Entries are sought for Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, a major new annual awards program for short films, which is designed to provide a gateway for new entrants to movie production.
Sponsored by Sony and free to enter, the Awards set out to elevate original voices from around the globe with a fresh perspective on storytelling. Thirty shortlisted filmmakers will be selected and flown to Los Angeles for the Awards ceremony, taking place on February 22, 2023 in the Cary Grant Theatre at the historic Sony Pictures studio lot in Culver City, California. Winners from six categories will be announced on the night and rewarded with cash prizes and a range of Sony’s Digital Imaging equipment. Winners will be selected by a panel of leading figures chaired by award-winning theatre, television, and film director Justin Chadwick.
Following the Awards night, all 30 winners and shortlisted filmmakers will attend two days of workshops, screenings and panel discussions led by Sony Pictures executives and top experts in their fields. The exceptional two-day program will cover a wide range of topics from pitching to legal, to working with talent agencies and using cutting-edge technologies including animation and CGI. This invaluable opportunity supports filmmakers’ career progression by providing them with exclusive access and unparalleled insight into the inner workings of the industry. Submissions must be between 5 to 20 minutes in length and can be shot on any device. Winners and shortlisted filmmakers will receive a trip to Los Angeles to take part in the Awards ceremony and two-day workshop program.
Entries to the open Filmmaker competition will be judged in three categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction and Environment. The three category winners additionally receive $5,000 (USD) and an FX9 Cinema Line Camera (plus lens).
The Student Filmmaker competition rewards the talent soon set to shape the industry and is judged in two categories: Fiction and Non-Fiction. The two category winners and their institutions will receive a range of Sony’s Digital Imaging equipment.
The Future Format competition challenges filmmakers to respond to a new technical brief each year. For 2023, submissions to be shot exclusively on a smartphone and between 2 and 5 minutes in length. A shortlist of up to five entries will be selected and the category winner will receive $2,500 (USD) and a range of Sony’s Digital Imaging equipment.
The deadline for all entries is December 13, 2022, at 10:00pm AEDT. The two-day workshop program will take place at the Sony Pictures studio lot in Culver City, California on February 23rd and 24th, 2023. The jury panel for the inaugural edition will be announced in September 2022. Click here for more information.
