Introduction to the film festival
The MAFF, the Moscow Asian Film Festival, has been launched to support independent filmmakers throughout Asia to display their unique ideas, to tell the stories deep down inside their hearts, and to inspire both audiences and other independent filmmakers.
The Moscow Asian Film Festival features work produced by filmmakers of Asian decent as well as stories about Asian culture and heritage. We will be accepting submissions from asian filmmakers, directors, writers, majority asian crew and/or asian stories.
The festival will primarily support Asian filmmakers to showcase their talents. The event will show short to full length movies and documentaries of Asian cultural, social and historical significance by Asian as well as non-Asian filmmakers. The festival will host filmmakers for a reception and audience engagement. The festival will be a marquee event for the city with support from Big Asia TV-chanel with the goal to promote asian films in Russia.
Festival features live screenings in Global Cinema in Moscow with six 100 – seat theaters with laser DLP projectors and JBL speakers throughout the venue, delivering top notch quality in an intimate screening environment. Filmmakers whose work is accepted into our festival will receive free passes to screenings, invitations to networking events and are eligible for awards consideration.
MAFF is organized and produced by Valery Shanin’s Film Club and Big Asia TV-chanel with generous financial support from private donors.
All best films that were selected for the screening, will be shown on the big screen during the solemn final ceremony on March 17 – 22, 2026 in Moscow, Russia and will be able to struggle for the main prize and the title of the “Best film”. As well as for the prizes in the standalone nominations.
Sfilmmaker is our exclusive platform for cooperation in China, and we look forward to your films.
Awards
Our jury selects the winners of each category:
Best Asian Feature Film
Best Asian Narrative Short
Best Asian Student Narrative Short
Best Asian Feature Documentary
Best Asian Short Documentary
Best Asian Feature Animation
Best Asian Animated Short
Best Asian Music Video
Best Asian TV Pilot/Web Series Episode
Best Asian Ai-generated film
Best Asian Director
Best Asian Cinematography
The winners will receive the Moscow Asian Film Festival Trophy.
Rules
Please read these Rules & Terms carefully before you submit your film. By submitting your film into competition in the Moscow Asian Film Festival, you expressly acknowledge and agree that you shall be bound by the terms of these Rules & Terms.
1. We accept International films.
2. Categories include Feature Film, Short Narrative, Student Shorts, Feature Animation, Short Animation, Feature Documentary, Short Documentary, Music Video.
3. Each film must be entered for one of the competitions named above. In some cases, though, the selection committees reserve the right to assign it to another competition or special program.
4. Films in languages other than English (or Russian) will only be accepted with English (or Russian) subtitles.
5. All types of films are accepted. Here are some examples: Absurdist, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Advertising, Art-house, Biographical, Black Comedy, Classic, Children, Comedy, Crime, Dance, Detective, Drama, Cult, Epic, Family, Fantasy, Gangster, Horror, Independent, Indie, Noir, Historical, Kids, LGBT, Magical realism, Musical, Mystery, Melodrama, Road Movie, Philosophical, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Silent Films, Slice of Life, Social, Sports, Superhero, Supernatural, Surreal, Suspense, Thriller, Urban, Western, Zombie etc
6. We have no minimum length limit.
7. Films must have been completed after 1 January 2020.
8. All submissions will be viewed in their entirety by at least three judges. Submissions will be judged and scored based on criteria including quality of screenplay (story, dialogues, etc), acting, production quality, originality, technical proficiency, cinematography, sound design, editing, location/s used, and set design.
9. The directors of submitted films that are accepted will be notified via e-mail. There will be a list of accepted films on our website.
10. Moscow Asian Film Festival will screen Finalist Films at our Annual Event.
11. We work hard to keep our submission fees as low as possible – consequently, we cannot provide fee waivers.
12. Moscow Asian Film Festival has no festival premiere eligibility requirements. Films that have screened at other festivals are still eligible.
13. Moscow Asian Film Festival has no public or internet broadcast eligibility requirements. If your short has screened on Vimeo etc, it is still eligible.
14. Changes to submitted films will only be accepted if accompanied by a new submission fee.
15. The decision of the selection committee is final.
16. All entry fees are non-refundable.
17. We accept films only from authors or their authorized representatives who have written permission from the author. All videos, soundtracks, texts, and music used in the film should not violate the copyright law. You may be asked to supply documentation supporting your claim. Violation of copyright is a sufficient justification for the exclusion of the film from participation in the festival.
| Jury Name | Judge photos | Jury Profile |
|---|
Authorization type
Authorization Letter
Duration (several sessions)
Film Festival Features
Dates & Deadlines
2025-05-01
Submission start time
2025-10-31
Regular Deadline
2026-01-30
Late Deadline
2026-02-22
Extended Deadline
2026-02-22
Submission end time
2026-03-01
Finalist notification start time
2026-03-02
Finalist notification end time
2026-03-17
Award ceremony start time
2026-03-22
Award ceremony end time
Categories and fees
2025/10/31
Regular Deadline
Standard: 45 Dollar
Student： 40 Dollar
2026/01/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 55 Dollar
Student： 50 Dollar
2026/02/22
Extended Deadline
Standard: 60 Dollar
Student： 55 Dollar
2025/10/31
Regular Deadline
Standard: 30 Dollar
Student： 25 Dollar
2026/01/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 40 Dollar
Student： 45 Dollar
2026/02/22
Extended Deadline
Standard: 45 Dollar
Student： 50 Dollar
2025/10/31
Regular Deadline
Standard: 40 Dollar
Student： 35 Dollar
2026/01/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 50 Dollar
Student： 45 Dollar
2026/02/22
Extended Deadline
Standard: 55 Dollar
Student： 50 Dollar
2025/10/31
Regular Deadline
Standard: 35 Dollar
Student： 30 Dollar
2026/01/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 45 Dollar
Student： 40 Dollar
2026/02/22
Extended Deadline
Standard: 50 Dollar
Student： 45 Dollar
2025/10/31
Regular Deadline
Standard: 40 Dollar
Student： 35 Dollar
2026/01/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 50 Dollar
Student： 45 Dollar
2026/02/22
Extended Deadline
Standard: 55 Dollar
Student： 50 Dollar
2025/10/31
Regular Deadline
Standard: 30 Dollar
Student： 25 Dollar
2026/01/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 40 Dollar
Student： 35 Dollar
2026/02/22
Extended Deadline
Standard: 45 Dollar
Student： 40 Dollar
2025/10/31
Regular Deadline
Standard: 30 Dollar
Student： 25 Dollar
2026/01/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 40 Dollar
Student： 35 Dollar
2026/02/22
Extended Deadline
Standard: 45 Dollar
Student： 40 Dollar
2025/10/31
Regular Deadline
Standard: 30 Dollar
Student： 25 Dollar
2026/01/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 40 Dollar
Student： 35 Dollar
2026/02/22
Extended Deadline
Standard: 45 Dollar
Student： 40 Dollar
2025/10/31
Regular Deadline
Standard: 35 Dollar
Student： 30 Dollar
2026/01/30
Late Deadline
Standard: 45 Dollar
Student： 40 Dollar
2026/02/22
Extended Deadline
Standard: 50 Dollar
Student： 45 Dollar
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