YouTube announces new film competition with Venice film festival.
In its effort to unite the worlds of online video and the arts, YouTube is launching a film festival that will play out online and ultimately send 10 finalists to the Venice Film Festival. Festival will take submissions of up to 15 minutes in length between February 2 and March 31. Entrants for “Your Film Festival” is sponsored by Emirates airlines. Fifty semi-finalists will be selected by Scott Free Productions, Ridley and Tony Scott’s production company. YouTube users will vote to determine 10 finalists, whose work will be featured at the 69th Annual Venice International Film Festival in August. Winner will receive a $500,000 grant from YouTube to produce a work with Scott Free. Ridley Scott will lead a jury and play an integral role in judging. “Short filmmaking is exactly where I started my career 50 years ago, so to be helping new filmmakers find an entry point like this into the industry is fantastic,” said Scott.
