2026 ISN Community Film Event Survey

AURENIS CHOIR: A SONG OF HOPE
Submitted by:
Paula Andrea Marioli , Renálida S.R.L., Argentina; Maximiliano Bresciano, Renálida, Argentina; Federico Mendoza Correa, Renálida, Argentina; Samanta Musi Esteberena, Renálida, Argentina

Summary
The Aurenis Choir was born on World Kidney Day 2024 at Renálida, Mar del Plata (Argentina), as a way to transform medical care into a space for community, art, and meaning. Comprised of patients, professionals, and friends, this choir turns renal care into an act of encounter, hope, and shared love. Its name, Aurenis, unites two words: Renis, which is Latin for "kidney," and Aura, the winged atmosphere that envelops life. Aurenis represents the breath that connects body and spirit, the respiration that transforms science into art, and art into medicine.
In a world where medicine advances rapidly, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) continues to represent a monumental challenge to global public health. While treatments have improved, challenges persist in addressing not only the physical symptoms but also the emotional and social impact of this disease. The Aurenis Choir responds to this need by integrating strategies that promote emotional and social well-being, complementing medical advances with the transformative power of music. Music, as a tool for communication and healing, allows us to break the silence surrounding CKD and celebrate the resilience of those facing it. Through choral singing, we seek to empower patients, foster dialogue, and demonstrate the positive impact of community cohesion in the management of chronic diseases.
Every Wednesday, our integral renal health care center becomes a rehearsal room. Patients who once arrived with fear or exhaustion find here a place to breathe together again, to listen to each other, and to heal. Collective singing becomes a symbol of strength: the illness ceases to be a limit and becomes a shared melody.
Through music, Aurenis shows that health is not reduced to numbers or diagnoses. It is relationship, presence, community. Singing together teaches us to listen, to synchronize our breathing, and to hold the note of the other when it falters. Thus, choral practice becomes a metaphor for the humanized medicine that Renálida promotes: a medicine that cures with bonds, with tenderness, and with meaning.
The film chronicles the rehearsals, testimonials, and emotions that beat beneath this project. Every voice is a fragment of history, every song a celebration of life. The images show that hope can have a sound, that science can embrace art, and that health can be sung.
"Aurenis Choir: A Song of Hope" is an invitation to remember that medicine not only repairs organs; it awakens souls. It shows that strength is built in community, and that, when voices unite, life sings again.

The nominees are:

HOME DIALYSIS THERAPY EDUCATION AND PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
Submitted by:
Murty Mantha, Cairns Hospital, Australia; Keri-Lu Equinox, Clinical nurse consultant, Home Therapy training centre, Cairns Hospital, Australia

Summary
Filmed in 2025 across Far North Queensland, this educational and promotional film highlights the power of Home Haemodialysis (Home HD) through the voices and experiences of First Nations Indigenous Australians.
Home HD uptake has been steadily declining in the region, despite its potential to transform the lives of people living with End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD). For many Indigenous Australians, ESKD brings an added burden — the need to relocate far from their family, community, and Country to access in-centre dialysis. This often leads to social isolation, cultural disconnection, and emotional distress.
Inspired by the resilience and determination of these communities, the film features First Nations patients who have embraced Home HD as ambassadors of change. Their stories demonstrate that with the right support, training, and empowerment, dialysis can return to where it belongs — close to home and community.
Through their journeys, this film aims to raise awareness, inspire confidence in Home HD, and encourage health professionals and policy makers to promote culturally sensitive, patient-centred models of kidney care.
This project was created to celebrate autonomy, resilience, and the strength of connection to Country — reminding us that healthcare works best when it supports people to stay where they belong.

IS MOTHER'S LOVE BOUND BY AGE? — IT'S TIME TO INTROSPECT AND REVISIT!
Submitted by:
Sreenidhi Chandrashekar, Sri Vasavi hospital, India

Summary
This film was shot in September 2025 at Sri Vasavi hospital Bengaluru Karnataka India. For every patient on dialysis, a kidney transplant is not just a treatment — it is a dream, a distant hope that promises freedom, health, and a return to normal life.
One such story began when a patient and his elderly mother walked into my outpatient department in August 2025. They had already been turned away from several hospitals — not because of any medical issues, but because of her age. When I met them, the mother looked at me and said, “I may be aged, but my love is not. I just want my son to be happy.”
That single sentence from a desperate mother for her son’s transplant inspired this film.
After comprehensive evaluations and careful medical assessment, she was found to be perfectly fit to donate. On September 26th, they underwent a successful kidney transplant. The surgery went smooth, and the post-operative period was uneventful. It was a story of science, resilience, and above all, unconditional maternal love.
The film also emphasizes the importance of elderly living donors with the changing demographic pattern of India. The film concludes with a tribute to all mothers who have donated kidneys.

MUSABIH
Submitted by:
Husam Alzayer, Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Medical City, Saudi Arabia; Fadhil Al-Shoulah, Dhaad for Artistic Production, Saudi Arabia

Summary
“Musabih” is an inspiring story of a patient living with kidney failure who has been undergoing dialysis for ten years, all while waiting for a kidney donor. Despite the challenges of his illness, he holds on to life—balancing his work as a teacher, his regular dialysis sessions, and his active involvement in social life and the local theater.
It is a journey of resilience that reflects hope and determination in the face of adversity.

RAY OF HOPE AGAINST ALL ODDS
Submitted by:
Bukola Jeje, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Summary
Children living with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome against all odds. The film tells the story of Afolayan Ayomide, an eighteen-year-old male who was diagnosed at 4 years of age with nephrotic syndrome at the Lagos state university Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. He has been managed by the pediatric nephrology team of the hospital since diagnosis. He is a frequent relapse, kidney biopsy was done in keeping with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
He has been on steroid sparing agents/immunosuppressants and steroids. He has gained excessive weight over the years due to the effect of chronic use of steroids. There have been recent financial challenges in view of the frequent hospital admissions and the cost of medications but he has refused to be deterred by all of these and instead he channeled his energy positively by establishing the nephrocare foundation; a foundation that helps educate other children who have been diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome and also serve as a support group to share challenges as well as give encouragement and succor.
This story was filmed in 2025 to raise awareness about children living with nephrotic syndrome and the financial challenges they face particularly children living with this condition in low resource poorly funded health care setting like Nigeria, where patients with chronic conditions like kidney diseases have to pay out of pocket for health care services. Steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome in children is financially draining as the immunosuppressants, and costs of frequent admissions are very expensive and only few people can afford them. Steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome is also emotionally draining and affects not only the physical well-being but also the emotional well-being of affected individuals.
This is a story of resilience, hope and strength, despite the challenge of being diagnosed of steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome at a very young age, Afolayan Ayomide has chosen not to lose hope but rather has been determined to adhere to treatment and help other children living with those conditions through the nephrocare foundation. Despite the challenges faced Ayomide story has proven that with the right support, commitment and treatment there is hope for a better outcome for children with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome.

THE TIDE WITHIN
Submitted by:
Attur Ravindra Prabhu, Department Of Nephrology, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India; Dharshan Rangaswamy, Department Of Nephrology, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India; Shankar Prasad Nagaraju, Department Of Nephrology, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India; Indu Ramachandra Rao, Department Of Nephrology, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India; Mohan V Bhojaraja, Department Of Nephrology, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India; Debjani Halder, Manipal Institute of Communication, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India

Summary
Filmed in 2025, this is the story of a spirited young girl from a remote village who comes from a humble background; her world is dimmed by kidney failure. Her childhood was fading like a sunset until she met a team of doctors at the nephrology department of a hospital. Does her faith in her treating doctors reclaim her future and see the sea once more?
"The Tide Within" is a poignant and encouraging docu-fiction that outlines the transitional journey of a vibrant 25-year-old girl from the sun-drenched shores of a remote village. The diagnosis of kidney failure irrevocably shatters her world, once filled with the simple joys of school, friends, and seaside dreams. Her spirited existence captures the film's opening burst of color and life. This ""sunlit world” is starkly distinguished by the cold, monochrome reality of her illness, as she and her family are plunged into a universe of hospital rooms, beeping machines, and overwhelming despair. They lose hope until they reach the hospital. Here, she meets her doctors who become inspirations for her. The narrative powerfully intertwines the science of their medical expertise with the soul of human compassion; doctors in the hospital connected with her dream of becoming a doctor, treating not just her failing kidneys but also her wounded spirit. Through a carefully managed treatment plan and unwavering emotional support, she begins her arduous climb back to health.
"The Tide Within" is more than a medical story; it is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It captures the family's despair, the pivotal moments of medical intervention, and the quiet triumphs that lead to recovery. Does the film culminate in a powerful, symbolic return to light and life as she steps out of the hospital? We wish to highlight the effect a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease has on both physical and mental status of a young person, the life altering experience on both patient and immediate family and that not all patients can undergo kidney transplant. We also wish to emphasize that maintenance hemodialysis is not just about being connected to a machine thrice a week but also challenges one faces in visiting the hospital to access therapy and support that society can give at all levels to alleviate the same.
Our vision for "The Tide Within" was to create a bridge between the unvarnished truth of a documentary and the emotional resonance of cinematic fiction. We believe that the most powerful stories about healthcare are not just found in medical charts but in the human faces behind them. Our goal was to move beyond a clinical portrayal of illness and treatment and instead immerse the audience in the emotional landscape of a child and her family navigating a life-altering crisis.

2026 ISN Community Film Event

Cast your vote for the winning film of the 8th ISN Community Film Event