The Inspiring Asia Micro Film Festival is a unique storytelling platform that celebrates Asia’s rich cultural tapestry, innovative spirit, and drive for social impact. Through two award categories — Best Micro Film and Best Project — the festival spotlights compelling stories from filmmakers, universities, and NGOs, while supporting impactful charitable initiatives across the region. It also provides a learning platform for them to share knowledge, connect, and build a more inclusive and sustainable Asia.
Inspiring Asia was first showcased on the Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) platform, a membership network of over 60 philanthropists across 12 markets. Since its inception, the festival has seen a growth in the quantity and quality of submissions, from 11 films across 4 regions in 2022 to 70 films across 8 regions in 2024. Each year, the festival revolves around a new theme, galvanising attention and action on a shared topic.
From 2025 onwards, we are scaling the festival into a pan-Asian movement, with local competitions held in each region before the best films and projects vie for the top prizes at the Grand Finals stage in Singapore. The theme of this year’s festival is Youth Mental Well-Being, a pervasive yet silent issue affecting millions of Asians, often hidden beneath social stigma, academic pressure, and cultural expectations. We are honoured to receive strong support from over 8 APC members and their foundations in organising and publicising the festival.
Call for Submissions
The Inspiring Asia Micro Film Festival 2025 invites filmmakers, students, NGOs, and changemakers to engage with this year’s theme: Youth Mental Well-being, under the shared call to action: To Be Seen. We welcome both personal stories and organizational voices. Whether you are an individual with lived experience or part of a team working on community-based solutions, your micro film can bring youths’ lived experiences to light, challenge stigma, and inspire empathy and action.
Awards and submission details:
- Award categories: the Best Micro Film Award (USD 50,000) recognizes excellence in storytelling, cinematography, and thematic expression, while the Best Project Award (USD 100,000) honors impactful public welfare initiatives.
- All submissions must include a micro film and will be automatically considered for the Best Micro Film Award. To apply for the Best Project Award, additional documentation is required (see guidelines in the link at the end).
- Participants from countries hosting Regional Film Festivals (China, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) will submit the films through the designated portals. Shortlisted regional entries will advance to the Inspiring Asia main competition, which culminates in the Grand Final in Singapore.
- Participants from regions without a Regional Film Festival will enter through the Direct Submission track and be judged by the same criteria.
For more information, please visit our official website at: https://inspiringasia.org/2025-submission/.