Ulaanbaatar International Film Festival (UBIFF)

Overview

The Ulaanbaatar International Film Festival (UBIFF) is Mongolia's primary international film event. The 17th edition ran October 8 to 15, 2025, in Ulaanbaatar, organized by the Arts Council of Mongolia in cooperation with the Mongolian National Film Council and Nomadia Pictures. The festival is held under the auspices of the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar and initiated by the Department of Culture and Arts of Ulaanbaatar City. The 16th edition ran October 16 to 22, 2024.

UBIFF programs approximately 30 to 40 films across its sections. The 2025 edition screened international titles from Iran, France, Germany, Brazil, Norway, China, Iceland, Lithuania, Finland, Italy, Australia, Switzerland, Cuba, Hungary, and Japan, including films selected at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Sundance. The festival's stated goals are to expand international collaboration in Mongolian film, present award-winning international films to Mongolian audiences, and contribute to the professional growth of filmmakers.

For filmmakers working on Mongolian or Central Asian subjects, UBIFF is the only domestic festival with an international competition framework. The October timing avoids Ulaanbaatar's winter extremes (temperatures drop to minus 40 degrees Celsius from November through March) and coincides with the post-summer cultural season.

Submission Details

UBIFF accepts submissions through its official website at ubiff.mn. The festival provides a general inquiry form covering film submission, press/media, sponsorship, and volunteering. Submission categories include the Mongolian film competition and the international program.

Films in the international section are typically curated from major festival selections rather than open-submission discovered. The Mongolian film competition accepts open submissions from Mongolian citizens and residents. The festival does not charge public admission for most screenings. Specific submission deadlines and fees are announced on the festival website each season.

Competition Sections

• Khankhardi Mongolian Film Competition - new Mongolian features and shorts competing for jury prizes. The 2025 edition screened four Mongolian films in competition: "Falconry" (dir. Enkhbayar Bataa), "Silent City Driver" (dir. Sengedorj Janchivdorj), "The Third Punch" (dir. Erkhemburen Ravjikh), and "Tatar" (dir. Batdelger Byambasuren)
• International Film Section - curated international narrative and documentary films from 2024 to 2025, selected from Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Sundance. The 2025 lineup included "It Was Just an Accident" (Jafar Panahi, Iran/France/Luxembourg), "Sound of Falling" (Mascha Schilinski, Germany), "The Secret Agent" (Kleber Mendonca Filho, Brazil/France/Germany/Netherlands), "Sentimental Value" (Joachim Trier, Norway/France/Denmark/Germany), "Resurrection" (Bi Gan, China), and "Vermiglio" (Maura Delpero, Italy/France/Belgium)
• New Horizon - a retrospective section reintroducing Mongolian cinematic classics to new audiences. The 2025 edition celebrated the 90th anniversary of Mongolian cinema by screening works by legendary director Jigjidsuren Gombojav, People's Artist of Mongolia, including "The First Step" (1970) and "The Taking of a Life" (1976)
• Youth Program - films for young audiences. The 2025 program included "Lesson Learned" (Balint Szimler, Hungary), "Toxic" (Saule Bliuvaite, Lithuania), "Happyend" (Neo Sora, Japan/US/Singapore/UK), and "Silent Trilogy" (Juho Kuosmanen, Finland)
• Documentary Film Section - nonfiction features. The 2025 program included "Iron Winter" (Kasimir Burgess, Australia/Mongolia), "Song of Breath" (Simona Canonica, Switzerland/Italy), and "To the West, in Zapata" (David Bim, Cuba/Spain)
• Industry Day - a professional forum for filmmakers held during the festival, focusing on professional development and international collaboration

Awards and Prizes

UBIFF awards jury prizes across its competition sections. The primary awards include:

• Best Mongolian Film - top jury prize in the Khankhardi competition
• Best International Film - jury prize for the international competition
• Best Documentary - jury prize for the documentary section
• Youth Program Award - selected by youth jury or audience vote
• Audience Award - voted by festival attendees

The festival also presents special recognitions through its Industry Day forum, including professional development grants and international collaboration awards.

Festival History

UBIFF was founded in 2005 by the Arts Council of Mongolia. The festival has operated annually, with the 13th edition taking place in October 2021 (presented with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Ministry of Culture, Goethe-Institut Mongolia, and the Russian Science and Culture Center). The 16th edition ran in October 2024, and the 17th edition in October 2025.

Mongolia's film tradition dates to 1935, making 2025 the 90th anniversary of Mongolian cinema. The Soviet-era Mongolian Film Studio produced films celebrating Mongolian history and nomadic culture. Since Mongolia's democratic transition in 1990, contemporary Mongolian directors have explored urbanization, the tension between nomadic traditions and modern global culture, and Mongolia's changing identity. UBIFF has served as the primary domestic platform for this evolving national cinema while bringing international art cinema to Mongolian audiences who otherwise have limited access to festival-circuit films.

The festival is co-organized by the Arts Council of Mongolia, the Mongolian National Film Council (MNFC), and Nomadia Pictures, with institutional support from the Department of Culture and Arts of Ulaanbaatar City.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Mongolian filmmakers, UBIFF is the single most important domestic platform. The Khankhardi competition provides national visibility and jury recognition. The Industry Day forum offers networking with international professionals and potential co-production partners.

For international filmmakers, UBIFF is primarily a curated festival rather than an open-submission discovery platform. The international section selects films that have already premiered at major festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Sundance). If your film has played at one of these festivals and addresses themes relevant to Mongolian or Central Asian audiences, contacting the festival programming team directly through the website is the most effective approach.

The festival does not have an attached film market. Distribution deals are not a primary function of UBIFF. The festival's value for international filmmakers lies in audience reach in a market where festival-circuit films rarely receive theatrical distribution, and in the Industry Day's professional networking opportunities.

Mongolia's film industry is small but growing. The country's dramatic landscapes (the Gobi Desert, the Altai Mountains, the eastern steppe) have attracted increasing international production, and UBIFF's Industry Day has expanded to address co-production opportunities. Filmmakers interested in shooting in Mongolia should note that the festival season (October) is one of the few comfortable windows for visiting Ulaanbaatar, as winter temperatures make travel and logistics difficult from November through April.

Past Winners

UBIFF's top juried prize is the Khangarid (Khan Garuda) Award for Best Mongolian Film. The international section is curated rather than competitive, but the Mongolian film competition awards jury prizes across multiple categories:

• 2025: Khanghardi Mongolian Film Competition - 4 films competed: Falconry (dir. Enkhbayar Bataa), Silent City Driver (dir. Sengedorj Janchivdorj), The Third Punch (dir. Erkhemburen Ravjikh), and Tatar (dir. Batdelger Byambasuren). The 2025 jury awarded prizes across 11 categories.
• 2023: Best Composition - If Only I Could Hibernate (dir. Zoljargal Purevdash, debut feature). The film premiered at Cannes 2023 in Un Certain Regard as the first Mongolian film ever in the Cannes Official Selection. Distributed by Urban Sales internationally and Conic Films in the UK.
• 2023: Best Picture - I am the Sun (dir. J. Sengedorj). A family drama that also competed at the Schlingel International Film Festival in Dresden, Germany.
• 2021: Best Picture - Life (dir. J. Sengedorj, feature film). The 10th edition also awarded Chinggis Khaan (dir. B. Tengis, full-length animation) and Cuckoo (dir. L. Dashdoorov, short film).

The 2023 festival opened with City of Wind (dir. Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir), whose lead actor Tergel Bold-Erdene won the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

Notable Alumni Films

• *If Only I Could Hibernate* (2023 Mongolian competition winner, dir. Zoljargal Purevdash) premiered at Cannes 2023 in Un Certain Regard. It was the first Mongolian film ever selected for the Cannes Official Selection. The film was distributed by Urban Sales worldwide and received theatrical releases in France, the UK, and other territories. It drew 130,000 viewers in Hungary when it screened at the Locarno Film Festival's Cineasti del Presente section.
• *City of Wind* (2023 UBIFF opening film, dir. Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir) premiered at Venice 2023 in the Orizzonti section. Lead actor Tergel Bold-Erdene won Best Actor at Venice. The film screened at TIFF 2023 and was sold worldwide by Best Friend Forever. It received theatrical distribution in France, the Netherlands, and other European territories.
• *Aberrance* (dir. Baatar Batsukh) screened in the Mongolian Film Section at UBIFF. The film was selected for the Asian Talents section and represents the growing wave of Mongolian genre cinema.
• *Snow in September (dir. Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, short film) won the top prize for Best Film at TIFF's Short Cuts Awards in 2022, before the director returned to UBIFF with her feature debut City of Wind*.

Submission Tips

1. Mongolian filmmakers should submit to the Khanghardi competition through the official website. This is the only domestic festival with an international competition framework. The 2025 edition expanded to 11 award categories, up from 4 in previous years.
2. International filmmakers should not submit through open call. The international section is curated from films that have already premiered at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, or Sundance. Contact the programming team directly through ubiff.mn if your film fits this profile.
3. Films addressing Mongolian or Central Asian themes have an advantage. The 2025 documentary section included Iron Winter, an Australia-Mongolia co-production about Mongolian cultural themes. Co-productions with Mongolian partners receive particular attention.
4. Plan for October timing. Ulaanbaatar's winter temperatures drop to minus 40 degrees Celsius from November through March. October is one of the few comfortable windows for visiting. The Industry Day forum runs during the festival and offers co-production networking.
5. Do not expect distribution deals. UBIFF does not have an attached film market. The festival's value for international filmmakers lies in audience reach in a market where festival-circuit films rarely receive theatrical distribution.

Industry Reputation Notes

UBIFF is the only domestic festival in Mongolia with an international competition framework. It is not an acquisitions festival and does not host a film market. The festival's value lies in audience reach and the Industry Day's co-production networking.

Compared to peer festivals in Central Asia, UBIFF occupies a unique position. The Almaty International Film Festival in Kazakhstan has a larger budget and stronger industry infrastructure, but UBIFF benefits from Mongolia's growing international production profile. The country's dramatic landscapes have attracted increasing international production, and the Industry Day has expanded to address co-production opportunities.

Compared to the Yerevan International Film Festival in Armenia, UBIFF has a smaller international profile but a more focused national cinema competition. The Khanghardi competition provides a structured platform for Mongolian filmmakers that Yerevan's festival does not match for Armenian filmmakers.

The festival's international section functions as a curated art house series for Mongolian audiences rather than a discovery platform. Films that have already premiered at major festivals and address themes relevant to Mongolian or Central Asian audiences are the best fit. The festival's 90th anniversary of Mongolian cinema celebration in 2025 demonstrated its role as the primary domestic platform for this evolving national cinema.

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See Also

Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding the Central Asian film market, see International Film Markets. Submit through the UBIFF official website.