2024 MUST Chinese Youth Film Festival: Call for Submissions is Now Open

1. Event Overview

In 2024, the MUST Chinese Youth Short Film Competition will evolve into the newly expanded MUST Chinese Youth Film Festival. This event will officially collaborate with the China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, and will be known as the "2024 MUST Chinese Youth Film Festival and Golden Rooster Film Exhibition (Macao)." The festival aims to support and discover emerging talents among young Chinese-speaking filmmakers globally, foster cultural exchange, and nurture new creative talents in the digital film and television landscape.

2. Event Organization

The "2024 MUST Chinese Youth Film Festival and Golden Rooster Film Exhibition (Macao)" will take place in Macao from November 25 to 30. The festival is organized by the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in collaboration with the China Film Association, and co-hosted by the Academy of Film of MUST and the Macao Future Film Innovation and Research Center of the Chinese Collegial Association for Visual Art.

3. Registration Details

(1) All submissions must comply with the laws and regulations of the Macao Special Administrative Region and Mainland China.

(2) Entries must be original works created by the submitting team, which must confirm ownership of the copyright. The organizers will not be liable for any copyright disputes and reserve the right to disqualify teams and reclaim awards if necessary.

(3) By entering, all participants grant the organizing committee the right to use their works for non-commercial promotional purposes.

4. Competition and Submission Requirements

Chinese-speaking filmmakers aged 14-40 worldwide (with at least one member of the main creative team meeting this age requirement) are eligible to submit their works.

(1) Eligible entries must be video works produced after January 1, 2023.

(2) Works must include complete opening titles, closing credits, dialogues, narrations, music, and credits for the main creative team.

(3) Subtitles must be provided in both Chinese and English.

(4) There are no restrictions on themes. The short film categories include narrative, documentary, animated, and AIGC short films. Narrative, documentary, and animated films must not exceed 40 minutes, while AIGC films must be no longer than 10 minutes.

(5) There are no restrictions on aspect ratio; however, the video format must be a commonly used type such as MOV or MP4, with a high definition resolution (1080p or higher) and a maximum file size of 5GB. Please avoid adding any watermarks that may obstruct viewing.

5. Award Categories

(1) Film Awards (Each award carries a prize of 10,000 Macanese Patacas):

- Best Narrative Short Film

- Best Documentary Short Film

- Best Animated Short Film

- Best AIGC Short Film

(2) Individual Awards (Each award carries a prize of 5,000 Macanese Patacas):

- Best Directing

- Best Screenplay

- Best Cinematography

- Best Actor

- Best Sound Recording

- Best Art Direction

- Best Editing

- Best Visual Effects

and so on

6. Registration and Submission Process

(1) Registration Progress

Participants must complete the _Registration Form_ and email it to the organizing committee at myff@must.edu.mo by November 5, 2024. The email subject should follow the format: "2024 MUST Chinese Youth Film Festival + Entry Category + Short Film Title + Duration." Each participant may submit a maximum of two films.

(2) Submission Process

Participants must provide a link to their entry (via Baidu Netdisk or other methods like GOOGLE DRIVE with permanent download access) to the organizing committee's email or submit via USB drive by 23:59 on November 5, 2024 (online sharing is recommended). Submitted works and media will not be returned.

Each submissions must include:

① The short film and its trailer, named according to the entry category + short film title + duration

② One horizontal and one vertical version of the film poster (both JPG and source files in PSD, AI)

③ Two stills from the film

④ Electronic copies of the front and back of the IDs of the main creative team members

⑤ The Registration Form in WORD format and a signed copy of the Registration Form

⑥ A signed Originality Commitment Statement

If mailing submissions, all related costs such as shipping and insurance must be covered by the registrant. The submission deadline will be determined by the actual date the materials arrive at the university. All materials submitted will not be returned, so please ensure to keep backups.

7. Selection Process

Preliminary Selection Committee: The organizer will select nominees for each award category.

Final Selection Committee: Senior professionals from the film industry will serve as final judges.

8. Event Timeline

Call for Entries: October 20, 2024 - November 5, 2024

Selection Period: November 6, 2024 - November 20, 2024

Festival Activities: November 25, 2024 - November 30, 2024

9. Event Inquiries

Academy of Film, Macau University of Science and Technology

Email: myff@must.edu.mo

Contact Phone: 853-88972973

Address: Room 306, Building R, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macao

Office Hours: Monday-Friday (excluding public holidays) 09:00-13:00 & 14:30-18:00

2024 MUST Chinese Youth Film Festival-Enrollment form and commitment letter