"We are in a moment of great change in the film industry" – says judge of Sony Future Filmmaker Awards

Creo (previously known to us as the World Photography Organisation) has announced a major new awards program sponsored by Sony that will recognize the work and talents of filmmakers from all over the world. An official awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles, USA, on February 22 2023, with the proposed deadline for receiving all entries declared as December 13 2022.

The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards has been designed to help talented creatives at the beginning of their careers to find a platform for their work. Being free to enter, it aims to elevate original voices from around the globe with a fresh perspective on storytelling regardless of financial barriers.

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Thirty shortlisted filmmakers will be selected across six categories as part of the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, with the winners receiving cash prizes and a range of Sony’s Digital Imaging equipment. 

The awards winners will be selected by a panel of leading industry figures that will be chaired by award-winning theatre, television and film director, Justin Chadwick. The full jury panel for this inaugural competition will be announced in September. 

"We are in a moment of great change in the film industry: where studios are looking for original new voices that can cut through the noise and find new ways of communicating with audiences." Shares Chadwick. 

"With the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards we are looking for the next generation of storytellers whose work can engage, inform, entertain and excite. If you have something to say and you want your voice to be heard, we want to hear it."

The awards is comprised of three separate competitions, each with their own categories. The Filmmaker competition hosts the categories of: Fiction, Non-Fiction and Environment. The Student Filmmaker competition also has its own Fiction and Non-Fiction categories, and the Future Format competition acts as its own category, challenging filmmakers to respond to a new technical brief, this years (2023) submissions are to be shot exclusively on a smartphone. 

Following the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards night, all thirty winners and selected shortlisted entries will attend two days of workshops, screenings and panel discussions led by Sony Pictures executives and top experts in their fields, and the two-day program will cover a wide range of topics, involve working with talent agencies and using cutting-edge technologies including animation and CGI.  

Founder and CEO of Creo, Scott Gray, shares that "We are thrilled to launch the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, with the aim of elevating and championing filmmakers from across the globe. The prize presents a unique opportunity to filmmakers and an exceptional boost to their professional development." 

"This new initiative further builds on Creo’s strong track record of setting-up programs to support and advance the careers of creatives and we are grateful to Sony for their sponsorship and to Justin Chadwick for his expert guidance as Jury Chair."

Supporting creative excellence within filmmaking, the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards is now open for entries, with thirty selected shortlisted entrants and winners receiving an expenses paid trip to California with an exclusive invitation to participate in an industry-led workshop program spanning across two days. 

What have you got to lose? Start your filmmaking career and enter the awards now.