Nintendo announces inaugural Gala screening at the 56th BFI London Film Festival

'A Vision in 3D' competition winner set to be premiered ahead of The Sapphires premiere.

Nintendo has announced that its inaugural Gala screening at the 56th BFI London Film Festival will be the UK Premiere of feel-good comedy The Sapphires, starring Chris O’Dowd.

The event will also mark the first screening of the winner of the ‘A Vision in 3D’ competition, in which Nintendo and the BFI have invited emerging filmmakers to submit a short 3D film using the range of filming modes on the Nintendo 3DS.

Supported by Ridley Scott and focused around the theme of ‘British Summer 2012′, the winning short film will be screened on Monday 15 October, 6pm, at Odeon West End. The competition winner has the opportunity to be mentored by director Asif Kapadia and AV innovator Stuart Warren-Hill and will shoot a new short film on location in London, in collaboration with the two mentors and a professional crew.

A Vision in 3D is supported by competition figurehead Ridley Scott (Prometheus, Blade Runner, Gladiator) and entries were judged by an expert panel that included competition mentors Stuart Warren-Hill – an AV artist and innovator in the field of electronic music and visual media, founder of Hexstatic, Holotronica and co-founder of the Big Chill – and Asif Kapadia, director of hit documentary Senna.

‘Digital and 3D filmmaking is within the grasp of everyone these days. I’m excited by all the skill and talent that’s emerging in the UK, telling stories in different ways and it’s vital that it gets our support,’ said director Ridley Scott. ‘This competition launched by the BFI and Nintendo opens up a big opportunity for emerging filmmakers to make their mark and they should grab it with both hands. I can’t wait to see the results.’

In addition to this competition and as part of their wider cultural partnership, Nintendo and the BFI have also announced their intention to carry on working together across other, as yet unannounced 3D content projects.