A longlist of 50 films has been announced for this year’s reed.co.uk Short Film Competition.
The online contest, which closed for entries on 25 March, attracted over 500 entries from filmmakers across the UK who created and submitted their work based on the theme, ‘The Boss’.
Now in its third year, the reed.co.uk Short Film Competition is the UK’s only competition which invites filmmakers to respond creatively to a specific brief. Entrants have a chance of winning priceless industry exposure, as well as cash prizes.
Last year, a spin-off contest saw twenty finalists compete to create a new TV commercial for reed.co.uk. The winning ad, Super Reed, created by Jonathan Brooks, ran on terrestrial and satellite TV between January and March 2012.
Mark Rhodes, Marketing Director at reed.co.uk, comments:
“The reed.co.uk Short Film Competition is all about opportunity. We’re showcasing some terrific talent and giving dedicated, creative individuals the opportunity to get their work noticed and enjoy success in what they do. Our national TV advertising campaign earlier this year was created by one of last year’s shortlisted entrants.”
Along with providing a new wave of UK filmmakers with an online platform to showcase their talent, this year’s reed.co.uk Short Film Competition will include screenings of the best 12 films at film festivals and events throughout the summer.
Simone Pyne, Film & Event Programmer at The Hospital Club (Official Competition Partner) comments on the reed.co.uk Short Film Competition 2012:
“There are numerous short film competitions, but very few that reward their filmmakers with such a serious commitment to making their next production a reality. The reed.co.uk Short Film Competition is an important and vital support to filmmakers, not only for the winning short but for all involved, and it’s with anticipation that we await this year’s submissions and the emergence of new and exciting voices from within the world of short filmmaking.’
This year’s Grand Prix winner will be awarded £10,000, membership to London’s Hospital Club and subscriptions to The Reel and Shooting People. Further prizes of £1,000 will be awarded to additional category winners, including the ‘People’s Choice Award’ - voted for by the public - and ‘Best Animation.’
Mark Rhodes, Marketing Director at reed.co.uk, commends this year’s entries:
“The most striking thing about this year’s entries is their extremely high standard. It’s testament to the talented individuals who’ve gone to such great lengths to take part.
“We’re very excited to reveal our longlist, although the difficulty and debate we had in narrowing down this year’s films to just fifty underlines just how much talent we’ve seen.”
A shortlist of 12 films will be announced on Tuesday 1 May and the overall winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on Wednesday 30 May.
To find out more about the reed.co.uk Short Film Competition 2012 and see which films made the top 50, visit reed.co.uk/film/2012/longlist.
Further information:
http://www.reed.co.uk/film / http://www.youtube.com/reedfilm / http://www.facebook.com/reedfilm / http://www.twitter.com/reedfilm