Short film (under 30 minutes)
Film submission period
From April 19th to June 30th, 2021
Submission requirements
Entrants are asked to carefully read and agree to the terms and conditions of the Submission Regulations for Animated Short Film Competition before submitting works.
Note: Films that cannot be screened online can still be submitted. The availability of the online festival doesn’t affect the result of selection.
Submission requirements
(1) Submissions must be animated films with a run time not exceeding 30 minutes, including end credits (all animation techniques acceptable). VR films, GIF animation, and digital motion comics and movie installation works are also accepted.
(2) Submissions must be works completed in or after 2019.
(3) The director or the producer of the film or the entrant must hold the right to screen the film submitted, and all rights to screen the work during the festival must have been secured.
(4) The entrant is strongly recommend to make the submission available for Internet streaming.
(5) Films that have previously been submitted to the past editions of the festival will not be accepted.
Multiple submissions from the same entrant are accepted as long as the above conditions are satisfied for each one.
［Regulations for Animated Short Film Competition [ENGLISH] （PDF）］
Competition categories
The festival features the following four competition categories for the animated short film competition:
(A) International Competition
(B) Japan Competition
(C) Music Animation Competition
(D) Student Competition
Submissions will be sorted into the relevant category based on judgment by the Festival Office and Selection Committee members. Submissions may be selected for more than one of the categories.
Awards
The International Jury will decide the awards for the International Competition, the Japan Competition and the Student Competition. (The jury may also present other awards including Jury Awards and Special Mentions.)
| Award | Competition | Prize money/extra prizes |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix | International Competition | 1 million JPY |
| New Talent Award | International Competition | 200,000 JPY |
| Japan Grand Prix | Japan competition and Japanese films in the International Competition | 500,000 JPY |
| Best Student Film | Student films in the International, Japan, and Student Competition | memento |
The Audience Award is decided through an audience voting system.
| Award | Competition | Prize money/extra prizes |
|---|---|---|
| Audience Award | All Films screened in theaters | 100,000 JPY |
Kid’s Jury will select The Kids Award from among the films shown in the Family Program in the International Competition
| Award | Competition | Prize money/extra prizes |
|---|---|---|
| Kids Award | Family Program within the International Competition | memento |
The jury for Music Animation Competition will select the award for Music Animation competition in the screening program:
| Award | Competition | Prize money/extra prizes |
|---|---|---|
| Best Music Animation Award | Music Animation Competition | 100,000 JPY |
The festival office may establish other awards decided by different criteria.
Invitations
The festival office will invite a filmmaker or a producer who satisfy certain conditions by covering related costs as described below. The detail is notified of the details by email after the selection.
Due to the situation around COVID-19, the festival regrettably has decided not to invite artists from overseas to this year’s film festival. Only the filmmakers/producers who are living or residing in Japan at the time of the festival are eligible for the invitation. However, depending on the situation, all the invitations may be canceled.
1. International Competition, Japan Competition and Music Animation Competition
Conditions for invitation
Must be one of the following:
(1) A director or producer whose work has been nominated for the International Competition or the Japan Competition and is able to attend the Award Ceremony to be held on November 8, 2021 (one person per film).
Please note that it is compulsory to attend a talk session on any program held during your visit (ex. "Meet the Filmmakers").
(2) A director or producer whose work has been nominated for the Music Animation Competition and is able to attend the screening program during the festival period (schedule TBA; one person per film).
Even if the film is nominated in more than one category, only one person is invited.
If the condition is fulfilled, the festival will cover
(1) Part of round-trip flight costs (as par the Festival Office regulations)
(2) Part of accommodation during the festival (applicable only to hotels arranged by the Festival Office and only for one person)
(3) Part of meals during the festival (by meal coupon, as par with Festival Office regulations)
2. Student Competition
Conditions for invitation
A director or producer whose work has been nominated for the Student Competition and is able to attend the Award Ceremony to be held on November 8, 2021 (one person per film).
Please note that it is compulsory to attend a talk session on any program held during your visit (ex. "Meet the Filmmakers").
Even if the film is nominated in more than one category, only one person is invited.
If the condition is fulfilled, the festival will cover
(1) Part of accommodation during the festival (applicable only to hotels arranged by the Festival Office and only for one person)
(2) Part of meals during the festival (by meal coupon, as par with Festival Office regulations)
Submission methods
Deadline for Animated Short Film Competition Entry has passed. Thank you for your Submission! Notification of the selection results will be announced in the end of August 2021.
The email address shown below can be used to request further information or ask questions about submissions.
