A new chapter starts as the Maritime Guangdong Programlaunches again. On March 17th, the 2025 "Maritime Guangdong Young Director Support Program" (Maritime Guangdong Program), hosted by Yangcheng Evening News Group, held a promotional event at the Guangdong Pavilion of the 29th Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), officially announcing the launch of global applications.

For the first time, this year's Maritime Guangdong Program has no set theme, encouraging young filmmakers to pursue innovation. Participants are invited to film in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), exploring and narrating Chinese stories in the new era. Notably, this edition welcomes joint applications from both Chinese and international young creators, aiming to introduce diverse cross-cultural perspectives and tell local stories through a global lens.

The Maritime Guangdong Program, hosted by Yangcheng Evening News Group, aims to discover, incubate, select, and cultivate talented young Chinese filmmakers from both China and abroad. Based in the GBA, the program seeks to uncover emerging voices in the field of filmmaking, supporting creators to explore short films in various genres including narrative, documentary, and animation. The goal is to expand the imagination of future Chinese cinema and allow the world to rediscover China through the power of film.

Short films are often the first step for young filmmakers in their creative careers. Since its launch in 2023, the Maritime Guangdong Program has encouraged young filmmakers to use short films as a way to hone their directing skills, explore personal styles, and cultivate profound observations of life. Leveraging the media influence and reach of Yangcheng Evening News Group, the program provides creators and their works with a platform for cultural exchange that extends from the GBA to the global stage.

The applications for the program will continue until June 17th, followed by rigorous preliminary and final selection rounds. Renowned directors, producers, screenwriters, and cultural scholars will serve as judges and mentors, selecting and training young filmmakers with a professional and careful approach. The top 10 selected directors will receive a support package from the Yangcheng Evening News Group, including 70,000 yuan in funding, as well as resources for equipment, locations, post-production, distribution, and promotion, helping them realize their cinematic dreams.

Rooted in Lingnan, the Maritime Guangdong Program not only supports emerging creators in exploring and filming local stories across the GBA, but also organizes a variety of local activities such as the "Maritime Short Film Training Camp", "Maritime Filmmaker Salons", and "Maritime Screenings". These initiatives aim to build a youthful, dynamic, and culturally rich GBA, showcasing the region's pragmatic, inclusive, open, and innovative spirit.

From a global perspective, the Maritime Guangdong Program is committed to promoting cultural exchange between China and the world. Through film as a universal language, the program seeks to present a true, multidimensional, and comprehensive image of China. This year, it will further strengthen this mission by collaborating with international film festivals, cultural institutions, film companies, and universities to provide young creators with a global stage. By breaking down cultural barriers through film, the program aims to promote Chinese culture worldwide.

From March 17th to 20th, the Maritime Guangdong Program set up a booth at the Guangdong Pavilion of the FILMART, striving to connect young filmmakers and their works with the global film market and international audiences. As the largest film and TV market in Asia, FILMART brings together industry elites from around the world to discuss the latest trends and future directions of the Asian market.

Achievements of short films supported by the Maritime Guangdong Program since 2023:

"How Can I Rid My Mind of Her" (directed by Huang Wenli): Selected for the Moscow International Film Festival, the Sapporo International Short Film Fest & Market, Chongqing Youth Film Festival, and the Jia Village Short Film Festival.

"Swimming Lesson" (directed by Deng Lianghong): Selected for the Tehran International Short Film Festival and won the Emerging Short Film Award at the 2024 Golden Rooster Film Festival.

"Migratory Bird" (directed by Su Zelong): Won Best Feature Film at the Macau International Short Film Festival and won the Special Attention Short Film Award at the 2024 Golden Rooster Film Festival.

"The Returning Island" (directed by Zhuang Canjie): Won the Outstanding Narrative Short Film at the 12th China Student Television Festival, the Annual Creative Short Film Award at the 2024 Jintongxiang Children's Film Week, and First Prize in the Narrative Film Section of the 17th Shanghai University Student TV Festival.

"The River That Holds My Hand" (directed by Chen Jianhang): The feature film project "Embrace" incubated from this short won the sole "Asian New Director Award" at the 2024 Hong Kong Eye Catcher Global (ECG).

Application Guidelines:

1. Applicants (or at least half of a joint team) must be Chinese citizens (including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents) or overseas Chinese aged 18 to 45. Exceptionally talented applicants may be considered beyond this limit.

2. Applicants must have directed at least one previous work, including short films, feature films, commercials, or web series.

3. Applicants must submit an unproduced short film script that aligns with the program’s theme requirements.

4. The primary filming locations must be in the GBA region.

5. Selected directors must commit to completing the short film by September 20th, 2025, with a runtime of 10 to 30 minutes. The genre is open (including but not limited to narrative, documentary, experimental, and animation, excluding advertisements), and the film must include bilingual Chinese and English subtitles.

6. Applicants must cooperate with the organizer's Chinese and international promotion and screening efforts. Those who pass the preliminary selection must participate fully in the "Maritime Short Film Training Camp" and complete related coursework to qualify for the final selection.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should send the following materials to maritimeguangdong@gmail.com

1. Personal resume, including name, age, phone number, email, workplace or educational background, and a self-introduction (approx. 200 words).

2. Short film project proposal, including project description, creative vision, script summary, shooting plan, budget breakdown, and the introduction of the core production team.

3. Online viewing or download links to previous representative works.

4. A self-recommendation video (approx. 1 minute), including a self-introduction and project description.

Timeline: 

March 17th-June 17th: Application

June 18th-June 30th: Preliminary selection

Early July: Short film training camp and final selection

Mid-July: Signing of agreements with selected directors

Before September 20th: Film production and final acceptance of the completed film

October-December: Screenings and exchanges in China and abroad

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Source: Lingnan on the Cloud

主题不限 面向全球征募青年导演

寻影岭南 接受中外创作者联合报名

——山海计划亮相香港国际影视展正式启动全球报名

岭南新篇，山海相逢。3月17日，由香港贸发局主办的第29届香港国际影视展（FILMART）在香港会议展览中心盛大开幕。由羊城晚报报业集团主办的2025“向山海走去”青年导演创作扶持计划（以下简称山海计划）在香港国际影视展广东馆举行推介会，正式宣布启动全球报名。

今年山海计划首次不设主题，鼓励青年电影人锐意创新，奔赴粤港澳大湾区取景取材，挖掘和讲述新时代的中国故事。值得一提的是，本届活动接受中外青年创作者联合报名，期待引入更多跨文化视角，用世界语态讲好本土故事。

山海计划是由羊城晚报报业集团主办的对海内外优秀华人青年导演进行挖掘、孵化、选拔和培养的大型人才扶持活动。活动立足粤港澳大湾区，面向全球寻找影像创作领域的新锐力量，支持他们探索剧情、纪录、动画等不同类型的短片创作，突破和展开对未来华语影像文化的想象之路，也让世界通过影像重新发现中国。

短片是青年导演开启创作生涯的第一步。自2023年启航，山海计划鼓励青年电影人以短片作为方法，磨练导演功底、探索个人风格、深入体察生活。依托羊城晚报报业集团的传播力和影响力，山海计划为创作者及其作品打造了立足粤港澳大湾区、辐射全球的对外文化交流合作平台。

按照活动规划，报名将持续至6月17日，随后进入激烈的初审和复审环节。山海计划将邀请业内知名导演、制片人、编剧、文化学者等担任评委和导师，以专业审慎的态度完成青年导演的选拔和训练。最终入选的10强导演将获得羊城晚报报业集团提供的7万元扶持资金和器材、场地、后期制作、传播、发行等资源“大礼包”，助力他们实现电影梦想。

扎根岭南，山海计划不仅连年深耕岭南片场，支持新生代创作者深入粤港澳各地市取材取景，创新讲述本土故事，还通过举办山海训练营、山海影人沙龙、山海展映等各种丰富多彩的在地活动，助力建设青春湾区、活力湾区、人文湾区，展示湾区务实、包容、开放、创新的精神特质。

放眼世界，山海计划始终以促进中外文明交流互鉴为己任，通过电影这一国际语言，向世界展示真实、立体、全面的中国。本届山海计划将继续强化这一使命，通过与国内外电影节、文化机构、影视公司、高校等开展深度合作，为青年创作者提供国际化舞台，用影像打破文化壁垒，推动中华文化走向五洲四海。

3月17日至20日，山海计划在香港国际影视展广东馆内设置展位，努力构建青年电影人及其作品和电影市场、国际观众之间的连接。作为亚洲规模最大的影视展，香港国际影视展汇聚全球影视行业的精英，共同探讨亚洲市场的最新动向和未来趋势。

【2023年以来，山海计划扶持的短片已在多个国内外重要电影节展收获荣誉】

《海水泡的茶是什么味道》（黄文礼导演）：入围莫斯科国际电影节、札幌国际短片电影节、重庆青年电影展、86358贾家庄短片周；

《游泳课》（邓亮宏导演）：入围德黑兰国际短片电影节，获得金鸡短片季新湾流计划新锐短片奖；

《家庭旅行》（苏泽朗导演）：获得澳门国际短片影展最佳剧情片奖、金鸡短片季新湾流计划特别关注短片奖；

《珊瑚她在等》（庄灿杰导演）：获得中国大学生电视节优秀剧情短片奖、金童象儿童电影周年度创意短片奖、上海大学生电影节剧情片单元一等奖；

《The River That Holds My Hand》（陈坚杭导演）：孵化的长片项目《拥啊拥》获得2024香港Eye Catcher Global（ECG）唯一的“亚洲之光新导演奖”。

【报名须知】

1、报名者或半数以上联合报名者为18周岁以上（含18周岁）、45周岁以下（含45周岁）的中国公民（含港澳台居民）及海外华人，特别优秀者可适当放宽限制。

2、至少有一部导演作品，短片、长片、广告、网剧等均可。

3、需提交一部符合题材要求且尚未启动拍摄的短片剧本；

4、扶持短片主要拍摄取景地为粤港澳地区。

5、入选扶持计划的青年导演须承诺在2025年9月20日前完成短片拍摄制作并获得评委会终审认可，短片时长为10至30分钟，类型不限（包括但不限于剧情、纪录、实验、动画等，广告除外），配中英双语字幕。

6、报名者需同意配合主办单位海内外宣发展映事宜；初审入围者需全程参与山海短片训练营并完成相关课程要求方能获得复审资格。

【报名方式】

请发送以下信息至邮箱maritimeguangdong@gmail.com

1、个人简历,包括姓名、年龄、手机号、邮箱、工作单位或毕业（在读）院校等个人信息及 200字左右的自我介绍:

2、短片项目书,包括项目阐述、创作理念、剧本详情、拍摄计划、预算安排、主创团队介绍等，

3、个人代表作在线观看链接或下载链接;

4、个人自荐短视频，时长1分钟左右，包括自我介绍和项目阐述等。

【活动日历】         

3月17日-6月17日 报名阶段

6月18日-6月30日 初审选拔

7月上旬 短片训练营及复审选拔

7月中旬 入选扶持导演签约

9月20日前 短片拍摄制作及成片验收

10月-12月 海内外展映交流

出品人｜任天阳
总统筹｜林海利
总监制｜孙璇、胡泉、林如敏
总策划｜孙朝方
文｜羊城晚报记者 李丽
海外宣发｜刘泳希 
译｜黄宇洁
审校｜王枥焓
山海计划工作室出品