The ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) is pleased to announce the five winning films of the ASEAN-Japan NEW GENERATION Short Film Award 2026, selected from 217 submissions from across the AJC member states.[1]
Launched in 2024, the Award is now in its third year. For the first time, the 2026 edition welcomed entries from Japan, bringing together emerging filmmakers from 10 ASEAN Member States and Japan through short films and storytelling.
This year’s theme, “Our Next Waypoint,” was inspired by the ASEAN theme for 2026, “Navigating Our Future, Together.” A waypoint can be a place of arrival, a moment to reflect, or a starting point for what comes next. Filmmakers were invited to interpret the theme freely and tell stories grounded in their own perspectives and experiences.
Following multiple rounds of screening by the AJC and film professionals, five films were selected for their interpretation of the theme and cinematic expression.
Award-Winning Films
(In alphabetical order. Click the title to watch it on YouTube.)
Berani Mati Takut Hidup – Andrew Retanubun / Indonesia
Golden MEM – Bank Thanasouth / Lao PDR
Jeepney Kronikels – Prince Jairo Paglinawan / Philippines
Kopi ‘O’ Kosong – Chan Teik Quan / Malaysia
No Reason to Love It / その花を綺麗とは思わなかった – Taiki Hakari / Japan
Watch the five winning films:
Youtube Playlist à https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeJ_aEMMjwZA
The winning films are available with English and Japanese subtitles, bringing these stories to wider audiences across ASEAN and Japan.
About the ASEAN-Japan NEW GENERATION Short Film Award
The ASEAN-Japan NEW GENERATION Short Film Award was launched by the AJC in 2024 to share the diverse stories, perspectives and creativity of a new generation of filmmakers with audiences in Japan and beyond.
Over its first three editions, the Award has explored a different theme each year:
2024 – THE WORLD I WANT TO SEE
2025 – I BELONG
2026 – OUR NEXT WAYPOINT
Through short films, the initiative creates opportunities to encounter experiences and perspectives that may be different from our own, while also discovering emotions and questions that cross borders.
From Films to Connections: Tokyo Programme 2026
The director of each of the five winning films will be invited to Tokyo from 26 to 29 November 2026 for a four-day programme designed to extend the exchange beyond the screen and create opportunities for dialogue in person.
The filmmakers will meet one another and exchange perspectives during a roundtable discussion at the ASEAN-Japan Centre. They are also scheduled to take part in WOMAN EXPO 2026 Winter on 28 November organised by Nikkei Shimbun and Nikkei BP, where they will introduce their films and share the ideas, experiences and cultural contexts behind their work with audiences in Japan.
By bringing together filmmakers from Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines and Japan, the programme will create a new space for dialogue and exchange across ASEAN and Japan.
What Comes Next
In the coming months, the AJC will introduce the filmmakers and the stories behind their works. Their experiences in Tokyo and conversations with one another will become part of the next chapter of the ASEAN-Japan NEW GENERATION Short Film Award.
