Smirnoff announce Reel Talent Award

Free to enter competition has top prize of £10,000 - entry deadline April 22

by Amber Wilkinson

Music event giant The Smirnoff Experience has joined forces with collaborative art complex The Hospital to give aspiring filmmakers the chance to develop their skills and networks by producing a five-minute film.

According to the press release: "In keeping with The Hospital’s cultural and musical vision, and the musical integrity of Smirnoff Experience, each entry should have a genuine musical heartbeat. Screenplays must be clearly original in demonstrating how music shapes and inspires the story and will be judged by a selection panel including the writer and director, Asif Kapadia and musician and composer, Rob Playford."

Director Michael Winterbottom says: “This is a marvellous opportunity for new filmmakers to gain exposure and experience."

The competition is free to enter and offers three top prizes worth more than £10,000 each. The deadline for entries is April 22 and the three winning teams of writer/directors and producers will be invited to attend an intensive residential script development course run by leading filmmakers’ organization The Script Factory, before being granted a budget to produce their short films.

One-to-one mentoring by writers, directors and composers as well as use of The Hospital’s studios and other production facilities will all form part of the prize. Award winning production house Intrepido will also provide support throughout the programme.

The three short films will premiere at VIP events at The Hospital in Covent Garden and be offered international distribution agreements by Shorts International, the worldwide distribution arm of Britshorts. One winning film will also be entered into a series of prestigious international film festivals.

For further information and an entry form visit www.reeltalentaward.co.uk

Share this with others on...
News

The changing light Yoon Dan-bi on music, sound, Moving On and The World Before

Flipping the script Ghasideh Golmakani on using absurdist comedy to tackle misogyny in Head To Head

Spotlight on forgotten history Miwa Nishikawa on telling the story of post-war street orphans in Children Untold

A compulsion for cinema Thomas Bond on the secret of being a producer, the value of flaws, and Imposters

Streaming spotlight: off with their heads! Hold onto your noggin as we reflect on characters who have lost theirs entirely

More news and features

We're bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival.



We're looking forward to Fantastic Fest, San Sebastian and Beyond Fest.



We've recently brought you coverage of the Venice Film Festival, Frightfest, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Locarno Film Festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Muslim International Film Festival and Docs Ireland.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.

Interact

Don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon and Bluesky.


It's a busy time for festivals and here's the latest:


Dinard Full programme announced


Venice announces winners


LFF Full programme announced


Venice Giornate degli Autori awards announce


Festival Scope Venice Sala Web offers chance to stream shorts for free