The festival provided a platform for aspiring young national and international filmmakers to experiment with alternative cinema and showcase their talents to the world.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) funded the 2015 festival as part of its cultural and arts grants, contributing to the development of Mongolia’s rich and diverse artistic and cultural heritage. 

The Golden Reel Association has been organising the avant-garde film festival for the past three years. This year, it expanded its horizons by inviting international filmmakers to take part in the event, attracting more than 200 submissions from 20 countries. 

Distinguished avant-garde cinema luminaries Peter Tscherkassky from Austria and Eve Heller from the US were on the jury, along with prominent Mongolian directors Byamba Sakhia and Jigjidsuren Gombojav, and Golden Reel Association Director Enkhbat Natsagdorj. 

Tscherkassky's new short film, The Exquisite Corpse, which was awarded a special prize at Cannes in 2015, inspired young Mongolian filmmakers during master classes on experimental filmmaking. 

Tscherkassky commended the Mongolian filmmakers' ability and accomplishments, and praised their efforts in creating a unique Mongolian cinematic identity by pushing the boundaries of conventional forms of filmmaking and fostering avant-garde and experimental films in Mongolia. 

Supporting in-company instructor training is an integral part of SDC’s Vocational Skills Development (VSD) Project, with trainings already held in Ulaanbaatar and Khovd and Govi-Altai aimags.

At a training currently being held in Bayankhongor aimag, participant Мr. Batnasan, an engineer with the Galkhongor Company, said: “During the training, it was nice to work together with the students, who come to our company to gain practical skills. The training has four phases, and in each phase there is something new for me.”

The VSD Project is planning to expand the scope of the trainings to cover more schools and companies in Mongolia. In addition, the Mongolian Employers' Federation is supporting the adoption of a nationally recognised regulation for the qualification of in-company instructors in cooperation with the project.

The VSD Project is a multi-donor project being implemented by GIZ (German’s Technical Cooperation) in partnership with Mongolia’s Ministry of Labour, with funding from the governments of Switzerland, Germany and Australia.