
Fiona Loud, Kidney Care UK, UK
Making It Possible
Submitted by:Dr. Randall Lou Meda, Fundanier, Guatemala
Prep for Change
Submitted by:Alfredo Moreno, La Isla Network, Washington, USA
The Rising Phoenix: Peritoneal Dialysis Keeping the Dreams Alive for Award-winning Baritone
Submitted by:Dr Medha Airy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
“2023 ISN Film Community Best Film” winner
HOPE SUSTAINS LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF A CKD WOMAN
Submitted by:S. SHANMUGHAM, G. Krishnan, C. Thirumavalavan, R. Sethuraman (KG Hospital, Nephrology, Coimbatore, India)
“2023 WKD Best Film” winner
OVERCOMING THE REMOTENESS WITH LOVE FOR A KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION
Submitted by:J. Restrepo (Fundacion Valle Del Lili, Department of Pediatrics, Cali, Colombia), J.M. Forero Delgadillo (Fundacion Valle Del Lili, Department of Pediatrics, Cali, Colombia), V.A. Ochoa Jiménez (Fundacion Valle Del Lili, Department of Pediatrics, Cali, Colombia), M.D.P. Duque Guevara (Fundacion Valle Del Lili, Department of Pediatrics, Cali, Colombia), A. Montenegro (Fundacion Valle Del Lili, Department of Communications, Cali, Colombia), M.I. Sánchez Vélez (Fundacion Valle Del Lili, Department of Communications, Cali, Colombia)
HIDDEN CKD PATIENTS PERSPECTIVES
Submitted by:
R. Agyekum (King’s College NHS Foundation Trust, Renal, Petts Wood, United Kingdom)
ENDURING HOPE THE STORY OF DR AKOS PETHO
Submitted by:N. Frakes (Fresenius Medical Care, Semmelweis University Dialysis Station, Budapest, Hungary); M. Frakes ( Budapest, Hungary)
RESEARCH PROVIDES HOPE FOR TRANSPLANT PATIENTS
Submitted by:R. SAPIR-PICHHADZE (McGill University, Medicine, Montréal, Canada)
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
Submitted by:K.P. Pyar (Khin Phyu Pyar/ISN/Myanmar, Department of medicine and Department of Nephrology – Defence Services Medical Academy- Yangon-Myanmar, Yangon, Myanmar)
MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERYDAY
Submitted by:T. Kanjanabuch (Faculty of Medicine- Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Center of Excellence in Kidney Metabolic Disorders, Pathum Wan, Thailand), S. Purisinsith (Health Department- Bangkok Metropolitan Administration- Bangkok- Thailand, Health Department, Bangkok, Thailand), S. Tungsanga (Division of Nephrology- Department of Medicine- Faculty of Medicine- Chulalongkorn University- Bangkok 10330- Thailand., Department of Medicine- Faculty of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand), T. Saejew (Faculty of Medicine- Chulalongkorn University, Center of Excellence in Kidney Metabolic Disorders, Bangkok, Thailand)

 

“2022 ISN Film Community Best Film” winner

For Some the Wait Never Ends
J. Meyyappan (Senior Resident, Nephrology, Lucknow, India), N. Prasad, V. Vamsidhar, S. Sabarinath  (Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Nephrology, Lucknow, India)

“2022 WKD Best Film” winner

Ilan Lavi Donates a Kidney – And Gets a Happiness Transplant
Submitted by:W. Wasser (Leumit Health Care, Department of Nephrology, Jerusalem, Israel)

Alport Story: From Personal Isolation to International Collaboration for Kidney Care
Submitted by:S. Gear (Alport UK, Patient- Patient Advocacy Group, Oxford, United Kingdom), R. Lenno (Manchester University, Wellcome Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, Manchester, United Kingdom), S. Clarke (Alport UK, Patient- Filmmaker and Action Sports Enthusiast, Reading, United Kingdom), P. Walker (Alport UK, Patient, London, United Kingdom), J. Zhang (China Alport Patient Organisation, Patient, Shanghai, China), V. Fronterè (Associazione Sindrome di Alport- A.S.A.L Onlus, Patient, Siena, Italy), A. Zealey Smith (Alport UK, Patient, Southampton, United Kingdom), N.R.H. Hassan (Alport UK, Patient, Manchester, United Kingdom), A. Jardin (Alport Syndrome Foundation, Patient, New York, United States) Y. Cai (China Alport Patient Organisation, Patient, Beijing, China)
Together We Can Change Lives
Submitted by:M. Canales (Fundacion Luz y Vida, NGO, Tegucigalpa, Honduras)
Anthony’s Story. Nocturnal Dialysis: This Game-Changing-Service Puts Patients at The Centre of Their Care, Supporting Them to Access Treatment When and How it Suits Them
Submitted by:J. Skewes, S. Gleeson, S. Morris, S. Govindarajulu, (Queensland Health, Darling Downs Kidney Service- Toowoomba Hospital- Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service, Toowoomba, Australia) B. Judd (Queensland Health, CEQ. Engage- Clinical Excellence Queensland, Brisbane, Australia), C. Mears, A. Salisbury (Queensland Health, Advancing Kidney Care 2026- Clinical Excellence Queensland, Brisbane, Australia)
Pregnancy in Dialysis Story
Submitted by:J. Santacruz (Clinica de los Riñones Menydial, Nephrology- dialysis, Quito, Ecuador), C. Santacruz (Clinica de los Riñones Menydial, Nephrology- dialysis, Quito, Ecuador,Clínica de los Riñones Menydial, Nephrology, Quito, Ecuador)
Kidney Transplantation: New Life New Hope
Submitted by:F. Nobi, T.S. Kashem, N.A.S. Begum, S.U.Z. Arefin, H.U. Rashid, S. Nomany (Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, Nephrology and Transplantation, Dhaka, Bangladesh).

“2021 ISN Film Community Best Film” winner

Life Beyond the Transplant
Submitted by: R. Pecoits Filho (Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, DOOPS Program, Ann Arbor, United States), R. Pine (Santa Casa de Curitiba Hospital, Nefrology, Curitiba, Brazil)

“WKD 2021 Best Film” winner

The Mountain in His Blood
Submitted by: J. Cledes (Fondation AUB SANTE, Nephrology – Dialysis, Saint-Gregoire, France), F. Hure (Fondation AUB Santé, Nephrology-Dialysis, Rennes, France)

Finalist

Aham Kushalini
Submitted by: S. Thukral and D.S. Ray (RTIICS, Nephrology, Kolkata, India)

Finalist

A Successful Story of an Underpriviledged Female Haemodialysis Patient
Submitted by: T.S. Kashem (Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, Nephrology, Dhaka, Bangladesh)

Finalist

A Struggle for a Normal Life
Submitted by: C. Vieira ( Hospital Ernesto Dornelles, Nephrology, Porto Alegre, Brazil), J.D. Pereira, M.A. Sivino  and C. Schlee (Hospital Ernesto Dornelles, Hospital Ernesto Dornelles, Porto Alegre, Brazil)

Finalist

Stop chronic kidney disease in rural areas
Submitted by: O. John (The George Institute for Global Health, Research and Development, New Delhi, India)

Finalist

Mehwish – Challenging the Challenges (Story of a Dialysis Patient)
Submitted by: B. Jamil (Tabba Kidney Institute- Karachi- Pakistan., Nephrology, Karachi, Pakistan)

Winner

Hope is a Walking Dream
Director: Bhargavi Paruchuri (Vijayawada, India)

ISN Community Film Finalist - Dialysis, is this the end? Finalist

Dialysis; Is it the End?
Director: Abdelrahman Ahmad Alkholy (Assiut University, Internal Medicine Department- Nephrology Unit, Assiut, Egypt)

ISN Community Film Finalist - African Transplant Story Finalist

Hope – An African Transplant Story
Director: Warle Maina ( Ideas Unplugged and The Nairobi Hospital, Kenya
embedded video link

ISN Community Film Finalist- Maternal Love Finalist

Maternal Love
Director: The National Kidney Foundation, Malaysia

ISN Community Film Finalist - Pre-dialysis Education Value Finalist

Pre-dialysis Education Value
Director: Shaikha Ali (Sand Artist Mr Luc and Medical City Ajman Nephrology, Ajman, United Arab Emirates)

ISN Community Film finalist - the one inside Finalist

The One Inside
Director: Tuta Pine

ISN Community Film Winner - Dialysis Journey of a Sarawakian Winner

Dialysis Journey of a Sarawakian
(Director: Dr. Phui Vui Eng, Sarawak General Hospital, Nephrology unit, Kuching, Malaysia)

ISN Community Film Finalist - Hope conquers all Finalist

Hope Conquers All
Director: B. Berisha, College AAB, Masive Communication, Prishtina, Kosovo

ISN Community Film Finalist - Riding the Tide of Dialysis Finalist

Riding the Tide of Dialysis
Director: P. Kopperschmidt, Fresenius Medical Care D GmbH, Global Research & Development, Schweinfurt, Germany

ISN Community Film Finalist - Art in HD Finalist

Art in Hemodialysis
Directors:
A. Baptista, Pro-Rim Foundation, Marketing Department, Joinville, Brazil
J. dos Santos, Pro-Rim Foundation, Marketing Department, Joinville, Brazil
F. Nerbass Ph.D., Pro-Rim Foundation, Research Department, Joinville, Brazil
V. Calice-Silva Ph.D., Pro-Rim Foundation, Research Department, Joinville, Brazil
D. Schmitz, Mottiva Movies, Marketing, Joinville, Brazil
M.A. Vieira, Pro-Rim Foundation, Foundation’s Chair, Joinville, Brazil

ISN Community Film Finalist - Patients Included Finalist

#PatientsIncluded
Director: N. Scholes-Robertson, Centre for Kidney Research, Beat-CKD, Armidale, Australia

ISN Commmunity Film - Dialysis Night Fever Highlight Film

Dialysis Night Fever – Stayin’ Alive
Directors:
R. Smith, Top End Health Services, Renal Services, Nightcliff, Australia
P. Lawton, Menzies School of Health Research, Wellbeing & Preventable Chronic Diseases, Darwin, Australia

 

Watch the video interviews of winners from previous editions sharing the experience about its participation.

Interview with Dr. Sabarinath Shanmugham
2023 ISN Community Best Film winner
Hope Sustains Life through the Lens of a CKD Woman

Interview with Dr. Jeyakumar Meyyappan
2022 ISN Community Best Film winner
For Some the Wait Never Ends

Interview with Dr. Roberto Pecoits-Filho
2021 ISN Community Best Film winner
Life Beyond the Transplant

Interview with Dr. Vui Eng Phui
2019 ISN Community Best Film winner
Dialysis Journey of a Sarawakian

Interview with Dr. Jaime Restrepo
2023 World Kidney Day Best Film winner
Overcoming the Remoteness with Love for a Kidney Transplantation

Interview with Dr. Huttaporn Tharapanich
Protagonist of the Film “Miracles Happen Every Day”
Miracles Happen Every Day


webpage-sumit-your-film-illustration

Submit your film for the 8th ISN Community Film Event

Key dates

  • November 5, 2025 film submission deadline
  • December 3, 2025finalist announced
  • December 5, 2025 online voting opens
  • January 6, 2026 online voting closes
  • March 9, 2026 winner announced
  • March 28-31, 2026 award ceremony + activities during WCN’26

Films are a powerful tool to raise awareness, educate, and inspire action by sharing real stories from people living with kidney disease, their families, and the healthcare professionals who support them.

Could your film be the chosen one?

The winner will be invited to join an awards ceremony at WCN’26 in Yokohama, Japan, receive a travel grant to cover trip costs, and complimentary registration (reimbursed) to attend the congress.

How to participate

We welcome films from ISN members that reflect personal, clinical, or community kidney care experiences.

Each film is a platform to:

  • Advocate for patients
  • Highlight local kidney health challenges
  • Share daily life inside hospitals and clinics
  • Thank unsung heroes
  • Raise awareness for meaningful causes

Films must be:

  • Less than 7 minutes long
  • Produced within the last 2 years
  • HD (1920×1080), 16:9 format
  • Uploaded with the filename format: Lastname_CoFe2026, e.g. Santos_CoFe2026
  • Submitted by an ISN member

When submitting your film, you’ll be asked to include:

  • A title that clearly reflects your story (max. 100 characters including spaces)
  • A short description about your film’s message, what inspired it, the story it tells, and the year it was created. Feel free to make it personal, informative, and compelling (max. 5,000 characters including spaces)
  • A few keywords to help viewers find your film online (e.g. kidney disease, transplant, patient story, dialysis, rural health, caregiver…)

The text you share may be edited and will appear on the ISN YouTube channel if your film is selected.

Selection and awards

  • A jury composed of ISN and WKD representatives will select six finalist films.
  • Online voting takes place from December 5, 2025 to January 6, 2026.
  • The most voted entry will be awarded the title of “ISN Community Best Film”.

Did you know? Since the ISN Community Film Event was launched in 2019, over 25,000 votes were cast by the ISN, WCN, and WKD communities to recognize the most impactful stories!

Award and celebration

The winner will be invited to WCN’26, in Yokohama, Japan receiving a travel grant to cover trip costs and complimentary registration (reimbursed) to attend the congress.

The following activities will be held at WCN’26:

  • Award ceremony during a congress session
  • Kidney Studio interview with the winner
  • Awareness activity at the WKD booth
  • Screenings of the winning and selected finalist films during the congress

The winner (or a representative) is strongly encouraged to take part in these events to maximize the impact of their story. More information and details will follow.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please reach out to the team at infowcn@theisn.org.