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As part of the Sundance London 2013 programme, we are inviting UK filmmakers to submit a short film around the theme of time.

Amateurs and professionals are welcome to enter. The winning film will feature as part of the Short Film Programme at Sundance London.

Message from the Director of The Sundance Film Festival

John Cooper

John Cooper

In our first year of Sundance London I was personally amazed and encouraged by the high quality level of entries we received for this competition. I watch hundreds of films a year so I think that’s saying something! In fact the prize for the winner is a slot in the Sundance London Short Film Programme, but seriously when we saw the films we realised we could have programmed four of five of the best films—they were so great.

Watch the top films from last year's competition

So in Year Two, and in keeping with the fact that Sundance London takes place at The O2 in Greenwich, London—famous for Greenwich Mean Time—we thought we’d set the theme as The Time is Now. I’m looking forward to how you will interpret this brief!

— John Cooper

The Brief

The Brief

Theme for 2013
The Time is Now

A story about being immediate and in the moment. A story that you have to tell. A short film that is a call to action, either political or emotional, narrative or non-fiction. The film must be entirely original in content.

Download PDF Brief

  • Any Format or Genre

    Documentary, annimation, drama, comedy—completely up to you

  • Between 3 – 5 mins in Length

    Including any intros or credits

  • Deadline is

    Entries must be received by midnight on Thursday 28th Feburary 2013 (12am GTM 28/02/2013)

The Prizes

The Prizes
  • The winning entry will screen as part of the Short Film Programme at Sundance London 2013
  • A luxury three night stay, for the duration of Sundance London, for two at The Langham Hotel in London
  • Sundance London 2013 merchandise pack
  • Sundance London ticket package plus invitations to Festival private events and parties

The Judges

The Judges
  • Kate Kinninmont

    Kate Kinninmont

    Chief Executive at Women in Film and Television UK

    Kate Kinninmont has been an active member of WFTV for 20 years: as a volunteer, she was very involved in events and lobbying, was voted onto the WFTV Board of Directors, and then elected as WFTV Chair for two consecutive terms. She is a member of BAFTA, NUJ, Directors UK, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. As an award-winning TV producer and director for almost 30 years, Kate has filmed all over the world from San Francisco to Singapore.

  • Chris Collins

    Chris Collins

    Senior Productive Executive, BFI Film Fund

    Chris Collins is Senior Production & Development Executive at the BFI’s Film Fund. He has strategic responsibility for shorts and low budget film, as well as projects that are pushing the envelope of traditional filmmaking. He previously managed the UK Film Council’s Feature Film Development Programme for experienced writers, directors and producers. Before joining the UK Film Council, he worked as an independent producer. Credits include Brick Lane, Tomorrow La Scala!, Last Resort and My Summer of Love. He was an associate producer for BBC Films where he worked on a series of short films for BBC2 including films by award-winning writer/directors Andrea Arnold and Vito Rocco.

  • Kat Lo

    Kat Lo

    Kat Lo is a writer-director with a BA in Art and Anthropology from Yale and an MFA in Screenwriting and Directing from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. A former painter, political activist, and published writer, she now works as Executive Director at her family business and writes screenplays. In the late 1990s she fell in love with architecture through hours spent at Louis Kahn's library in Exeter, New Hampshire, and is currently directing a feature documentary about master architect Mies van der Rohe through the eyes of his grandson Dirk Lohan.

  • Freddie Gaffney

    Freddie Gaffney

    Dr. Freddie Gaffney, MA, BA (Hons), Cert. Ed., FHEA, FCIEA is Subject Leader for Digital Film Production and Scriptwriting at Ravensbourne, where he has worked for the past eight years. He is a screenwriter, cinematographer, director and production manager, working internationally; taking production roles for diverse organizations including UNESCO. He has been actively involved in the promotion of film culture and was Chair of the Kent International Film Festival for ten years. He sat on the Organizing Committee of the International Broadcast Conference, and is a Trustee and Executive Member of the British Universities Film and Video Council.

Submit Your Film

Submit Your Film