Action: calling young film-makers

Young film makers are being asked to get their entries ready for The Outlook For Someday film challenge. Photo / Supplied

National sustainability film challenge The Outlook for Someday is asking all young people aged under 25 to get their cameras out and start filming.

Now in its eighth year, The Outlook for Someday challenge asks young people to make a short sustainability-related film. It can be any genre, filmed with any camera and any length up to five minutes. This year's entry deadline is September 12.

Winning films receive fantastic prizes and, last year, acclaimed New Zealand and Hollywood film-maker Andrew Adamson handed out the awards at a red-carpet ceremony in Auckland.

Winners have also gone on to achieve international recognition. Arboraceous, made in 2012 by the then 16-year-old Natasha Bishop, became the youngest-ever nominee and award winner at the Japan Wildlife Film Festival in 2013, and Aboraceous also achieved a US premiere at the Environmental Film Festival in the nation's capital in Washington DC in March this year.

Arboraceous and other winners from the past three years have just been selected as finalists in some of the most prestigious environmental and youth film festivals in the world. Eight films have received twelve nominations in three international festivals.

The 'green Oscars' - the Wildscreen Panda Awards in the United Kingdom - has nominated both Arboraceous and 15 Ways, which was made in 2013 by Aucklander Michelle Vergel de Dios, for their Youth Award.

Only four films from around the world were nominated for this award, making Natasha and Michelle's nominations a coup for New Zealand and The Outlook for Someday film challenge.

Seoul International Youth Film Festival has selected Hunter Meets Pollution Queen by Upokongaro Film-making Club - a team of five young people from Upokongaro near Whanganui, who were 10-12 years old when they made the film in 2013; and Today Is the Day by Better Than Mike Productions - a team of 10 young people from Hamilton, who were 14-18 years old when they made their film in 2013. Both films will screen in competition in Seoul.

Green Screen International Wildlife Film Festival in Germany has also selected six films: Arboraceous; Today is the Day; I'm A Little Molecule Of H2O by a team from Avalon Intermediate School in Lower Hutt led by their teacher Paascalino Schaller in 2013; The Bin Mistake, made in 2012 by a team from the University of Auckland, AUT and the Manukau Institute of Technology; Renno, made in 2011 by Christopher Williams from Gisborne; and Environmental Man, made in 2011 by Nathan Thomas from Auckland.

At Green Screen, young New Zealand film-makers and The Outlook for Someday are responsible for five of the seven international finalists in the Best Short Film for Kids category, and for three of the eight finalists in the Wild Laugh category.

15 Ways from The Outlook for Someday on Vimeo.

Arboraceous from The Outlook for Someday on Vimeo.

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