Awards & Prizes

🏆Four major awards with cash prizes opportunities 💵:

Best Feature: Competition
Best Short: Competition
Audience Choice Award (Feature & Short): All sections

What do we offer to selected filmmakers?

If selected, we will present your film at our 2026 festival at the renowned UK cinema, and may consider inviting you to a post-screening Q&A session, providing an opportunity to engage with audiences, fellow filmmakers, curators, and other industry professionals.

MINT will provide selected works and directors with a variety of screening and networking opportunities, including but not limited to theatrical release and screenings in the UK, international promotion exhibition, online screenings, filmmakers’ interviews, discussion panels, and a series of related activities. In addition, winners of the Competition have the chance to receive cash prizes, a festival laurel in recognition, exclusive in-depth interviews, and international touring exhibition and/or release opportunities. Eligible submissions which are not selected may also be considered for international screenings outside the festival period.

For example, at the first edition of MINT CFF, the winner of the Best Short Competition (Zhizi Hao, A Firecracker Story) was given a £300 by the festival to support Hao’s filmmaking endeavours.

Rules & Terms

MINT Chinese Film Festival Competition Rules and Regulations

Please read it carefully before submitting!

I. Competition Entry Guidelines

1. Eligibility:

Feature films and short films:

Feature films and short films only need to fulfil one of the below conditions to be eligible. Please read the conditions carefully and confirm eligibility before submitting films.

1. The film revolves around Chinese-related themes or elements which include but are not limited to Chinese communities, Chinese stories, Chinese perspectives, Chinese diaspora, and Chinese cultural memories.
   Or

2. The cast and/or crew of the film (including the director, producer, and main cast) are from China or Chinese-speaking regions or identify with Chinese culture in the broadest sense.
   or

3. The film revolves around Asian-related themes or elements which include but are not limited to Asian communities, Asian stories, Asian perspectives, Asian diaspora, and Asian cultural memories.
   or

4. The cast and/or crew of the film (including the director, producer, and main cast) are from Asia or identify with Asian culture in the broadest sense.

2. Deadlines:

1. Early-bird deadline: 23:59, 5th December 2025 (GMT).

2. Regular deadline: 23:59, 25th December 2025 (GMT).

*The festival recommends prospective participants submit their films as early as possible to allow the festival selection committee and the jury enough time to view, assess, and discuss the films.  Short films submitted before the early-bird deadline do not require a submission fee. 

3. Steps of Registration and Submission:

1. The festival only accepts films submitted via FilmFreeway.
   1.1）Click the button above to submit your work.
   1.2）Successful registration requires providing information and materials and submitting films as per instructions.

2. Please note that:
   2.1) Prospective participants should provide comprehensive film information and relevant materials as per the requirements listed on the submission page. Missing important information will affect the selection process. Please ensure that the email address and mobile number you use when submitting are contactable.
   2.2）Please do not submit more than one work.
   2.3) The festival requests participants to tick the option ‘Festivals may download my video upon my permission’ on FilmFreeway to allow follow-up contact regarding selection or other screening and networking opportunities.

2.4) Should you be unsure about your film’s eligibility and have any questions, please consult the festival team promptly before the Call for Entries’ regular deadline (25th December 2025) via email: mintcffteam@gmail.com.

II. Submission Requirements

1. UK Premiere Requirement:

All films must not have been released in the UK in any format, including online, before the 2026 MINT CFF (March 6-8).

Production Time:

1. Feature films (all genres) must be completed in 2025 and 2026.

2. Short films (all genres) must be completed in 2025 and 2026.

*We will prioritise films made in 2025 and 2026.

2. Format:

2.1) Films submitted should have a minimum resolution of 1920×1080p.
2.2) Should the film be selected, film copies must be provided in English subtitled DCP format, along with an English subtitled MP4 file (H.264, 1920×1080), at least 14 days before the festival’s opening. (for subtitles requirements, see the section below entitled ‘5.Subtitles’)

1. 2.3) Should the film be selected, participants need to actively cooperate with festival team as soon as the selection result was received (in mid-January 2026) to provide relevant promotional materials in both English and Chinese, including but not limited to official high-resolution posters and stills, trailers, Q&A with directors, and/or introduction videos. Resolution and format requirements for video materials are the same as above.

* Selected filmmakers who require translation services due to special reasons should contact festival team by email in advance.

3.Length:

3.1) Feature films: no less than 60 minutes.
3.2) Short films: no more than 30 minutes.

4.Genre and Content:

4.1) A wide range of genres are accepted, such as drama, narrative films, experimental films, animations, documentaries, artists’ moving images, film series (single episodes), essay films, and poetic films.
4.2) The festival does not accept advertisements, culture and tourism promotion videos, public information films, music videos, personal vlogs, and marketing clips.

5.Subtitles:

5.1) Embedded English subtitles are required for non-English films. If the film is selected, embedded bilingual (Chinese and English) subtitles are preferred, but embedded English subtitles are mandatory.

*It is recommended that all films prepare embedded bilingual subtitles in English and simplified Chinese.
5.2) In case of special circumstances, prospective participants may send the required SRT subtitle files to festival team via email.

III. Selection Criteria

1. Selection Dimensions: The assessment will be based on five dimensions which are production quality, film aesthetics, narrative structures, originality of expression, and thematic alignment (e.g. alignment with themes of this global call and the festival’s vision).

2. Selection Procedure: Once submitted, all eligible films will first be reviewed in one or two rounds by the festival programmers. Next, submissions will be forwarded to the festival selection committee for further assessment. Submissions selected by the festival selection committee will be passed on to the jury for awards voting. The official selection for the Feature Film Competition and Short Film Competition will be announced through official channels on or around 20 January 2026. Winners of major awards as decided by the jury will be announced in-person during the festival and posted online subsequently. Additionally, there will be an in-person audience vote during the festival. The film winning the most votes will be granted the Audiences Choice Award.

3. Selection Result Announcement: The festival team will notify submitters of the selected films via email after the selection process concludes before 20 January 2026. Please ensure you regularly check the email address used for submission close to that time. The selection results will also be announced on the official platforms of the festival before the event dates.

If you have not received a selection notification before the festival’s opening, it means that your film has not been selected for the 2026 MINT CFF.

IV: Event Rules

1.Obligations and Rights
1) For the Festival:
1.1) The festival shall keep all entries confidential; contents will only be used upon permission from Competition participants.
1.2) The festival may promote and screen selected entries and publicise relevant filmmakers during the festival. With the consent of Competition participants, the festival may promote and screen the selected entries and publicise relevant filmmakers outside of the festival period.
2) For Competition Participants:
2.1) Competition participants must hold full rights to their entries, or have obtained written authorisation from the rights holders. They must also ensure that they can exercise the aforementioned rights in accordance with all submission rules. Competition participants shall own and have the right to exercise their entries.
2.2) Competition participants must guarantee the legality of the entries. The entries may not violate laws and regulations in both the UK and China, infringe copyright and other rights and interests of others, or breach legitimate rights of any third party.

2. Declaration:
1) The festival does not charge screening fees from or offer subsidies to selected participants. Submissions of short films are free of charge before the early-bird deadline. Please refer to our page on FilmFreeway for further fee information.
2) All submission fees collected by the festival will be used to support the organisation and operation of the Competition and as cash prizes.
3) Entries must be original. There are not to be any intellectual property disputes. Competition participants must be the lawful copyright holders of the entries and should be able to provide screening authorization in written form as required by the festival if needed.
4) Films submitted after the regular deadline will be excluded from the selection procedure. No eligible entry may withdraw from the Competition or the screenings at will once the submission is completed.
5) All those who complete the Competition submission are considered to acknowledge and accept the festival rules and regulations. The festival reserves the ultimate right to interpret all terms and any matter not covered herein.

V. Selected Films
1. Awards and Opportunities
1) Selected films will have the opportunity to compete for the major awards: Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, and Audiences Choice Award.
2) The festival will provide selected works and directors with a variety of screening and networking opportunities, including but not limited to a standard theatrical screening in the UK, international promotion and special distribution, filmmakers’ interviews, thematic forums, and a series of derivative interactive activities. 

In addition, winners of the Competition have the chance to receive cash prizes, a festival laurel in recognition, exclusive in-depth interviews, and international touring exhibition and/or release opportunities. Eligible submissions which are not selected may also be considered for international screenings outside the festival period.

2. Film Copy Delivery Requirements
Film copies must be provided in DCP format with a minimum resolution of 2K, along with an MP4 file (H.264, 1920×1080).

3. Publicity Materials
After a film is selected, its entry information provided on FilmFreeway and promotional materials submitted will be used on the festival's official website, on the official website of the festival’s partner cinema, and in online and physical media outlets. The festival is entitled to edit and publicly use film introduction information presented through festival official channels. In case of missing and incorrect information or materials during the submission stage, they should be submitted or corrected after the films are selected.

4. Filmmaker Participation
After a film is selected, the festival will contact corresponding Competition participants to discuss their participation in the screenings, post-screening discussions, and other pre-arranged events during the festival.

5. Preservation of Premiere Status
Once a film is selected, public screenings which will affect the film's premiere status at the festival are not allowed.

6. Screening Schedule
All selected films will have at least one public screening during the festival. Screening time, dates, and venues are entirely at the discretion of the festival. The final schedule is subject to festival official announcements via email or other social media channels.

7. Festival Laurel
After a film is selected and/or awarded, the festival will provide a corresponding laurel. The film must incorporate the laurel in all formal copies and subsequent promotional materials. Modifying the laurel is strictly prohibited.

(Published in November 2025 by the MINT CFF Team)