Mongolia Returns to Asia’s Micro Film Stage, a Year After Winning It

Last year, the first time Mongolia took part, we won.

“Light Up,” a project by Good Neighbors Mongolia, shared the Best Project Award at the Inspiring Asia Grand Final in Singapore and received USD 50,000 to expand its Good Mind and Soul work into rural provinces. It was one of two Mongolian entries to reach the Grand Final. The other, “Box,” made by students from the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, received USD 6,000 in the Best Film category.

Mongolia entered that first year with 22 submissions. Six reached the semi-finals. Two made the Grand Final. For a country competing with fewer films than most, the result said something simple: Mongolian stories hold their own across Asia.

This year, Lorinet Foundation returns as Mongolia’s regional partner for Inspiring Asia 2026, the second year running.

Inspiring Asia uses short film to put social issues, and the people working on them, in front of audiences across the region. What began in 2021 as a single screening in Singapore drew more than 860 submissions from over 50 countries and regions in its 2025 edition. In 2026 the festival runs in eight countries: China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Grand Final will be held in Manila on 25 October.

This year’s theme is Community Empowerment: belonging, resilience, thriving. It sits close to Mongolian life. Communities here have long held each other up, on the steppe and in the city alike.

This year, for the first time, there will be a local competition across all three categories: Best Project, Best Micro Film, and Best AI Film. Local winners receive support at home before any work travels on to the Grand Final. The local initiative is supported by the Inspiring Asia Main Committee, Lorinet Foundation, and Golomt Foundation.

Lorinet Foundation sees Inspiring Asia as a chance to promote proven solutions and Mongolian talent on a regional stage.