Watch the winning entries from a stranger sort of student filmmaking competition

Can recycling might be something of a whimsical subject, but when the can-making industry decided it wanted to sponsor a competition for budding student cinematographers, they got an incredible response.

Three students from Goldsmiths University in London walked away with a cool £1,500 and a premiere at the BFI later this month, after wowing judges with a two-minute gangster epic that somehow managed to tie Guy Ritchie-esque shenanigans to the thorny subject of the economies aluminium recycling.

A panel of luminaries including Sky Movies presenter Craig Stevens, The Independent's movie-man Geoffrey Macnab and Hollywood's Danny Dyer decided that 'Can Heist', by Jens Christensen, Louis King and James Hurst, was the overall winner, and the wittiest film. Most visually appealing went to 'The Adventure of the Lonely Can', while 'The Death and Life of a Can' took most creative - both productions won their creators £500.

Of the winner, Danny Dyer said: “I’m also honoured that perhaps my film career partly inspired their genre choice!”

Geoff Courtney, chairman of the Can Makers, wanted to run the competition 'to challenge student creatives' to educate young people about the myths about recycling'.

"I’m pleased to say we have some very worthy winners,” he said.

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