So you made a short film — what do you do next? Heres a guide to the film festivals in Malaysia and Asia

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So you made a short film — what do you do next? Here's a guide to the film festivals in Malaysia and Asia

There are a handful of Malaysian film festivals new filmmakers can show their work in. — Picture by Choo Choy May

By Jared Wee

Sunday, 18 Aug 2024 7:00 AM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, August 18 — Congratulations! After blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of money, you’ve made your first short film.

So what’s next?

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If you plan to submit your precious passion project to film festivals for the first time, it can be overwhelming.

There are many film festivals in Malaysia and within the Asian, region so which are the ones you should pay attention to?

Malay Mail is here to help you out, with our comprehensive, and handy guide to Malaysian and Asian film festivals you should submit to.

What you should know about film festivals

After seeing photos of Hollywood celebrities walking down the red carpet in glamorous suits and dresses, you may think film festivals are exclusive and glamourous events like The Oscars.

But film festivals are simply film marketplaces, platforms for filmmakers to show their latest work and to connect with other filmmakers, producers, and financiers.

The most famous international film festivals in the world known as the ‘Big Five’, are Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Sundance with Busan, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong for Asia.

Before you enter a film festival there are important things you need to note:

1. Film festivals are all different

Not all film festivals are made equal, some are catered to award-winning films, others prefer low-budget indie darlings, and others screen genre fare like horror, comedy, or action.

It’s important to check previous films from the festival and see if your film matches what the festival accepts; for example a gory horror short won’t be accepted by a children's animated film festival.

Also be wary of festivals which promote themselves to be bigger than what they actually are.

2. Some film festivals are not free

Most Malaysian film festivals do not require a submission fee, however, the same can’t be said for international festivals.

If you are ambitious, set aside a budget for bigger festivals or try to make the best with what local and regional festivals have to offer.

3. Know your desired festival’s guidelines

Take some time to read each festival’s film guidelines for short films or feature-length submissions and see if your film is eligible.

For short film festivals, it’s common to not allow films longer than 10-15 minutes unless they are ‘really good’; this is due to the large amount of submissions for the jury to judge.

Also note the use of copyrighted footage or music in your projects may disqualify them.

4. Pay attention to the festival season

Film festivals open their submission at a certain time so they can launch their festival at a select time.

In Malaysia, festival submissions usually open in the first half of the year so that the festival can be held at the end of the year, but this varies depending on the festival.

Some filmmakers time their production in order to align with festival season, but as a beginner prioritise spending as much time to make your first project the best it can be.

Film festivals give a platform for filmmakers to promote their latest work, meet other peers, and attend workshops. — Picture courtesy of SeaShorts

Malaysian Film Festivals

BMW Shorties (Open Now)

Started: 2006
Films Accepted: Short films from various genres, focusing on local Malaysian talent.
Dates: Typically held in November.
Submissions for Short Films: July 29 - September 30, 2024
Where: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Website: https://www.bmwshorties.com.my/
Submission Fees: Free

Note: BMW Shorties only allows original short films that have not been submitted to other Malaysian or international film festivals. Which means if you want to submit, BMW Shorties must be the first festival you submit your short to.

SeaShorts

Started: 2017
Films Accepted: Southeast Asian short films.
Dates: Usually runs in September.
Submissions for Short Films: Typically open from January to May.
Where: Alternates between various cities in Malaysia
Website: https://www.seashorts.org/
Submission Fees: May have fees for international submissions; local submissions are free

Mini Film Festival

Started: 2004
Films Accepted: Student films and independent short films from Malaysia and beyond.
Dates: Held annually in July.
Submissions for Short Films: Usually open from February to April.
Where: Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Website: https://www.instagram.com/minifilmfestival/?hl=en
Submission Fees: Typically free for student and local independent films

Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival (KKIF)

Started: 2009
Films Accepted: International and local films, with a focus on stories from Borneo.
Dates: Usually held in July.
Submissions for Short Films: Typically open from January to March.
Where: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Website: https://www.kkiff.com/
Submission Fees: Generally has submission fees, varying by category

Freedom Film Festival

Started: 2003
Films Accepted: Socially conscious and topical documentaries and films.
Dates: Usually runs in September.
Submissions for Short Films: Typically open from March to June.
Where: Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Website: https://freedomfilm.my/
Submission Fees: Free

Other Film Festivals in Asia to Remember

Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF)

Started: 1987
Films Accepted: International and Asian feature films and short films.
Dates: Held annually in November/December.
Submissions for Short Films: Usually open from May to August.
Where: Singapore
Website: https://sgiff.com/
Submission Fees: Typically has submission fees, varying by category. There is an early bird period which is free.

Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival

Started: 2006
Films Accepted: Asian feature films and short films.
Dates: Held annually in November.
Submissions for Short Films: Typically open from April to July.
Where: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Website: https://jaff-filmfest.org/
Submission Fees: Generally has submission fees.

MiniKino Film Week

Started: 2015
Films Accepted: International short films with various themes.
Dates: Usually runs in October.
Submissions for Short Films: Typically open from January to April.
Where: Bali, Indonesia
Website: https://minikino.org/
Submission Fees: May charge submission fees, but often has fee waivers available

Busan International Film Festival

Started: 1996
Films Accepted: Asian and international feature films and short films.
Dates: Held annually in October.
Submissions for Short Films: Usually open from February to May.
Where: Busan, South Korea
Website: https://www.biff.kr/
Submission Fees: Typically has submission fees, especially for international films

Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival

Started: 2015
Films Accepted: Films from ASEAN countries.
Dates: Usually runs in July.
Submissions for Short Films: Typically open from February to April.
Where: Bangkok, Thailand
Website: https://www.baff.go.th/
Submission Fees: Usually free for ASEAN country submissions

To submit your films to festivals beyond Asia you can use platforms like FilmFreeway, a simplified platform to allow you to send your short films to festivals worldwide.

https://filmfreeway.com