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ECG2025
Open Call for Films: Eye Catcher Short Awards

Eye Catcher Global 2025 (ECG2025) is coming back with the brand-new image and content. Ignite the Spark: Authentic Voices, Worldwide Impact!

Introducing our debut edition of Eye Catcher Short Awards, designed for filmmakers from Hong Kong and across Asia! In collaboration with local universities and cultural institutions, the Awards features 7 categories: AI-Generated, Animation, Dance Video, Documentary, Drama, Music Video and Student. Now calling for new entries! ALL Shorts produced on or after 20 June 2023 are welcome!

Programmer / director from important film festival(s) will be invited to head the jury panel for both Awards! Shortlisted applicants will be invited to Workshops / Talks, Screenings and the Awards Ceremony, competing for Cash Prizes, 3 Major Awards and 4 Special Awards. Sponsorship to overseas film festivals trips will be awarded to winners for opportunities on exchanging ideas and connecting with industry professionals. 

Don’t hesitate—submit your work now!

Important Dates

Submission Deadline: 20 June 2025 (Fri), 11:59 PM (GMT+8:00 Hong Kong Time)
Shortlist Announcement: July 2025
Awards Ceremony & Related Events: Start from August 2025

Awards

For Shortlisted Films in All Categories

  • Each shortlisted film will receive a certificate. 
  • 1 winner per category will be awarded HKD 5,000 (approximately USD 640) and a Certificate of Merit.

All Shortlisted Films will compete for the 3 Major Awards

  • Eye Catcher Grand Award (1 winner) – HKD 10,000 (approx. USD 1,280) cash prize as a sponsorship of the trip to attend the Sundance Film Festival in the USA in January 2026
  • Eye Catcher Best Short Award (Hong Kong) (1 winner) – HKD 8,000 (approx. USD 1,020) cash prize as a sponsorship of the trip to attend the Singapore International Film Festival in December 2025
  • Eye Catcher Best Short Award (Asia) (1 winner) – HKD 8,000 (approx. USD 1,030) cash prize as a sponsorship of the trip to attend an Asian Film Festival (Platform BUSAN, Minikino Film Week or others, details to be confirmed)

Special Awards
To reflect the values that we recognise and embrace, several Special Awards will be introduced:

  • Children’s Award – Selecting the exceptional film created for children and / or brings awareness to children’s issues
  • Humanitarian Award – honouring the film that brings awareness to global humanitarian issues from a unique and creative perspective
  • Queer Award – recognising the most outstanding film that explore LGBTQIA+ themes
  • Tree of Life Award – Acknowledging the best film that addresses mental health awareness

Remarks:
1. For the Eye Catcher Best Short Award (Hong Kong), the director(s) and at least half of the key creative team (director(s), producer(s) and screenwriter(s)) must be Hong Kong permanent residents.
2. For the Eye Catcher Best Short Award (Asia), the director(s) and at least half of the key creative team must be nationals or permanent residents of Asian countries or regions (excluding Hong Kong).
3. If the jury panel determines that the shortlisted films do not meet the required standards, they reserve the right to withhold any awards and the associated cash prizes.

Basic Rules & Regulations

1. Eye Catcher Short Awards is one of the ECG2025 events, presented by Eye Catcher.
2. There are 7 categories in Eye Catcher Short Awards including AI-Generated, Animation, Dance Video, Documentary, Drama, Music Video and Student.
3. To ensure fairness, any juror involved in a submitted film must declare a conflict of interest and refrain from participating in the judging of that particular film.
4. There is no limit to the number of films an applicant may submit or the number of categories they may apply for. A single film may be submitted to multiple categories.
5. Films that have previously been submitted to other competitions or film festivals, or have received awards in other competitions, are also eligible for submission.
6. Submitted films must be produced on or after 20 June 2023.
7. All submitted films must comply with the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
8. Applicants must be the copyright holders of the submitted film or have obtained proper authorisation for the use of all materials involved.
9. If the film has received support / sponsorship from any organisation and / or academic institution, such support must be clearly declared.
10. The submission deadline is 20 June 2025 (Fri) at 11:59 PM (GMT+8:00, Hong Kong Time). Once submitted, the film is considered as final for selection and cannot be modified or replaced.
11. If any applicant or winner is found to have provided false, misleading, dishonest or inaccurate information, or violates any rules or regulations, Eye Catcher reserves the sole and absolute right to disqualify their submission or revoke their award. All decisions made by Eye Catcher are final and binding.
12. By submitting a film, applicants agree to abide by all rules & regulations of Eye Catcher Short Awards. Eye Catcher holds the sole and absolute discretion to make final decisions on any matters not covered in the awards’ rules & regulations and application form. Eye Catcher also reserves the right to revise the rules & regulations and forms at any time and to modify the details and arrangements of Eye Catcher Short Awards at ECG2025 without prior notice.

Application Guidelines and Methods

  1. AI-Generated

Eligibility:

  • No age restrictions.
  • At least half of the key creative team (director(s), producer(s) and screenwriter(s)) must be nationals or permanent residents of Asian countries or regions. *1

Submission Requirements:

  • The primary element and tool in production must be artificial intelligence (AI) technology; no restrictions on themes or formats.
  • Maximum length: 15 minutes (including end credits).
  1. Animation

Eligibility:

  • No age restrictions.
  • At least half of the key creative team (director(s), producer(s) and screenwriter(s)) must be nationals or permanent residents of Asian countries or regions.

Submission Requirements:

  • Must be an animation work; no restrictions on themes, formats and animation techniques.
  • Maximum length: 15 minutes (including end credits).
  1. Dance Film

Eligibility:

  • No age restrictions.
  • At least half of the key creative team (director(s), producer(s) and screenwriter(s)) must be nationals or permanent residents of Asian countries or regions.

Submission Requirements:

  • Dance must be the primary creative element; no restrictions on themes or formats.
  • Maximum length: 15 minutes (including end credits).
  1. Documentary

Eligibility:

  • No age restrictions.
  • At least half of the key creative team (director(s), producer(s) and screenwriter(s)) must be nationals or permanent residents of Asian countries or regions.

Submission Requirements:

  • Must be a documentary film; no restrictions on themes or formats.
  • Maximum length: 5 to 40 minutes (including end credits).
  1. Drama

Eligibility:

  • No age restrictions.
  • At least half of the key creative team (director(s), producer(s) and screenwriter(s)) must be nationals or permanent residents of Asian countries or regions.

Submission Requirements:

  • Must be a drama film; no restrictions on themes or formats.
  • Maximum length: 15 minutes (including end credits).
  1. Music Video

Eligibility:

  • No age restrictions.
  • At least half of the key creative team (director(s), producer(s) and screenwriter(s)) must be nationals or permanent residents of Asian countries or regions.

Submission Requirements:

  • Music must be the primary creative element; no restrictions on themes or formats.
  • Maximum length: 15 minutes (including end credits).
  1. Student

Eligibility:

  • The director(s) must be full-time or part-time student(s) *2, 3.
  • At least half of the key creative team (director(s), producer(s) and screenwriter(s)) must be nationals or permanent residents of Asian countries or regions.

Submission Requirements:

  • No restrictions on themes or formats.
  • Maximum length: 15 minutes (including end credits).

Remarks:

  1. Nationals or permanent residents must hold a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card or permanent residency rights in the Hong Kong SAR, or a passport or permanent residency under the list of Asian countries and regions taken from the United Nations: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/#fn1
  2. A valid student identification document (e.g. student ID card or transcript) must be provided.
  3. If the work is collaboratively created, all director(s) must be students. Otherwise, ECG2025 reserves the right to reassign the work to a suitable category and make the final decision on eligibility.
  1. The Application Fee is USD 10 (approx. HKD 80). This fee is non-refundable under any circumstances.
  2. Identity Document Copy(ies) (Identity Card / Passport) for key creative team members (director(s), producer(s) and screenwriter(s)).
  3. Video Format: (Upload via FilmFreeway with the following specifications):
    a.     Resolution: 1280 x 720
    b. File Format: MOV / MP4
    c. Video Codec: ProRes 422 in MOV / H.264 in MP4
    d. Bitrate: 4000 kbps
    e. Size: Maximum 10GB
    f. English subtitles is mandatory 
    g. Vimeo or YouTube links are acceptable for FilmFreeway
  4. Other Documents of the Film:
    (Applicants with Chinese-language films must submit materials in both Chinese and English, while others may submit in English only.)
    a. Completion date of the film
    b. Synopsis (up to 100 words in English and 150 words in Chinese)
    c. Director’s statement (up to 100 words in English and 150 words in Chinese)
    d. Director’s biography and filmography (up to 100 words in English and 150 words in Chinese)
    e. Two posters or stills of your film. Requirements are as follows:
    – File Format: JPEG/PNG/TIFF at 300 dpi or higher.
    – Please provide 1 landscape and 1 portrait respectively
    f. A director’s photo. Requirements are as follows:
    – File Format: JPEG/PNG/TIFF at 300 dpi or higher.

Film Project Submission

1. All submissions for Eye Catcher Short Awards must be applied and submitted via FilmFreeway: 

2. Applicants must create an account on FilmFreeway by clicking “Sign Up” on the top menu and following the instructions.

3. Applicants must add their submission to the system, please fill in all applicable information and upload the required files. Multiple submissions can be added using the same account.

4. Applicants must upload copy(ies) of identification documents:
a. If the film is collaboratively created, all key creative members must upload copies of their ID documents.
b. If the film is under the Student category, all director(s) must upload a valid student identification document (e.g. student ID card or transcript).
c. Please upload all copies of identification documents and other supplementary materials via the “Files and Attachment” section in the “View Project” interface.
d. All documents will be used solely for verifying eligibility and will be destroyed after verification.

5. Participants must click “Submit Now” on FilmFreeway, select “Add to Cart and Checkout,” and pay the application fee to complete the process. Incomplete submissions will not be considered eligible.

6. All applications must be submitted by 11:59 AM (GMT+8:00 Hong Kong Time) on 20 June 2025 (Fri). Late submissions or incomplete entries will not be accepted.

Screenings

  1. The copyrights of the film belong to the creative team. Eye Catcher has the rights to present / screen the awarded and / or shortlisted films for ECG2025.
  2. If the film is shortlisted and / or awarded in Eye Catcher Short Awards, Eye Catcher and its sponsors and partners shall have the rights to use no more than 3 minutes of footage or 10% of the total running time of the film (whichever is longer), along with the text and images provided by the applicant, for promotional purposes in any and all media. The applicant shall not claim any copyright infringement against Eye Catcher for such usage.
  3. If a film is shortlisted in Eye Catcher Short Awards, Eye Catcher has the rights to:
    a. present and screen the film during the Eye Catcher Short Awards. And,
    b. with prior and duly notice to applicants, arrange Hong Kong, overseas and online non-commercial screenings within a year after the awards ceremony.
  4. Under the Film Censorship Ordinance (Cap. 392), all films and video work for screening or exhibition must be submitted to the Office for Film, Newspaper and Articles Administration for examination.
  5. A high resolution (1920 x 1080) presentation copy (ProRes MOV) of the shortlisted films should be provided to Eye Catcher in July 2025. The screening version must be identical to the version submitted for the Awards.

【Personal Information Collection Statement】

1. We are committed to protecting your personal data and other information in compliance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of the Hong Kong SAR. All of the personal information collected through this application form will be used solely for the purpose of communication and promotion related to Eye Catcher projects. Eye Catcher will not disclose your personal information to any third party.

2. Eye Catcher may use your personal information (including your name, phone number, email address, and postal address) for the purposes of communication, event promotion and gathering feedback through surveys. In accordance with the Cap. 486 Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance which came into effect on 1 April 2013, if you do not wish to receive some or all promotional messages from Eye Catcher, please contact us via email (Email: info@eyecatcherhk.com).

Chinese Version 中文版