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Depict 2022 Winners Announced

Hong Kong animator Pui Sze Chan picks up the main Depict Award winner at this year’s Encounters Film Festival alongside shorts from the UK and US.

With over 1,100 submissions from over 88 different countries, this year’s Depict, Watershed’s super short filmmaking competition as part of Encounters Film Festival has had an incredibly diverse range of films to choose from. 

“Again it was a very strong short list of 18 films split almost 50/50 between live action and animation. The jury each had their own  personal favourites but there was a consensus on a number of films and in particular the Main Award Winner.”

David Sproxton, Depict Jury member and Aardman Animations Co-founder.

The Depict 2022 British Award

The Depict 2022 British Award, a talent development package supported by BFI NETWORK, NFTS, BAFTA went to animator Hannah-Lau Walker for YEAH, I’M GOOD THANKS.

The jury was impressed by the film’s “clear vision. It showed restraint and has real emotional depth” and “can’t wait to see what Hannah gets up to next.”

The Jury also gave a special mention to FUCKING SMOKE by animator José Prat“which told such an expansive story in just a few images and packed an emotional punch.”

The Depict Random Acts Award

The Depict Random Acts Award which gives one lucky winner priceless exposure on Channel 4’s Random Acts platform went to MR. SUN by Christina Wu (USA.) The Jury remarked:“It strikes the perfect balance tonally, juggling between lightness and darkness and packs in so much detail that it rewards multiple viewings…”

YEAH, I’M GOOD THANKS by Hannah-Lau Walker also got a commendation “for being such a great fit with Channel 4, dealing so brilliantly with issues affecting younger generations.”

Depict Royal Photographic Society Cinematography Award

The Depict Royal Photographic Society Cinematography Award, which carries a £1000 cash prize and invaluable exposure went to WHEREVER, NEXT by Benedict Webb (UK)

Jury member Mitra Tabrizan (Artist & Filmmaker) commented: “Remarkably this film is mainly a series of stills , they are well composed, structured, consistent in  creating a particular mood – and works extraordinarily well in combining  stills with moving images. It is well scripted, with a moving delivery through the voice over.  

It is an economical and effective mode of conveying  a complex emotion, beyond the place, and without sentimentality!”

The Jury also gave a commendation to ENOUGH by Andy Sowerby, describing it as “innovative; visually compelling and timely, considering that we live in a competitive society where nothing is enough.”

Depict Main Award

Jury member David Sproxton (Aardman Animations Co-Founder & Trustee) presented the main Depict 2022 Award; £1,500 in cash and a lifetime membership to Shooting People to Chan Pui Sze from Hong Kong from FRUIT MARKET describing it as “ambitious, a tour de force of precise photography and editing, mesmerising in its impact, with a narrative shaped by the daily hustle and bustle of markets, commerce and globalisation.”

The jury also gave a commendation to TRAIN by Botir Abdurahmanov (Uzbekistan) for its “tight cutting, use of sound and Cinematography which made this a very compelling, emotionally driven film, leaving the viewer wanting to know more.”

Depict Audience Award

With over 1093 unique votes, the Depict Audience Award went to Bristol ‘s Emelye Moulton for her short film debut BLUE picking up a lifetime membership to Shooting People and a Festival Pass to Encounters Film Festival 2023.

Congratulations to all!

The shortlisted filmmakers and of course the winners, a big thank you to all the filmmakers who entered this year, to our fantastic judges, our pre-selectors to all  of those who voted and supported the competition, and of course, to our sponsors: Royal Photographic Society, Channel 4, Aardman Animations, Films@59, BAFTA, NFTS, Shooting People, British Council, Independent Cinema Office, Korev and the teams at Watershed and Encounters Film Festival.

We’ll see you all again next year!

You can watch all the films shortlisted for this year’s competition online here.

The Depict 2022 winning shorts will soon be made available for UK cinemas to screen and the 2023 call for entries opens soon.

The Depict 2022 Shortlist is Live!

We are delighted to announce that that this year’s Depict shortlist is now live – and we need your votes to decide the winner of the Depict Audience Award.

With over 1,100 submissions from over 88 different countries, this year’s Depict, Watershed’s super short filmmaking competition as part of Encounters Film Festival (27 Sept – 2 Oct) as had an incredibly diverse range of films to choose from.

The eighteen shorts selected are now up for multiple awards and prizes which will be chosen by the Depict 2022 Jury during Encounters Festival. We need your help to decide the outcome of the Depict Audience Award. In partnership with Encounters, the winner will receive a full festival pass to Encounters Festival 2023 and a lifetime membership to Shooting People. This prize is chosen entirely by the public through voting on depict.org open until Thu 29 Sept 20:00 BST. There’s a massively varied selection to choose from and we’d love to hear your responses in the comments section of each film.

The Depict 2022 Jury will gather at Encounters Festival to award this year’s much coveted Depict prizes – the main Depict Award of £1,500, the Royal Photographic Society Award of £1,000, the Depict British Award, a talent development package supported by BFI NETWORK, NFTS, BAFTA and the Depict Random Acts Award, priceless exposure and mentoring courtesy of Channel 4 Random Acts.

For the wider Encounters Film Festival competition running until Thursday 30 September, make your way to: https://www.encounters.film/

Festival Passes are on sale here: https://www.encounters.film/festival-passes

Look out for the Depict Showcase & Awards Ceremony taking place at Watershed on Thu 29 Sept 19:30 as part of Encounters Festival.

This is a chance to experience the films collectively on the big screen and meet the Depict team and some of the talent behind the films. You will also be the first to find out who has picked up an Award and can join in the Depict Networking Drinks sponsored by Korev after the showcase.

Introducing the Depict 2022 Jury

The Depict 2022 jury includes Artist and Filmmaker Mitra Tabrizian, Head of BFI NETWORK Alice Cabañas, Channel 4 Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 Emily Shields, Co-Founder and Trustee of Aardman Animations David Sproxton, National Film and Television School’s Rob Watson and Shooting People Film Programmer Jim Read.

The Jury selects the main Depict Award of £1,500, the Royal Photographic Society Award of £1,000, the Depict British Award, a talent development package supported by BFI NETWORK, NFTS and BAFTA and the Depict Random Acts Award, priceless exposure, and mentoring c/o Channel 4 Random Acts.

The Depict shortlist goes live on Thu 15 Sept on depict.org where you will be able to vote towards the Depict Audience Award until Thu 29 Sept 7.30pm.

Save the date for the Depict Showcase & Awards which takes place at Watershed as part of Encounters Festival on Thu 29 Sept 7pm followed by a networking event sponsored by Korev.

Find out more about this year’s Jury members:

Depict 2022 Call for entries is open!

Submissions are now open for Depict ’22 – Watershed’s ultra-short film competition part of Encounters Film Festival committed to uncovering emerging filmmaking talent since 1998.  

We’re calling for creatives from around the world to submit their shorts in 90 seconds or under to be considered for this year’s shortlist and Awards. 

It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a big budget or a tiny one; whether you specialise in documentaries, animation or live-action – as long as your film is less than a minute and a half in length, you can submit your short to this year’s competition for free! 

We’re looking for imaginative, original, and engaging shorts, and offer the best of these works and the talent involved support and exposure. If you make it into this year’s Depict shortlist, your film will be showcased online at depict.org and at the upcoming edition of Encounters Film Festival (27 Sept – 2 Oct 2022 Bristol, UK), the UK’s leading short film, animation and virtual reality festival, also an official gateway to the world’s most prestigious awards including the Academy Awards®, BAFTAs, BIFAs and the European Film Awards.  

Connecting industry and audiences, the festival celebrates the creativity, diversity and the impact of short film. So whether you are a filmmaker looking to launch or develop your career, an industry professional wanting to stay abreast of what’s new, or a film lover wanting to soak up the festival atmosphere by watching great films and special events, Encounters offers priceless industry exposure.  

Shortlisted filmmakers get a festival pass, are in with a chance of winning up to £2,500 prize money thanks to sponsors including The Royal Photographic Society and Aardman Animations as well as other exclusive prizes and opportunities to help you get to the next stage of your career courtesy of partners such as Channel 4’s Random Acts, BFI NETWORK, BAFTA and NFTS. 

The Award winners are chosen by a jury of distinguished industry professionals that meet during the festival. Previous jury members have included cinematographers such as Robbie Ryan BSC, Rachel Morrison A.S.C and Annemarie Lean-Vercoe FRPS, directors Peter Jackson and Roystan Tan and industry practitioners such as Sorcha Bacon (Producer and Try Hard Films founder), Catherine Bray (Channel 4’s Random Acts), Tabitha Jackson (Channel 4, Sundance), Chris Auty (National Film and Television School) and David Sproxton (Aardman Animations). All short-listed entries are also open to the Audience Award. 

Previous Depict winners have gone on to have their work screened at international film festivals, been picked up by commercial distributors, carved themselves successful careers in the film industry and beyond. 

Last year, the Main Depict 2021 Award of £1,500 and a lifetime Shooting People membership went to Wake Up by director Tiago Teixeira, who had the following to say about his experience: “Winning the Depict award was a fantastic surprise and a great honor. It helped me to fund a new short film and gave me the confidence to keep pursuing my filmmaking career. My main tip for anyone entering this year is to shoot a film that means something to you, and not to try adapting your idea to what you think would be more palatable for the festival. You might be surprised.”

Some of the shortlisted animations were also awarded a special mention and given access to an Aardman Academy Stop Motion Foundation course and here’s more on their experience and their top tips:

“For filmmakers entering this year, we’d say create something that you want to see and have fun with it!  Making ‘Cycling with Molly’ has been a surprise at every turn, we created it during lockdown for fun and we’ve really enjoyed seeing how it’s been received.” Sara Chia-Jewell and Mulletman (Cycling With Molly)

“It has been so helpful. It’s a competition that has really interacted with the films and filmmakers beyond screening and introduced us both to peers and to potential work in the future. The number one tip I have for filmmakers entering this year, at least once they’re in the competition, is watch every film you can. There is so much interesting work and sources of inspiration for future work.“ Alicia Froy Johnson (Sensory )

Sound like your kind of challenge? As long as your film is under 90 seconds or less, you can enter your film to Depict – it is the most accessible competitive strand  of Encounters Festival with no submission fee. Submit your short(s) via FilmFreeway 

Submissions close on Monday 13 June 2022 so there is plenty of time to read the rules and get some more inspiration by checking out our archive of over 20 years of teeny, tiny shorts.  

Pack your short with masses of creativity and send it to us – good luck! 

The DepicT! 2021 shortlist is live!

Watch, vote and comment now

We are delighted to announce that that this year’s Depict shortlist is now live – and we need your votes to decide the winner of the Depict IMDbPro Audience Award. 

With over 1,100 submissions from over 88 different countries, this year’s Depict, Watershed’s super short filmmaking competition as part of Encounters Film Festival has had an incredibly diverse range of films to choose from. 

The twenty shorts selected are now up for multiple awards and prizes to be won but we specifically need your help to decide the outcome of the Depict IMDbPro Audience Award. In partnership with IMDb, the winner will receive a 1 year subscription to IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals. This prize is chosen entirely by the public through voting on depict.org. There’s a massively varied selection to choose from and we’d love to hear your responses in the comments section of each film. 

Each year we enlist the expertise of a panel of prestigious industry professionals (more on this shortly) who will have the tough job of deciding who will be awarded this year’s much coveted Depict prizes – the main Depict Award of £1,500, the Royal Photographic Society Award of £1,000, the Depict British Award, a talent development package supported by BFI NETWORK, NFTS, BAFTA and the Depict Random Acts Award, priceless exposure and mentoring courtesy of Channel 4 Random Acts. 

For the wider Encounters Film Festival competition running until Thursday 30 September, make your way to the Encounters Film Festival website.

Festival Passes are on sale, giving you access to more than 150* new short films and animations from around the world including the Depict shortlist from 1st – 30 Sept for just £10. *Note – some films are only available in the UK. 

Look out for the Depict 2021 Watchalong and Awards taking place online on Thu 30 Sept 6pm (BST) the last official day of this year’s Encounters Film Festival. This is a chance to watch the films collectively and meet some of the talent behind the films and be the first to find out who has picked up an Award. The event will stream online on Watershed’s YouTube Channel. 

Team DepicT!

Announcing the Depict 2021 shortlist

We are delighted to announce the 20 shorts selected for this year’s Depict – Watershed’s super short filmmaking competition as part of Encounters Film Festival (online from Wed 1 – Thu 30 Sept.)

We’d like to start by thanking all the filmmakers for submitting their films to Depict! With over 1,100 submissions from over 88 different countries, this year’s competition has had an incredibly exciting and diverse pool of films to whittle down from.  

Here is this year’s Official selection including films from Iran, Italy, Brazil, Russia, Argentina, Poland, France, Norway, Mexico, Ukraine and the UK:  

A safe place while it’s raining – Dir: Gabriele Camilli (Italy 2021) 

A Walk Home – Dir: Louise C Galizia (UK 2021) 

Blue Monday – Dir: Katarzyna Orłowska (Poland 2020) 

Cycling with Molly – Dirs: Sara Chia-Jewell, Mulletman (UK 2020) 

Dragons – Dir: Alfie Dale (UK 2021) 

Headspace – Dir: Murphee Thompson (UK 2021) 

Here Comes the Wildfire! – Dir: Edd Carr (UK 2021 )  

I Come From – Dir: Kate Jessop (UK 2020) 

It’s Nothing – Dirs: Rebecca King, Lian Meng Rose (UK 2021) 

Leo – Dir: Moein Rooholamini (Iran 2021) 

Misha – Dir: Kateryna Pavlyuk (Ukraine/UK 2020) 

New Normal – Dir: Iván Orizaga Villaseñor (Mexico/France 2021) 

Sensory – Dir: Alicia Frøy D A Johnsen (UK/Norway, 2021) 

Stacy – Dir: Efim Bakaev (Russia, 2020) 

Super Blood – Dir: Sally Cancello (UK,2021) 

They Remain – Dir: Barnaby Duffy (UK, 2021)

Tim The Bastard – Dir: Oliver Gabe (Wales, 2021)

Twins– Dir: Diego Mandelman (Argentina, 2021)

Wake Up –  Dir: Tiago Teixeira (UK, 2020)

Windows – Dir: Katy Welsh (UK, 2021)

Visit the wider Encounters Film Festival competition

Encounters Festival Passes are now on sale, giving you access to more than 150* new short films and animations from around the world including the Depict shortlist from 1st – 30 Sept for just £10. *Note – some films are only available in the UK.

There are multiple awards and prizes to be won by the twenty Depict filmmakers shortlisted.

A panel of prestigious industry professionals will have the tough job of deciding who will be awarded this year’s much coveted Depict prizes – the main Depict Award of £1,500, the Royal Photographic Society Award of £1,000, the Depict British Award, a talent development package supported by BFI NETWORK, NFTS, BAFTA and the Depict Random Acts Award, priceless exposure and mentoring courtesy of Channel 4 Random Acts.

Once the shortlist goes live on depict.org on Wed 8th September, we’d also like you to get you involved in the Depict IMDbPro Audience Award chosen entirely by the public through voting online. The winner will receive a 1-year subscription to IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals.

Save the dates!

Look out for the Depict Awards which will take place online on Thu 30 Sept 6pm (BST) as part of this year’s Encounters Film Festival. This is a chance to get to know some of the talent behind the films and be the first to find out who has picked up an Award.

Team DepicT!

Submissions are now open for DepicT! ’21

Submissions are now open for DepicT! ’21 – Watershed’s ultra-short film competition, part of Encounters Short Film Festival​

We’re calling for creatives from around the world to submit your shorts of 90 seconds or under to be considered for this year’s shortlist and awards.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a big budget or a tiny one; whether you specialise in documentaries, animation or live-action – as long as your film is less than a minute and a half in length, you can submit your short to this year’s competition for free!

We’re on the look out for imaginative, original and engaging shorts, and in return the best of these, and the talent involved in making them, will receive support and exposure. Films which make it into the DepicT! ‘21 shortlist will be showcased online at depict.org and at the upcoming Encounters Film Festival (Sept 2021), the UK’s leading short film, animation and virtual reality festival. Encounters Film Festival is also an official gateway to the world’s most prestigious awards including; the Academy Awards®, BAFTAs, BIFAs and the European Film Awards and connects industry and audiences to celebrate the creativity, diversity and the impact of short film.

Shortlisted filmmakers will receive an Encounters Festival Pass, and will be in with a chance of winning up to £2,500 prize money thanks to sponsors including: The Royal Photographic Society and Aardman Animations as well as other exclusive prizes and opportunities to help you get to the next stage of your career courtesy of partners such as Channel 4’s Random Acts, BFI NETWORK, Aardman Animations, BAFTA, NFTS and Shooting People.

The award winners will be selected by a jury of distinguished industry professionals that meet during Encounters Film Festival. Previous jury members have included cinematographers such as Robbie Ryan BSC, Rachel Morrison A.S.C and Annemarie Lean-Vercoe FRPS, directors Peter Jackson and Roystan Tan and industry practitioners such as Sorcha Bacon (Producer and Try Hard Films founder), Catherine Bray (Channel 4’s Random Acts), Tabitha Jackson (Channel 4, Sundance), Chris Auty (National Film and Television School) and David Sproxton (Aardman Animations). All short-listed entries are also eligible to win the Audience Award.

Watch this year’s trailer below!

Previous DepicT! winners have gone on to have their work screened at international film festivals, been picked up by commercial distributors and carved themselves successful careers in the film industry and beyond.

Last year, the Main DepicT! 2020 Award of £1,500 and a lifetime Shooting People membership went to Fabulous by director James Skinner, who had the following to say about his experience: 

“Winning the DepicT! Main Award with Fabulous last year really gave me and the team a huge boost and we are now building on this success. We are using the prize money for our next project, so that we can take our filmmaking to the next level. My advice to anyone entering DepicT! is to have a lot of fun but also use it to hone your skills and challenge yourself.”

Still from Fabulous

Bristol-based, self-shooting filmmaker Ryan Francis picked up the DepicT! British Special Mention Award for his powerful short B.I.AB. (Black In a Box). Upon winning this package of career development opportunities from NFTS,  BAFTA, Shooting People  and BFI  NETWORK, Ryan said: 

“Winning this award at DepicT! is great because my film explores the struggles of being black and I hope that by winning this award, my film will raise awareness about these issues. I hope it also encourages other young black filmmakers to get into the film industry.”

Still from B.I.A.B Black in a Box.

Sound like your kind of challenge? As long as your film is under 90 seconds or less, you can enter your film to Depict – it is the most accessible competitive strand of Encounters Festival with no submission fee. Submit your short(s) via FilmFreeway

Submissions close on Mon 14 June 2021 so  there is plenty of time to  read the rules  and get some more inspiration by checking out our archive of over 20 years of teeny, tiny shorts. Pack your short with masses of creativity and send it to us  – good luck!

Best wishes, 
Team DepicT! 

Like us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get fresh short film news, updates and opportunities.
 
www.depict.org

Depict ’20 Winners Announced…

We’re delighted to announce the winners of this year’s Depict  90-second filmmaking competition, as part of  Encounters Film Festival .

Each year, Depict challenges filmmakers from around the world to create an original and imaginative micro short film. The 23 films that made our main Depict 2020 selection were selected from over 1360 entries from 80 different countries.

The Main Depict Award of a £1,500 cash prize and a  lifetime membership to Shooting People went to the British filmmaker James Skinner for Fabulous which the described as: “a wonderful cheeky and inventive piece of work that fits perfectly in the 90 second format.  “

James had this to say about winning the Award: “I am absolutely thrilled that our little film Fabulous has won at DepicT! this year – this award means so much to me! The film’s journey actually started at Encounters in 2016 when I got chatting to the stranger sat next to me at the DepicT! Awards Event. That stranger was Ben Marshall, a screenwriter, and we have now made six films together! To have one of them selected as the winner of DepicT! this year is absolutely amazing! Thanks so much to the judges and the DepicT! and Encounters team for everything you do to support indie filmmakers. I would recommend the competition to anyone. It’s a fantastic way to hone your storytelling skills or to experiment, a brilliant challenge!”

Bristol-based, self-shooting filmmaker Ryan Francis picked up the Depict British Special Mention Award for his powerful short B.I.AB. (Black In a Box). The Jury stated that “Ryan is a bold and exciting new voice and we look forward to seeing more work from him and working with him over the coming year.” He wins a package of career development opportunities for a UK-based filmmaker from NFTS,  BAFTA, Shooting People  and BFI  NETWORK.

Ryan said: “Winning this award at Depict is great because my film explores the struggles of being black and I hope that by winning this award, my film will raise awareness about these issues. I hope it also encourages other young black filmmakers to get into the film industry.”

The Royal Photographic Society Cinematography Award, which carries a £1000 cash prize and invaluable exposure went to The Wall (Iran) by director Farideh Naderi with cinematography by Hamid Ghavami which the Jury described as “visually striking; with each shot using light and framing to drive the narrative forward to create a poignant portrait of a society divided.”

The Random Acts Award, went to British animator Sundeep Toor for her animation Dilemma which the Jury found “charming, fun and fresh. They win a unique opportunity to be featured on Channel 4’s Random Acts platformand receive mentoring

“It means so much to be recognised as talent that is worth investing in. It gives me confidence in my abilities to do better.” said Teeside based animator Sundeep about winning the Award.

Last but not least, the Depict IMDbPro Audience Award chosen by you the audience from this year’s special  Lockdown Depict selection – 19 shorts inspired by the sensational range of work created by filmmakers during lockdown went to Gaia by Spanish animator Brenda Ximena Roldan Romero who is currently studying at Bournemouth University. The short is a collaboration between a number of Bournemouth University Masters’ students from across the world.

Congratulations to all the shortlisted filmmakers and of course the winners, a big thank you to all the filmmakers who entered this year, to our fantastic judges: Annemarie Lean–Vercoe  FRPS, Jess Loveland, Shaminder Nahal, David Sproxton, Chris Auty and Molly Cowderoy, to all 2,500 of you who voted and supported the competition, and of course, to our sponsors: Royal Photographic Society, Channel 4, Aardman Animations, Films@59, BAFTA, NFTS, Shooting People, British Council, IMDbPro, Independent Cinema Officeand Encounters Festival. We’ll see you all again next year!

You can catch up on the Watchalong and livestreamed Awards here and watch all the films shortlisted for this year’s competition online at depict.org/watch-films.

The 2021 call for entries opens soon so watch this space for updates…

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www.depict.org