To promote this once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity, Charlie Chaplin looky-likeys descended on the streets of London to pay tribute to one of the greatest movie stars ever in a film directed by BAFTA nominee Luke Smellin, winner of Virgin Media Shorts in 2009.
Created to inspire a new generation of film makers, Charlie sees the group of moustachioed, bowler-hat-wearing “Charlies” performing Covent Garden as one man pays tribute to his father – and Chaplin. You can check it out at www.virginmediashorts.co.uk.
Entrants in this year’s competition will have their films judged by a star-studded panel of film legends and experts, including Harry Potter’s John Hurt and Paul Greengrass, director of The Bourne Ultimatum. Twelve lucky shortlisters will have their films shown for a whole year on 200 screens nationwide across the Picture House network and independent cinemas from September, as well as on Virgin Media’s TV on demand, on the website and on mobile phones. The winning films will be announced at a swanky red carpet awards ceremony in central London later this year.
Domination of British cinema screens isn’t the only prize winners can hope to receive; Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media, said: “Virgin Media Shorts really is a fantastic chance for film makers to showcase their talent in a competitive industry. In addition to Luke Snellin’s BAFTA nomination, last year’s winner, Oscar Sharp, won a BIFA nomination for his short film, whilst 2008’s winners Phil Sansom and Olly Williams showcased their winning film at Cannes Film Festival. This proves that the success of these entrants doesn’t stop with us.”
If you want to get involved, upload your films to www.virginmediashorts.co.uk from today for the chance to win a Grand Prize of up to £30,000 film funding, as well as mentoring opportunities with top film making experts at the UK’s leading film institutions. The deadline for entries is 12pm on 7th July 2011 after which all entries will be reviewed and short-listed down to twelve films.
For more information on Virgin Media Shorts and to enter this year’s competition, visit www.virginmediashorts.co.uk
