CinemaWorld, the first and only pan-Asian international movie service, has announced the launch of the second edition of the CinemaSHORT Asian Short Film Competition. Encouraged by the success of the first CinemaSHORT Asian Short Film Competition in 2023, the CinemaSHORT Asian Short Film Competition is back with new award categories, a refreshed panel of international judges and the strong support of CinemaWorld’s streaming partners.
Untold Stories: A Glimpse Into The Everyday
In line with CinemaSHORT’s mission to spotlight undiscovered Asian filmmaking talents, this year’s theme “Untold Stories: A Glimpse Into The Everyday” gives centre stage to unique stories and voices of young, aspiring Asian filmmakers. The competition opens for submission in May 2025, and culminates in an Awards Gala Night in October 2025, held in Singapore, where CinemaWorld is based, where the winning films will be screened.
Key dates for the competition:
1 May – 31 July 2025: Call for Short Film Submissions
18 – 31 August 2025: Audience Choice Award Voting Period
11 September 2025: Competition Winners Announcement
10 October 2025: Awards Gala Night & Prize Ceremony
New Award Categories & Country Special Showcase
As the organising committee looks to constantly innovate and better the competition for filmmakers, CinemaSHORT has decided to introduce new award categories. Besides the Best Narrative Short Film, the competition has expanded its categories to spotlight outstanding animation filmmakers with the Best Animated Short Film award.
As the Official Regional Streamer for the second time running, mewatch by Mediacorp is also partnering with CinemaWorld to extend the Singapore Spotlight Awards (Mediacorp) to celebrate outstanding Singaporean filmmakers in light of the nation’s diamond jubilee (SG60).
New Territories, New Streaming Partners
The much-anticipated Audience Choice Award will occur over 2 weeks for Asian audiences to be the judge of the most deserving short film. CinemaWorld is thrilled to announce partnerships with streaming platforms across key markets to encourage audience voting anywhere anytime on-the-go. CinemaWorld is proud to have the following partners onboard during the Voting Phase –
- Official Regional Streamer, mewatch by Mediacorp
- Official Taiwan Streamer, MyVideo
- Official Indonesia Streamer, Cubmu by Transvision
The Panel of Judges
CinemaWorld is delighted to present an esteemed panel of judges, each bringing a wealth of experience across the global entertainment industry, who will evaluate submissions and honour the most outstanding short films:
Josune Hahnheiser – A German producer and Head of Development at Black Forest Films, based in Singapore.
Mayu Nakamura – An Emmy-nominated Japanese writer and film director known for her thought-provoking storytelling.
Phạm Gia Quý – A Vietnamese film director, producer, and the founder & CEO of Spring Auteurs, a leading Vietnam-based film company.
Mark Peregrino – A Singapore-based Filipino creative professional, serving as the Head of Creative at Nickelodeon Asia and a movie content creator/ film critic, also known as Mick Pilgrim (@mickpilgrim).
Leslie Lee – A Singaporean entertainment industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, currently mentoring media students at institutions in Singapore.
With their diverse expertise in filmmaking, production, and storytelling, the judging panel will select winners based on creativity, narrative strength, and cinematic excellence.
For more information about the Competition, please visit https://cinemashort.cinemaworld.asia/
Or follow CinemaSHORT (@cinemashortasia) on Instagram for the latest updates.
