Short films – big prizes

Youth initiative Ctrl.Alt.Shift is running a fantastic competition for young filmmakers to work with some of the most inspiring contemporary names in film and music.

The deadline is at the end of this month so you’ll have to move quickly, but if you’re aged between 18 and 25 you could be one of five people to have the opportunity to work with top names from the world of film and music creating short films focussing on the issues that Ctrl.Alt.Shift is working to highlight.

After submitting winning treatments, five young filmmakers will be paired with a director mentor, who will help them hone their vision into a short film; their films will then be used to raise awareness on a global scale. “We’re not after two-minutes of heartbreak in a plea for some quick-fix cash,” says Ctrl.Alt.Shift, “we are looking for ideas that provoke action.”

The directors involved include Noel Clarke (director of Kidulthood and Adulthood), Paul Andrew Williams ( London to Brighton) and Saam Farahmand ( Part of the Weekend Never Dies). Soundtracks will be scored by critically acclaimed artists including the 2007 Mercury Prize-nominated Young Knives plus Shy Child, Metronomy, The Thirst and 2008 Mobo award-winner Chipmunk. All the winning films will be shown at a national premier in London.

How to enter

Young directors are invited to choose one of the current issues that Ctrl.Alt.Shift are working hard to change on a global scale – HIV and stigma; war and peace; or gender and power – and demonstrate how that issue inspires their short film idea. Film ideas submitted should be easily made within 10 weeks.

Applications will need to include:

A treatment: a maximum of 300 words clearly illustrating how your idea tackles one issue.

A plan: a maximum of 500 words on how you would go about filming over a 10-week period and within a budget.

Your experience: any examples of work that showcases your work, ability and vision.

To enter, visit www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk/film, follow the submission details and get those entries in by 31 January.