The 12th Ulaanbaatar International Film Festival was successfully organized in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from October 10-25, 2020 despite challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival featured 18 feature films and 1 short film from 11 countries. It also held film forums, a children's program, and provided training to emerging Mongolian film directors. The Arts Council of Mongolia, which organizes the festival, also awarded scholarships to talented young students studying arts and culture.

1. Friday, November 13, 2020 THE MONGOL MESSENGER 5ARTS & CULTURE
Arts Council of Mongolia, Delta Foundation Center, IV floor, Tourists Street-38, Chingeltei District Tel/Fax: 976-11-319015 E-mail: marketing@artscouncil.mn Web: www.artscouncil.mn
ARTS COUNCIL OF MONGOLIA
ARTS
COUNCIL
OF MONGOLIA
Arts Council of Mongolia (ACM) in
partnership with the City Mayor’s Office,
City Arts and Culture Department, Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation
(SDC), Nomadia Pictures, support of
Embassy of France, Embassy of Australia,
Embassy of Italy, Goethe-Institute
Mongolia, Locarno Film Festival, Taipei
Trade and Economic Representative Office,
Alliance Française d'Oulan bator and
Institut Français successfully organized the
Ulaanbaatar International Film Festival
(UBIFF) between October 10 and 25th of
2020 in Ulaanbaatar.
The UBIFF is the largest film festival in
Mongolia and it has been contributing
to the sustainable development of the
Mongolian film industry by providing access
to world renowned cinema and professional
development and international collaboration
for local film makers. Thus, the festival
was supported by local production and
technical companies that are Tengis cinema,
Guru Media, Global Smart Solutions
LLC, D-Light LLC, Live Stream LLC,
Mongolian Film Commission, Univions
LLC, Mongolian Film Institute and Altan
Khalis NGO and partnered with MNB TV,
Star TV, TV 8, Mongol HDTV, NTV, SBN,
Olloo TV, Mass TV; portal sites zindaa.mn,
ub.life, montsame.mn, eagle.mn, new.mn;
daily newspapers Today, National post and
Mongol messenger as media partners.
Since 2018, UBIFF has been partnering
with Locarno Festival in Switzerland, one of
the “A-list”-ed international film festivals in
the world. As part of partnership, Locarno
Festival has decided to involve talents
from Mongolian film industry in its Open
Doors section between 2019-2021. The
program develops professional skills of film
directors and producers, moreover expands
international co-production opportunities for
film makers. Open Doors section of Locarno
Festival is the only gate for underdeveloped
film industry of Mongolia that opens new
horizon to the international scene. In order
to keep strengthening local film industry in
these transition edge, UBIFF aims to widen
its partnership with Locarno Festival until
2021 and beyond.
2020 has been unpredictable due to
Covid-19 crisis, which has affected cultural
lives of the cities extraordinary with
implication for the existing inequalities
to access, participation and contribution
to culture, access to public spaces, and
the financial sustainability and the flow of
cultural goods and services. Therefore, arts
and cultural institutions, local artists and
cultural workers have been facing challenges
to live, to create and to present their works.
The past pandemic months have shown us
the importance to maintain the sustainability
of cultural creations and initiatives in all
levels.
However, the 12th UBIFF was organized
successfully in Ulaanbaatar during October
19-25, 2020 and involved international guest
film makers and programmers virtually. As
a tradition, the festival selects and awards
opening and best Mongolian films to screen
during the festival. This year, UBIFF juries
selected “Bedridden” Mongolian feature
directed by Byamba S. as an opening film;
“Cuckoo” feature by Jamiyansuren J. as a
best film and best director; “Spouse” feature
by director Sengedorj J. and script writers
Erdenebat M., Ninjjamts l., and Battuya Ts.
as best script and “The Woman” feature by
director Otgonzorig B and producer Undral
Ch as best producer awards. UBIFF2020 had
an honor working with international juries
including Jigjidsuren G. artistic director
of UBIFF, Tumen-Ulzii B. film director
& critic, Orgil N. president of Mongolian
National Film Commission, Batkhuyag P.
professor of Mongolian State University of
Arts & Culture, Anne Delseth international
artistic director of UBIFF, Thibaut Braque
international programmer.
This year UBIFF featured “New
Horizon” a novice section to celebrate
cultural diversity in Asia through its
Focus Asia program and to promote full
length contents for children, through
its Bright Future program. Through its
Mongolian program the festival organizers
in collaboration with the Mongolian State
Archive and Nomadia Pictures LLC,
presented “Gobi Mirage” Mongolian
feature, one of the best Mongolian classical
films in full HD format. This feature by
Dorjpalam R. was made in 1980.
With the support of Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC) and
consultancy of international artistic director
Anne Delseth and programmer Thibaut
Bracq, the Bright Future–a program for
adolescents, was presented 3 international
features for school children aged between
8 and 16. The total of 1400 school children
had a chance to watch festival children’s
films followed by open discussions and talks
by international and local film directors and
producers. The festival invited about 800-
1000 children from disadvantaged district
schools to the screenings in order to provide
equal access for children and support in film
education of future audience.
Besides the new session the festival
presented its traditional sections, that
includes Opening film competition;
Mongolian film competition, Focus
country-France showcase; international film
showcase; Film forum and Lab-training.
Thus, this year UBIFF presented 18 feature
films and 1 short film from 11 countries
including Australia, Brazil, China, France,
Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Switzerland,
Taiwan and Mongolia and had about 5,000
audiences as total.
As a highlight, the festival organized two
days film forum by involving guest speakers
& international film makers virtually at the
Tengis ciname hall. During the forum, local
& international film makers were discussed
about challenges of film industry during
Covid-19 and its future; and how Mongolian
film makers would participate successfully
in Open Doors program of Locarno Film
Festival for 2021 and possibility to host
Regional Forum of Open Doors Locarno in
next year.
As part of the festival, ACM in
partnership with UB Film Lab program of
Tiim Team NGO and Guru Media provided
two-months lab-training for 11 emerging
film directors. The training was led by a
Mongolian film director Byamba Sakhiya,
who is a cinematographer of “Babies” and
“Khadak” films and a director of publicly
known films of “Poets of Mongolia”,
“Passion”, “Remote Control”. During the
training, a French film director Thomas
Balmes, young director Lkhagvadulam P.
and production designer Ariunsaikhan D.
and other directors conducted master classes
for trainees. As an outcome of this lab-
training 6 short films will be produced by
the trainees.
For more information regarding the
festival, please follow us on Facebook/ubiff,
www.ubiff.mn and give us a call at 319017,
319015.
Since 2010, and in its 11th year
Arts Council of Mongola (ACM) and
Mongol-American Cultural Association
(MACA) have provided tuition fees to
44 art and cultural students. During
2020, ACM’s Community Arts Education
Program has focused on promoting public
awareness of arts and culture as an
important component of the development
of Mongolian society. With this aim,
the program has implemented 10 arts
education projects to develop art and
culture education to youth and the public
with scholarships awarded to 3 students of
exceptional merit.
The Community Arts Education
Program has contributed to the education
and professional development of students
in several ways. With the partnership of
MACA, ACM has implemented the “Future
Talent” scholarship program to increase
professional development of talented
students from underprivileged communities,
studying at the Mongolian State University
of Arts and Culture. Support provided
through the program will assist in the training
and development of young talent within the
arts and culture sector, and especially rare
profession in arts field. Since 2010, ACM
and MACA have provided tuition fees for
44 students and contributed 32 million MNT
towards future arts and cultural resources.
Every year ACM in collaboration
with our partner organizations support
talented young artists through sustainable
scholarship project. This year Rotary Club
of Ulaanbaatar and Ajigana group have
contributed small grant to the “Future
Talent” scholarship program.
ACM would like to say ‘thank you’ to
Mongol-American Cultural Association,
Rotary Club of Ulaanbaatar and Ajigana
group for their ongoing support of
Mongolian arts and culture.
The12thEditionofUlaanbaatarInternationalFilmFestival
successfullyorganizedinUlaanbaatar,Mongolia
ACMscholarshipawardedtotalentedyoungstudents