Aspiring filmmakers – this one’s for you. Ridley Scott and Scott Free Productions along with Emirates and Youtube are hosting the ‘Your Film Festival’ contest, a search for the world’s best storytellers, in partnership with the Venice Film Festival. Short film submissions for the global competition will open on February 2, 2012 and run through March 31, 2012, with all submissions reviewed by Scott Free and narrowed down to 50 semi-finalists. From that 50, YouTube viewers will vote for the 10 finalists who will be flown to the Venice Film Festival to unveil their films in a special program.
A jury will judge the final 10 and select the Grand Prize Winner. That winner will receive a $500,000 YouTube original production grant to work with Scott Free, ultimately creating a brand new work for the world to see.
“Short filmmaking is exactly where I started my career 50 years ago, so to be helping new filmmakers find an entry point like this into the industry is fantastic,” stated Ridley Scott. “It’s great to be partnering with YouTube again for this global search for the next generation of exciting filmmakers.”
Here’s the scoop on the contest: “Content creators around the world are invited to submit a 15-minute, story-driven video of any format, style and genre, to youtube.com/yourfilmfestival. After submissions are whittled down to 50 semifinalists, audiences from around the world will cast their votes, choosing ten finalists.
“YouTube is committed to bringing entertaining, original content to a global audience and Your Film Festival is another example of our investment in great creators worldwide,” said Robert Kyncl, Global Head of Content at YouTube. “Through this program, YouTube will give filmmakers the opportunity to reach a vast audience, screen their work during the Venice Film Festival and potentially be rewarded in a career-changing way.”
Source: Your Film Festival
