3rd Refugee Film Festival Short Film Competition

Every year on 20th June, UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency commemorates World Refugee Day, honoring the resilience and courage of millions of people who have been forced to flee war, persecution and violence. In 2023, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. signed Proclamation No. 265 series of 2023, declaring 20 June of every year as National Refugee Day. The proclamation enjoins all agencies and instrumentalities of the National Government, including government-owned or –controlled corporations, state universities and colleges, all local government units, non-government organizations, civil society groups, Philippines-based UN agencies, and the private sector “to actively participate and render the necessary support and assistance for the effective implementation” of the Proclamation. In particular, the observance of the National Refugee Day is deemed necessary to uphold and respect the rights of the refugees and stateless persons and promote awareness of their predicament.

Building on the momentum from the 1^st  and 2^nd Refugee Film Festivals, UNHCR Philippines will be holding the 3rd Refugee Film Festival on 21 June 2025, showcasing the stories of people forced to flee through films and documentaries from the Philippines and around the globe.

As part of the Film Festival, we are inviting interested young people in the Philippines to submit their entries for the Short Film Competition, with the theme “Strengthening Spaces of Resilience and Hope”.

Interested participants are encouraged to use their talent and skills in filmmaking to help bring awareness, build empathy, and mobilize action for and on behalf of more than 122 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide.

1. Registration will be open from 14 April to 7 June 2025 11:59 PM.
2. Registration is FREE of charge.
3. The competition is open to all young people who are 18-25 years old. All entrants (director, videographer, editor, scriptwriter, crew, and others) must not be professional filmmakers. There is no limit on the number of entries per group. If necessary, non-students may be cast members/actors.
4. All genres and forms are welcome, including animated and experimental films. The film entry should be appropriate for the general audience and should not contain any offensive or inappropriate language, image and/or content.
5. The film entry must revolve around the theme “Strengthening Spaces of Resilience and Hope”, in the context of forced displacement and statelessness for refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons, stateless persons, or populations at risk of statelessness.
6. The film entry must have a minimum length of 3 minutes and a maximum length of 7 minutes, including the credits.
7. All entries must be original. In accordance with copyright laws, the music or scoring used must be original, licensed, or royalty-free. If the filmmaker chooses to use published or released music, written consent must be secured by the filmmaker from the original artist.
8. The official entry must contain the following:
   (a) A soft copy of the film in MP4 format with English subtitles
   (b) A soft copy of the film poster (A4 and square 1080×1080)
   (c) All the requirements detailed below. Incomplete applications will not be included in the selection process.
9. Deadline of entry submission is 7 June 2025 11:59 PM. All requirements must be submitted via email to [email protected] with subject line WRD Short Film Competition <Insert Name of Film>
10. By signing the official entry form, the entrants agree to abide by the competition rules and guidelines, as well as the decision of the panel of judges which is final and irrevocable.

1. Completed and signed official entry form. To download the entry form, please click on this link.
2. Proof of age (any of the following)
   (a) Scanned copy of School ID for all production members who are in-school; or
   (b) Scanned copy of any document reflecting birthdate
3. Proof of enrollment for all production members who are in-school
4. Endorsement from the school (for in-school production teams)

1. All submitted films will be reviewed and shortlisted to the Top 5 films.
2. The Top 5 films will be announced during the week of 15 June 2025 via the UNHCR Philippines Facebook and Instagram accounts.
3. The Top 5 films will be screened during the Short Films screening of the 3rd Refugee Film Festival. The Awarding Ceremony for the Top 3 films will follow.
4. UN Staff and their relatives up to the second degree of affinity or consanguinity are disqualified from the competition.
5. The competition organizers will not provide compensation for any costs incurred by the filmmakers to produce submitted entries. Only winning entries will be awarded a cash prize.
6. Views and opinions expressed in the film entries are of the filmmakers and do not represent the views and opinions of the competition organizers nor the panel of judges.
7. The copyright of the submitted entries shall belong to the filmmakers, and expressed consent must be submitted for the film, posters, and names of the filmmakers to appear in the online platforms of the organizers, as well as the 3rd Refugee Film Festival programming, previews, and marketing.