Rules and Regulations

Last update date: 8 June, 2021

Asian Film Awards

Asian Film Awards shall be given to honor outstanding achievements in theatrically released feature-length fiction films and to other achievements as provided for in these approved rules and regulations.

 

Asian Film Awards Academy is established by the three major and longestablished international film festivals in Asia – Busan, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The Academy aims to promote and develop Asian cinema, talents and audiences globally. The Academy members are drawn from past nominees and winners of the Awards and prominent industry professionals.

 

I. Awards Definitions

  1. Awards shall be conferred at the Awards Presentation Ceremony.
  2. Awards in the form of statuettes shall be conferred for the following categories (the “Categories”)
    • i.Asian Film Award for Best Film
    • ii.Asian Film Award for Best Director
    • iii.Asian Film Award for Best Actor
    • iv.Asian Film Award for Best Actress
    • v.Asian Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
    • vi.Asian Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
    • vii.Asian Film Award for Best New Director
    • viii.Asian Film Award for Best Newcomer
    • ix.Asian Film Award for Best Screenplay
    • x.Asian Film Award for Best Editing
    • xi.Asian Film Award for Best Cinematography
    • xii.Asian Film Award for Best Original Music
    • xiii.Asian Film Award for Best Costume Design
    • xiv.Asian Film Award for Best Production Design
    • xv.Asian Film Award for Best Visual Effects
    • xvi.Asian Film Award for Best Sound

II. Eligibility

  1. To be eligible for consideration, films participating in the Awards must:
    • i.be feature length with a running time exceeding 60 minutes;
    • ii.be in 35mm film format or in the digital cinema format suitable for exhibition in commercial cinemas;
    • iii.be fiction films in the “Asian region” (“Asian region” is based on the definition accepted by the United Nations at here and includes ALL countries and territories East of the Suez);
    • iv.contain English subtitles in the case of non-English language works; and
    • v.are exhibited in cinemas in the Asian region(s) between designated period; have been theatrically released in at least one Asian territory; or have premiered in international film festival(s); have received national film awards.
  2. The Academy reserves the rights to change any submission category at its discretion.

III. Film Submission Regulations

  1. Film owners and Official Submission Organizations are eligible to submit films for nominations. Film owners are defined as principal producer, authorized distributor, copyright holder and/or other authorized person that owns the film. Official Submission Organizations are Academy recognized bodies or film organizations in the Asian territories. Each organization may submit up to three films to represent their territory.
  2. To submit a film nomination entry, the film owner or official submission organization must complete a full online entry form via online form along with feature film screeners before the deadline. Any submission and/or material received after the above deadline will not be accepted, unless otherwise agreed by the Academy. If you are unable to submit using the online entry form, please contact filmlist@afa-academy.com
  3. Film screeners must be in the original language and complete with English subtitles. The format should be in digital cinema format: MOV digital file (1920 x 1080) and upload to the private online screener website, or can be posted to:

    Asian Film Awards Academy
    Unit D2, 4/F, Freder Centre,
    68 Sung Wong Toi Road,
    Kowloon, Hong Kong

    *All shipping costs of the submitted material must be borne by the sender.

  4. The information being collected will be used specifically for the purposes of producing a film nominations list for the various Award Categories for the Asian Film Awards. Details entered would be deemed to be final for the purpose of determining the Awards. No request for change of details would be entertained at any stage.

IV. Preliminary Film Nominations

  1. The preliminary nominations list for each category shall be selected by the Academy with the participation of the following parties:
    • i.AFA Official Submission Organizations: Internationally recognized film organizations from different Asian territories;
    • ii.Film Owners: Principal producer, authorized distributor, copyright holder and/or other authorized person that owns the film;
    • iii.Nominations Committee: Committee members appointed by the Academy to review all submissions and finalize list of nominations; and
    • iv.Nominations Advisors: Advisors are appointed by the Academy to provide suggestions to nominated films to ensure film coverage is considered in all regions.
  2. Films in the preliminary nominations list for each category shall be selected from films fulfilling the eligibility listed in Section II. The Academy reserves the right of final decision on whether a film has fulfilled the aforementioned eligibility criteria.

V. Nominations Procedure

  1. A final nominations list will be sent to the AFA Jury. AFA Voting Members will be notified of the categories for which they are eligible to vote. The AFA Jury and Voting Members will be provided with an individual login and password to vote on the Online Voting System. Any member of the AFA Jury or Voting Member who has or is perceived to have an interest in relation to any nominations for any Category in the Awards shall:
    • i.declare that interest to the Academy;
    • ii.refrain from making any recommendation; and
    • iii.not participate in the voting for that Category.
  2. In the event a film in the final nominations list is declared ineligible or disqualified by the Academy, it shall not be replaced and the Category will remain with one less nomination.
  3. Before the nominations for the Awards are officially announced by the Academy, copyright-owner companies will be required to check the galleys for their productions as they will appear in the final nominations list and shall assume full and sole responsibility for any errors and omissions.
  4. The final nominations list will be announced at least four weeks prior to the Asian Film Awards Presentation Ceremony.

VI. Nominated Films

  1. Only the film company of the nominated films will be contacted before the official nominations announcement.
    • i.Film supporting documents and publicity materials of the nominated film will be required for this stage for marketing through all media platform (in advertising, promotions and publicity activities) of the Awards, not limited to the Awards’ house program as well as during the Awards Presentation Ceremony and broadcast.
    • ii.The Academy will send an authorization document for your signature to confirm the usage of the publicity materials. The film’s owners are deemed to have conveyed to the Academy the right to choose excerpts from the film at the Academy’s sole discretion for incorporation into television broadcast of the ceremony, print, Awards website and associated website for non-commercial purposes in the context of the Awards.
    • iii.Owners of nominated films are obligated to submit requested publicity materials to the Academy no later than five days following the nominations announcement. Materials provided should be relevant with highest quality in order for the film to be represented in the best manner possible to the global media and audience. Sample of the required materials as listed:
      • a.Feature screeners: DVD copy/release DVD
      • b.Trailer with and without subtitles: MOV digital file (1920 x 1080) or MPEG 2 digital file (1920 x 1080)
      • c.Film stills of the nominated Category: JPEG (300dpi and minimum of 2MB)
      • d.Posters: JPEG (300dpi and minimum of 2MB)
      • e.Nominee’s publicity headshot: JPEG (300dpi and minimum of 2MB)
      • f.English synopsis (less than 100 words): MS Word file
If the required materials are not completed in full, the Academy cannot guarantee the accuracy of credits listed for nomination. If the required supporting materials are not received, the Academy reserves the right not to list a film in the relevant category.

VII. Voting

  1. Voting for awards shall be by confidential voting. Voting shall be restricted to members of the AFA Jury and Voting Members. No proxies will be permitted.AFA Jury: The Academy will solely appoint the AFA Jury. The jury is a composition of esteemed professionals in the film industry and representatives of different film festivals.AFA Voting Members: The Academy members drawn from the past nominees, winners and members who are prominent in their respective fields. They will be given voting rights for each assigned categories.
  2. AFA Jury and Voting Members will be provided screening of the films to insure a full and fair consideration of the merits of all eligible achievements.
  3. Voting for the awards shall be completed by an Online Voting System with the protection of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Protocol for data security. Individual login and password shall be provided by the Academy.
  4. Online completed votes shall be counted, tallied and kept confidential until the day of the Awards Presentation Ceremony by a reputable firm of certified public accountants designated by the Academy.
  5. Final online votes without the email notification received from the SSL Protocol by the respective email account of the AFA Jury and Voting Members shall be deemed invalid and shall not be counted in the final tally.
  6. Each AFA Jury Member shall vote for one winner in each Category based on the respective final nominations list; Each AFA Voting Member shall vote for one winner in the assigned category.
  7. In the event of a tie for the first place in the final voting, the Academy reserves the right to conduct another round of voting and/or exercise its casting vote to elect one winner. The Academy can confer the relevant right to the Jury President and discuss.
  8. In the event that an award is given to an achievement which was based on a collaborative effort, at least one statuette shall be presented to the award recipient designated by the copyright-owner company.
  9. The winners in each category shall be announced at Asian Film Awards Ceremony.
  10. All decisions made by the AFA Jury and Voting Members are final.

VIII. Nominations and Winners

  1. The winners’ press release and list are the definitive source of award winners’ information.
  2. All individuals named nominees will receive a certificate of nomination.
  3. All individuals named as award winners will receive an AFA statuette.
  4. The AFA statuette may not be reproduced or used in any commercial manner unless prior permission has been obtained from the Academy.
  5. Awards winners who are unable to collect their AFA statuette on the night of the ceremony must arrange collection from the Academy within 12 months of the Ceremony.

IX. AFA Logos

  1. Copyright-owner companies which have received a nomination or an award in any Category may use the AFA logo online, in print and in broadcasts.
  2. Logos and permission to apply logos may be provided by the Academy before the nominations announcement for advance artwork preparation, but may only be used if the film receives a nomination.
  3. The official event logo must be used. Contact filmlist@afa-academy.com for permission or details about the event logo.

X. General

  1. By entering its film or a performance in a film for consideration in the Awards the copyright-owner company is deemed to have read, understood and unconditionally accepted the terms of the Rules & Regulations of the Awards.
  2. These Rules and Regulations shall be interpreted and construed under the law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (Hong Kong, SAR), and each nominee irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Hong Kong, SAR.

XI. Contact

Email: filmlist@afa-academy.com


Telephone: +852-3195-0605


Address: Unit D2, 4/F, Freder Centre, 68 Sung Wong Toi Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

 

Website: www.afa-academy.com

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