Are you a rising filmmaker? Do you have a film to share with an international audience? This is a curatorial announcement of the 2025 edition of Odyssey, our annual film festival, responding to the theme of #sports this year.

We are pleased to announce that Odyssey 2025’s festival theme is “Sports” this year, focusing on the touching, inspiring, and often untold narratives within the sports arena and the larger society. Based in the UK, engaging with Greater China with an international vision, we are dedicated to celebrating the fusion of sports and culture, uniting athletes, enthusiasts, artists, and audiences from across the globe in a vibrant celebration of human capabilities. We hope to bring the concept of sports, via cinema online and offline, closer to the everyday lives of ordinary people and emphasise that all can find joy and value in being active.

Rules & Terms

1 | Submission Fee

The submission fee for the Early Bird Open Call is £20/film per submission.

The submission fee for the general deadline is £30/film per submission.

The submission fee for the extended deadline is £50/film per submission.

2 | Premiere Requirement

There is no UK or international premiere requirement for all submissions. The premiere status will not be used as a selection criteria, but the thematic relevance.

3 | Genre & Production Date

All genres are welcomed for this call, we will be selecting films according to how a specific film responds to the festival theme as a reference. Your film should be completed or released after the year of 2021.

4 | Language & Subtitles

All submissions require English subtitles if the original language is not in English.

5 | Originality

All submitted films should be original work, the entrant is the legal holder of the copyright of the work. There should not be any dispute over intellectual property rights and, when required, relevant supporting documents or authorisation will be provided as required by the organisers.

6 | Programming

The festival reserves the right to place entries into alternative strands if the curatorial team feels it is to the benefit of the title. Each submission must be entered separately. Entries will be assessed and successful submissions will be programmed for screening/enter the festival competition. If your film is selected we reserve the right to show your film at a date and time of our choosing.

7 | Formats

For the selection process, all submissions must be made via FilmFreeway.

Successful submissions that are selected for the festival programme must submit a DCP for offline screening and a High Res. mov./mp4 for online screening (minimum 1080)

8 | Selection

The festival’s curation team reserves the right to invite films for the competition and programme. The screening schedule will be announced after the selection process. The final award winning entries will be selected by a festival jury and audience votes.

9 | Screenings

It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure that films for both online and offline screening are deposited with the festival organisers at least 28 days before any scheduled screening.

For any enquiry about submission, please feel free to contact the festival’s curation team via: odysseycuration@ukchinafilm.uk

We look forward to receiving your films!

Source: https://filmfreeway.com/odysseyccs