Asian Cinema Fund – Call for Entry 2025

By Asian Film Festival on March 5, 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

The Asian Cinema Fund (ACF), supporting program of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is accepting submissions for the Script Development Fund until March 31, 2025; for the Post-Production Fund until April 7, 2025; and for the Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund until April 10, 2025.

About the program:
Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) has been an essential partner for Asian cinema with its three supporting categories – Script Development Fund, Post-production Fund and Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund.

ACF is committed to help activate more independent film productions and to set up a stable production environment.

New Asian cinema discovered by ACF gets to complete into a film through comprehensive support from A to Z and to explore various opportunities through Busan’s family programs such as Asian Film Market and Asian Project Market (APM).

Script Development Fund

The Script Development Fund provides cash grant to talented Asian independent filmmakers to complete their first or second feature-length fiction film scripts that are in development. The fund also supports at least one project by a graduate of Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Academy (AFA).

Categories:
* Asian Project
– Writer-director of the project MUST be of Asian nationality.
* AFA / BAFA Project
– Writer-director of the project must be an alumnus/alumna of Busan International Film Festival’s CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy (BAFA) / Asian Film Academy (AFA).
Important: Script Development Fund is available for Asian projects except Korean.

Eligibility:
– Project must be the director’s first or second feature film project.
– Project contains Asian elements in its story, theme, characters, and background.
– Director must have experience directing at least one short or feature film.
– Applicant must be a writer-director or a team of a writer and a director who are of Asian nationality. The producer(s) of the project does not have to be of Asian nationality.
– Script must be the applicant’s original work.

Benefits:
– Cash grant of 10 million KRW
– Invited to the Asian Project Market 2025 as the APM official project

Hot to Apply:
– Fill in the online application form and submit it properly.
* After completing your submission, you will receive an automated confirmation e-mail from us with a link for modification of your application. You can modify it until the deadline.

Required Materials:
*Online Application Form
– Project Information (title, budget, production plan, etc.)
– Logline (300 characters including spaces)
– Synopsis (1200 characters)
– Director’s Intention (2000 characters)
– Director’s Profile & Filmography (1500 characters including spaces)
*Additional Requirements
– Treatment (5-10 pages / 11pt / PDF format / visual treatments not be included)
– Director’s previous work (up to 2 films / online link(s) / Credits and burnt-in English Subtitles (for non-English works) are MANDATORY / Trailers, music videos, or commercials are NOT acceptable)
*Extra additional documents for the project can be submitted if want.
– Online link(s) must be accessible until the end of May in 2025.
– DVDs are not acceptable.
– Attachments must be in PDF format and may not exceed 5 MB per file.

Selection:
– A total of 3 projects will be selected.
– Selection results will be individually announced through the applicant’s e-mail in May.
– The funding will be provided after the 30th Busan International Film Festival

Obligations of Selected Projects:
– The recipient must sign a Fund Agreement.
– The recipient will be invited to the Asian Project Market (APM) in 2025 as one of the official selections. At least one of the representatives of the project must participate in the APM 2025.
– The recipient will have to submit additional materials requested by ACF. The recipient must submit a working draft and the completed script after receiving the cash grant.
– The completed film must include the opening title card provided by ACF in the opening sequence and BIFF, ACFM, and ACF logos in the end credits.
– BIFF, ACFM, and ACF logos must be included in the promotional materials.
– Project achievements must be regularly shared after participation; updates may be used for promotional purposes.

Notes for Submission:
– Applicant can submit only one project to each Fund.
– Resubmission is NOT acceptable.
– The online application form and any additional documents for submission must be in English.
– Incomplete applications that do not meet the listed eligibility criteria, do not follow the stated rules or contain false information may be excluded from consideration without any prior notice.
– Any feedback on the result/project will not be provided.

Deadline: March 31, 2025

Submission Guidelines: https://acf.biff.kr/file/ACF_2025_Submission_Guidelines_Script_Development_Fund_eng.pdf?ver=1

To submit please visit: https://guest.biff.kr/submission/acfsd/index.asp

Post-Production Fund

The Post-Production Fund provides post-production services to a select number of Asian independent feature-length fiction film projects. At the state-of-the-art facilities in Korea, the selected projects receive the following to complete their films: DI, sound mixing, English subtitle spotting and D-Cinema packaging services. Upon completion, the selected projects are required to make their world premieres at Busan International Film Festival where they find opportunities to continue their travel to the rest of the world and gain further recognition for their artistic and promising talents in filmmaking.

*This Fund is supported by Korean Film Council Korean Motion Picture Fund, Songwol Towel and Rising Films International Co., Ltd..

Categories:
Asian Project
– Director of the project must be of Asian nationality.
– Project contains Asian elements in its story, theme, characters, and background.
Korean Project
– Director of the project must be of Korean nationality.
– Project contains Korean elements in its story, theme, characters, and background.

Eligibility:
– Fiction feature film with no prior screenings or releases, eligible for a world premiere at the 30th Busan International Film Festival.
– Editing of the film must be completed by May 2025.
– Projects where all post-production in-kind support can be completed at ACF-designated studios.

Benefits
– In-kind service for Post-production (DI, final sound mixing, English subtitle spotting, DCP) at leading post-production studios in South Korea including 2 round-trip airfare and accommodation for this service
– Round-trip flight ticket(economy) and accommodation in South Korea during the post-production period, arranged by ACF.
– World premiere at the 30th Busan International Film Festival (mandatory)

Hot to Apply
– Fill in the online application form and submit the application properly.
– Submission will be open from 10 March 10:00(GMT+9) until 7 April 23:59(GMT+9)
* After completing your submission, you will receive an automated confirmation e-mail from us with a link for modification of your application. You can modify it until the deadline.

Required Materials:
Online Application Form
– Project Information (title, budget, production plan, etc.)
– Logline (300 characters including spaces)
– Synopsis (1200 characters)
– Director’s Intention (2000 characters)
– Director’s Profile & Filmography (1500 characters including spaces)
Required Materials
– Script (in PDF format)
– Project’s rough cut or final cut (online link’s only acceptable / burnt-in English Subtitles (for non-English works) are MANDATORY)
– Director’s previous work can be submitted if want. (online link’s only acceptable.)
* Online link(s) must be accessible until the end of May in 2025.
* DVDs are not acceptable.
* Attachments must be in PDF format and may not exceed 5 MB per file.

Obligations of Selected Projects
– The recipient must sign the Fund Agreement.
– The post-production process for DI, final sound mixing, English subtitle spotting, and DCP will take place in Korea at ACF-designated studios about 3 weeks in July.
– The film must have its world premiere at the 30th Busan International Film Festival.
– The completed film must include the opening title card provided by ACF in the opening sequence and BIFF, ACFM, and ACF logos in the end credits
– BIFF, ACFM, and ACF logos must be included in the promotional materials.
– Project achievements must be regularly shared after participation; updates may be used for promotional purposes.

Notes For Submission
– All notifications will be made exclusively through e-mail. Please make sure that the e- mail addresses provided in the application form are correct.
– Applicant can submit only one project to each Fund.
– Resubmission is NOT acceptable.
– Applications submitted after the deadline will NOT be accepted.
– Incomplete applications that do not meet the listed eligibility criteria, do not follow the stated rules or contain false information may be excluded from consideration without any prior notice.
– Any feedback on the result/project will not be provided.

– Deadline: April 7, 2025 – 23:59 (KST/GMT+9)

Submission Guidelines: https://acf.biff.kr/file/ACF_2025_Submission_Guidelines_Post_Production_Fund_eng.pdf?ver=1

To submit please visit: https://guest.biff.kr/submission/acfsd/index.asp

Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund

Asian Cinema Fund’s Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund provides funding to Asian independent documentary filmmakers to complete their feature-length documentary film projects that are aimed for theatrical release.

The Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund is a loose coalition of film festival organizers committed to supporting the production and distribution of Asian documentaries. Its members have collaborated to build and strengthen the network among Asian documentary filmmakers, while BIFF’s been managed the administration and oversight of AND. As of 2022, ACF makes efforts to AND expands opportunity of collaboration and seeks new distribution networks for documentary films.

*This Fund is supported by Korean Film Council Korean Motion Picture Fund, Haein Shipping Co., Ltd., J.Solution and Good Gang-an Hospital.

Eligibility:
– Feature-length documentary film project that aims for theatrical release.
– Director of Korean or Asian nationality
– Expected running time of the project should be 60 minutes or more.
– Project may be in any stages of production. (In development, pre-production, production, or post-production stage)

Benefits
– Cash grant of up to 20 million KRW
– Official invitation for one representative of a selected project to the Asian Contents & Film Market.

Hot to Apply:
– Fill in the online application form and submit the application properly.
– Submission will be open from 10 March 10:00(GMT+9) until 10 April 23:59(GMT+9)
* After completing your submission, you will receive an automated confirmation e-mail from us with a link for modification of your application. You can modify it until the deadline.

Required Materials
Online Application Form
– Project Information (title, budget, production plan, etc.)
– Logline (300 characters including spaces)
– Synopsis (1200 characters)
– Director’s Intention (2000 characters)
– Director’s Profile (1000 characters)
– Director’s Filmography
Required Materials
– Project Proposal (research materials, investigative contents, and the editing script, etc.)
– Director’s previous work (up to 2 films / online link(s) / Credits and burnt-in English Subtitles (for non-English works) are MANDATORY / Trailers, music videos, or commercials are NOT acceptable)
– Demo reel (max. 20 min. / burnt-in English subtitles for non-English work/ online link)
Optional Materials
– Rough cut (for projects with completed filming or ongoing post-production / online link)
* Online link(s) must be accessible until the end of June in 2025.
* DVDs are not acceptable.
* Attachments must be in PDF format and may not exceed 5 MB per file.

Obligations of Selected Projects
– The recipient must sign a Fund Agreement. Representative of selected project must attend documentary programs organized by Asian Contents & Film Market
– The completed film must include the opening title card provided by ACF in the opening sequence and BIFF, ACFM, and ACF logos in the end credits
– BIFF, ACFM, and ACF logos must be included in the promotional materials.
– Project achievements must be regularly shared after participation; updates may be used for promotional purposes.

Notes for Submission
– All notifications will be made exclusively through e-mail. Please make sure that the e- mail addresses provided in the application form are correct.
– Applicant can submit only one project per fund.
– Resubmission for the project that was not selected in previous years is acceptable for one time only IF there is a significant change. In this case, applicant must provide a full explanation of the changes in the project within the online application form.
– The online application form will be closed automatically after the deadline. Only submissions arriving on time will be taken into consideration.
– Incomplete applications that do not meet the listed eligibility criteria, do not follow the stated rules or contain false information may be excluded from consideration without any prior notice.
– Any feedback on the result/project will not be provided.

– Deadline: April 10, 2025 – 23:59 (KST/GMT+9)

Submission Guidelines: https://acf.biff.kr/file/ACF_2025_Submission_Guidelines_Asian_Network_of_Documentary_(AND)_Fund_eng.pdf?ver=1

To submit please visit: https://guest.biff.kr/submission/and/index.asp

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