October 4 Closing Date For Entries To Short Film Competition
Young Jamaicans have until October 4 to submit entries to a short film competition, under the theme: ‘My Environment: a heritage to be protected’.
The competition, which is being sponsored by the European Union (EU) Delegation to Jamaica, was announced by Head of the EU Delegation to Jamaica, Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska, at the opening night of the 2019 EU Film Festival on June 3, at the Spanish Court Hotel, in New Kingston.
The winner in the category of Best Overall film will receive a trip to Europe to participate in a reputable training workshop in the area of film making.
Sectional prizes will include an ipad, a MacBook computer and a digital camera for the following categories, Best Writing/Best Storytelling, Best Videography and Best Editing. All participants will receive a certificate of participation and the top four films will be posted on the Delegation’s website.
Details of the competition, including how to submit applications, are available on the Delegation’s website: https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/jamaica/65394/european-union-short-film-competition_en.
Communication Specialist with the EU Delegation, Althea Buchanan, told JIS News that the main objective of the competition is to help young people, 18 to 25 years, utilise available technologies to create employment for themselves and to raise awareness about environment protection.
She said that the application process will be structured in two parts. Applicants are required to submit a 30 to 45-second video of a response to the question, ‘Why is environmental protection important and how can communication technologies, like film and video, help in improving environmental awareness?’
Part two involves shortlisting persons to participate in a capacity building workshop on October 19.
Mrs. Buchanan said the purpose of the workshop “is to build the skills of the participants who will go on to produce a four to five-minute video on an environmental issue that is of concern to them.
“At this workshop we will have experts from Jamaica and Europe who will deliver on several topics,” she said, adding that the workshop will include a presentation on cinematography by Director of the award-winning Jamaican short film, ‘Flight’, Gabrielle Blackwood, as well as presenters from Europe, who will speak on the topics: ‘Editing and Post-Production Techniques’ and ‘Storytelling/Scriptwriting’.
“We are trying to develop the skills of young people who are not yet established in the business and to open an opportunity for them for job creation, so they can advocate on their own behalf on issues that are important to them and in this case, environmental issues,” Mrs. Buchanan explained.
She said the EU Delegation is being supported by the Office of the Film Commissioner, JAMPRO; Jamaican film producer, Justine Henzel and other experts in the field of film making.
Source: JIS
