Exportingfinal draft...
Young short filmmaker from Egypt & MENA?
The screenis yours.
UTH 2026
Short FilmCompetitionOpen Call
Deadline: 2 November 2026 · in partnership with Solari
Short film competitionRules & eligibility
- Open to young filmmakers aged 16–30 from Egypt and across the Middle East
- Individual filmmakers or teams can participate
- Films must be original work created by the applicant or team
- Each participant or team may submit one film only
- Duration: 3–12 minutes
- Genre: fiction, documentary, animation or experimental
- Films may be in Arabic or English. Films in other languages must include English subtitles
- Films must have been produced within the last 2 years
- All music, footage, images and other materials must be original, owned or properly licensed by the filmmaker or team
Your film,on a real screen
Screened at UTH Festival 2026
Finalists' films are screened at the Grand Egyptian Museum, in front of a young audience.
Announced on the Grand Stage
The winning film is announced live during the festival, 20–21 November.
Seen by the industry
Filmmakers and industry people watch every shortlisted film. Prize details are announced soon.
Film has always hada seat at uth
Filmmakers, actors and screen voices from Egypt and the region have taken the uth stage. This year, young filmmakers get the screen too.
YasminaEl Abd
Actress & Singer
MohamedHefzy
Producer & Founder of Film Clinic
SarahGoher
Director & Filmmaker
RayaAbirached
TV Personality
LinaSophia
Actress
From open callto the Grand Stage
Apply
Fill in the application and send us your film.
Review
Our team checks every eligible submission.
Shortlist
The jury picks the finalists. We contact them directly.
Screenings
Finalists are screened at UTH Festival 2026.
The winner
Announced on the Grand Stage.
Yasmina El AbdActress, on the uth stage at the Grand Egyptian Museum
What you'll need
- Your finished film, plus a backup link (Vimeo, YouTube or Google Drive)
- A logline and a synopsis of up to 150 words
- Your director, writer, producer and key crew
- A director's biography of up to 100 words
- Short answers on what inspired the film and why it belongs at UTH
- The director's headshot, your poster or key visual, and three film stills
Mark yourcalendar
The screen
is yours.
Deadline: 2 November 2026 · Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted · Questions? hello@worldneedsyouth.com