Searching Out Best in Film Talent

By Entertainment Editor GORDON BARR

NORTHERN Lights Film Festival is seeking young filmmakers.

The festival, which runs during the first week of December, is now open for entries for short films by early career professional filmmakers to screen as part this year’s event, with a cash prize of pounds 1,000 for the winner.

Previously the UK’s only film festival dedicated to screening work from Northern Europe, Northern Lights Film Festival (NLFF) is now expanding its remit to take in the whole world.

The new focus is on breakthrough talent, and it has employed programmers to scout the globe for the hottest new filmmakers out there, and to bring the most exciting and innovative debut features back to premiere in the North East.

As part of this, the festival is on the search for short film submissions to be a part of the NLFF Selection: a prestigious programme of short films – 20 minutes or under – which will screen publicly as part of the festival line-up.

Last year, the NLFF shorts programme, New Directions, screened to a sell-out audience at Tyneside Cinema and welcomed six of the UK’s hottest young directors to the Festival, including Joe Tucker (For the Love of God), Sean Conway (Alex and Her A*** Truck) and Zam Salim (Laid Off).

This year, the films screening as part of this programme will be entered into competition, which will be judged by the audiences at the festival, and the winner will be awarded a cash prize of pounds 1,000 at the close of the festival.

NLFF now accepts entries from all over the world, and showcases work in all genres and visual forms, including narrative, documentary, experimental and designoriented work. Entries can be live action, animated, or hybrid.

Entries may be shot or created in any format – film, analogue/ digital video. For details of eligibility and criteria, please visit http://www.nlff.co.uk/production/ or for enquiries contact info@nlff.co.uk Deadline for entries is Monday, September 8.

(c) 2008 Evening Chronicle – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.