I. Overview of the Submission

　　The NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section of the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) aims to inspire female perspectives, foster young women creators, and inject new vitality into the healthy and upward development of the film industry by facilitating collaborative discussions and the creation of works from women’s viewpoints, thus amplifying the "Voice of Women".

　　This year’s BJIFF NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section will openly solicit feature-length projects focusing on women’s themes. The Organizing Committee will select young female directors who have submitted applications through the festival’s official website and meet the workshop guidelines, providing feature project materials and concept trailer proposals, to form the preliminary screening list. During the initial screening stage, a jury composed of seasoned directors, script editors, and producers will evaluate the projects based on script maturity, thematic relevance, and content review standards. From all eligible directors and projects, 20 outstanding young female directors will be selected for the final shortlist. In the final selection stage, five distinguished female film producers will be invited to serve as workshop production mentors. The Organizing Committee will organize a roadshow and workshop matching session, during which each of the five NEWHER production mentors will choose one director from the 20 young female directors to attend the workshop. The workshop will be attended by the five young directors who won the final round of evaluation. They will create concept trailers for their submitted feature-length projects, with the guidance and support of production mentors. Centered on a "time-constrained creation" format, the participants will complete the entire process - from script development and on-site shooting to editing and finalizing the film. (Each team must independently coordinate and assemble key roles, including executive producers, cinematographers, lighting and art department staff, as well as main actors.) The final concept trailer should have a duration of 10 minutes. The NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section Workshop will organize a collective roadshow featuring the created women-themed concept trailers and the 20 shortlisted feature projects. NEWHER industry mentors, representatives from film and television companies, media guests, and others will be invited to attend the roadshow’s project presentations. The NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section Workshop’s various awards will be presented during the event.

　　II. Eligibility Requirements

　　(I) Application Qualifications:

　　1. Applicants must be female directors.

　　2. Applicants must have experience directing short films and must not have had a feature-length film commercially released in cinemas.

　　3. Applicants must possess a complete plan for a feature-length project focusing on women’s themes.

　　4. Applicants must complete the time-constrained filming required by the workshop and ultimately submit a 10-minute concept trailer based on their proposed women-themed feature-length project.

　　(II) Application Materials:

　　1. Director’s resume, including a viewing link to a self-directed and produced short film.

　　2. The following documents for the feature-length project: project proposal, story synopsis, script; as well as the story synopsis and project proposal for the concept trailer to be filmed during the workshop.

　　3. A personal statement video of no more than 3 minutes, in which the director elaborates on the concept trailer’s storyline, character development, emotional expression, and filming plan, ensuring the content is both concise and engaging.

　　(III) Application Method:

　　1. Applications must be submitted online. Please send all required materials to newher@bjiff.com, with the email subject formatted as: Workshop - Name + Contact Information + Project Title. Applications with any missing or inaccurate information will not be accepted.

　　2. After submission, staff will review the application for completeness. Upon passing this review, a confirmation email will be sent to you. 

　　3. The application deadline for the NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section Workshop is December 5, 2025. The BJIFF Organizing Committee will evaluate all applicants and announce the shortlist of 20 directors in early December.

　　4. Once the shortlist is announced, the BJIFF Organizing Committee will contact the directors using the "Applicant/Contact Person" details provided in the application email. Failure to respond within the specified timeframe will be considered a voluntary withdrawal, and the spot will be offered to the next project in the ranking order. (Please ensure a valid email address and phone number are provided in the application form.)

　　5. The concept trailers produced through participation in this unit will be produced by Beijing International Film Festival Co., Ltd., and the final copyright shall be owned by the BJIFF Organizing Committee. (Applicants may apply to the Organizing Committee for authorization to use their work after the conclusion of this year’s NEWHER event, for participation in other competition programs.)

　　(IV) Benefits for Finalists:

　　1. The top five directors will be invited to participate in relevant activities of the 16th BJIFF NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section as "Creative Guests" in the BJIFF NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section Workshop. For more information on participating in other activities at the 16th BJIFF, please visit the official festival website at http://www.bjiff.com.

　　2. Each of the five finalist directors will receive financial support of RMB 100,000 per project (pre-tax) and related industry resource support for the production and creation of their concept trailers.

　　3. Upon completion of their concept trailers, the five finalist directors will have the opportunity to engage in meetings with investors, distributors, and festival programmers invited by the BJIFF Organizing Committee. They will also receive attendance slots for various events during the film festival.

　　III. Award Setup

　　A panel of judges will be invited to view the roadshow of the five concept trailers and feature projects and select outstanding works. The Organizing Committee will collect the judges’ scoring sheets for public announcement of the results. The top five and top three projects will be selected based on a comprehensive evaluation.

　　IV. Legal Disclaimer

　　All projects submitted to the NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section Workshop must be submitted by the sole authorized representative who holds the legal rights to the project. The submitting party and this sole authorized representative are obligated to: ensure the project’s originality and legality, and fully own all rights related to the project, including copyright; ensure that the submitted project and related information do not infringe upon any third-party rights; ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the submitted project and related information. Any legal and economic liabilities arising from the above reasons shall be borne solely by the project party. If such matters lead to any third-party disputes, the project party and its authorized representative shall resolve them independently and bear full responsibility. Should this cause losses to the BJIFF Organizing Committee or its related parties, the project party shall fully compensate for such losses. Once the shortlisted projects are completed, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to have the designations "Beijing International Film Festival/BJIFF" and "NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section" or their logos placed in the opening/ending credits of the concept trailers, on posters, and in the acknowledgments of the completed feature films. The attribution arrangement must be confirmed in writing by the BJIFF Organizing Committee in advance. Any documents, materials, and information submitted by the authorized representative of the shortlisted project, if containing confidential content, must be designated as such in writing to the BJIFF Organizing Committee upon submission, along with an explanation; otherwise, they will be considered non-confidential. Project parties that receive honors should, schedule permitting, prioritize participation in BJIFF-related activities, such as screenings, awards ceremonies, opening and closing ceremonies, and red carpet events.

　　The BJIFF Organizing Committee will handle registrants’ information with care. Relevant staff will ensure the security of the submitted data and take measures to prevent its loss, leakage, or damage. Parties submitting projects to the NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section Workshop are solely responsible for the custody, confidentiality, and information security of their own relevant materials.

　　The presentations and negotiation activities related to projects submitted to the BJIFF Organizing Committee’s NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section Workshop are solely independent expressions of opinions by the respective parties. Any demonstrations, explanations, or discussions conducted by parties during these activities do not represent the views of the BJIFF Organizing Committee, and the BJIFF Organizing Committee assumes no guarantee or warranty responsibility.

　　The BJIFF Organizing Committee reserves the final right to interpret all activities related to projects submitted to this year’s NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section Workshop.

　　V. Contact Information

　　Application Channel: newher@bjiff.com

　　NEWHER Women-Focused Film Section Workshop Subject Submission Inquiries: 010-85336454 / 010-85336453