GhwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival (former Asiana International Short Film Festival) ()

Festival start: 14 October 2021      Festival end: 19 October 2021

The 19th GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival(GISFF2021, former Asiana International Short Film Festival) is presented by the GwangHwaMun Executive Committee.

Cash Prizes: 46,000€

1) International Competition
Open for international short films, the awards are as follows;

Grand Prize
- 15 million Won (KRW), a trophy
Special Jury Award
- 5 million Won (KRW), a trophy
GISFF Rock Award
- 3 million Won (KRW), a trophy
MovieBloc Audience Award
- 1 million Won (KRW)


2) Korean Competition
Open for Korean short films, the awards are as follows;

Grand Prize
- 5 million Won (KRW), a trophy
Special Jury Award
- 3 million Won (KRW), a trophy
Face in Shorts Award
- 2 million Won (KRW), a trophy

3) New Filmmaker
Open for Korean filmmakers with the debut film, the award is as follows;

New Filmmaker Award
- 2 million Won (KRW), a trophy

* In addition to the awards stated above, there will be more awards sponsored by the festival’s corporate partner.

1. Organization
The 19th GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival(GISFF, former Asiana International Short Film Festival) is presented by the GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival Executive Committee.

2. Objectives

2.1 GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival, as an international competitive film festival, will introduce diverse genres of short films to the international audiences and contribute to establishing the festival’s filmmakers in the international community.

2.2 GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival aims to expand the alternative arena of distribution and marketing of short films, through post-festival screenings.

3. Festival Dates and Venue
The festival will be held from October 14 to October 19 of 2021 in the heart of Seoul, Korea.

4. Program
GISFF2021 consists of International Competition, Korean Competition, New Filmmaker and non-competitive Special Program.

4.1 International Competition
Open for international short films, the awards are as follows;

Grand Prize
- 15 million Won (KRW), a trophy

Special Jury Award
- 5 million Won (KRW), a trophy

GISFF Rock Award
- 3 million Won (KRW), a trophy

MovieBloc Audience Award
- 1 million Won (KRW)

4.2 Korean Competition
Open for Korean short films, the awards are as follows;

Grand Prize
- 5 million Won (KRW), a trophy

Special Jury Award
- 3 million Won (KRW), a trophy

Face in Shorts Award
- 2 million Won (KRW), a trophy

4.3 New Filmmaker
Open for Korean filmmakers with the debut film, the award is as follows;

New Filmmaker Award
- 2 million Won (KRW), a trophy

* In addition to the awards stated above, there will be more awards sponsored by the festival’s corporate partner.

4.4 Special Program
The festival programmer will select and invite outstanding films that best express the themes for Special Program Sections.

5. Eligibility of International Competition

5.1 GISFF2021 accepts short films produced after January 2020, in any type or genre of fiction/non-fiction, animation/live action film with a maximum 30 minutes in length. For all submissions, only Korean Premiere must be accepted.

5.2 The screening print format should be one of the below list. The list is sorted by priority.
① Digital File (*Same or better quality with Apple ProRes 422 HQ / H.264)
② DCP

※ If you have other formats, please contact the person in charge first.

5.3 Unless dialogue is in English, the print or the video should have English subtitles.

5.4 The submission deadline is July 15, 2021.

5.5 The entry fee is none.

5.6 How to submit your film
Register your film at https://festhome.com and upload the preview (English subtitles are required for non-English dialogues).

※ The preview copy must be the same version as the print or the video to be screened at the festival.

5.7 After you receive the official invitation letter from the program team, you should send all the required materials to the festival office. All documents must be in English, and digital publicity materials must be received NO LATER THAN August 29, 2021 via the AISFF program team’s email.

5.8 Required Publicity Materials (Only for the selected Films)
- Entry Form
- Synopsis (2-3 lines)
- Director’s bio & filmography
*If there are any filmographies, please list films up to three.
- Director's statement
- 1 photo of the director(s) (Image files must be over 300dpi)
- At least 3 stills (Image files must be over 300dpi)
- Dialogue lists (English & Original language)
(The original language in Chinese, Japanese, and French are required.)
- Downloadable preview screener with English subtitles (final version)
- The list of previous festival screenings and awards
- Other promotional materials: trailer, press kit, poster, soundtrack, etc. (optional)

6. Selection for International Competition

6.1 The films for International Competition will be selected by the festival programmer and the preliminary jury, and be officially and individually announced on the festival website and via email after August 27, 2021.

6.2 International Competition Juries are appointed by the festival executive committee.

6.3 The selected films for International Competition cannot be withdrawn after the announcement of selection.

6.4 The submitted materials will not be returned.

7. Shipment of Prints and Liability

7.1 The screening prints for the selected film in the International Competition must arrive at the festival office before September 13, 2021.

7.2 The screening prints for the selected film in the Special Program must arrive at the festival office before September 13, 2021.

7.3 Immediately after the shipment of the screening prints, the sender must inform the festival office an indication of the method and date. Also, the original copy of the invoice including the name of the sender, the film title, the format of screening prints and the condition of film must be sent with the shipment.

7.4 The festival covers the cost of shipment only if the screening print is sent via the official courier service designated by the festival. When another courier service is preferable, the cost will be determined under the negotiation with the GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival Executive Committee.

7.5 All prints will be returned to the address stated in the entry form within 4 weeks after the closing day of the festival.

8. Insurance

8.1 The official courier service of GISFF is insured for the liability of round-way print shipments.

8.2 In case the print is damaged or lost while in the festival’s possession, GISFF will be responsible for the costs involved in making a new print. If the print is subtitled, the festival will reimburse the subtitling costs as well.

9. Use of Promotional Excerpts

9.1 GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival reserves the right to use images from the films selected for marketing purposes (web, print media and television).

9.2 The excerpts from the submitted films may be used for the festival publicity. The total duration of the excerpts from the films is at a maximum of 3 minutes of the film’s length for the EPK clips. In need of exceeding this length, the festival will confer with the corresponding copyright holder.

9.3 The submitted trailers may be used for the festival promotion.

9.4 All submitted documents and materials would be used to publish the GISFF2021 catalogues.

10. Post-Festival screenings
The festival aims to promote the following screenings to expand the market of short films and independent films for alternative distribution.

11. Authorizations
For all selected films, the festival has the right to;

11.1 Screen the film no more than three times during the festival.

11.2 Make a digital copy of the film with Korean subtitles for screening purposes. It will not cause any loss of image quality and the copy will be strictly maintained in the festival office. The copy will be destroyed after the festival.

11.3 Keep screeners in its archive for non-circulating/non-profit use and educational purposes (see above article 10). The public screening will not occur without written consent from the rights holder.

11.4 Use 10% of the original contents of the film, up to a maximum of three minutes, for publicity and online purposes.

11.5 Use all publicity materials to promote the festival.

12. Agreement
Submission certifies that all film and music rights and clearances have been obtained. It is assumed that regulations are in force once film distributors, agents, or producers submit their signed entry form to GwangHwaMun International Short Film Festival.