This competition is currently closed for entries.

All students who are currently on or have been on a year abroad are invited to submit a short film (max 3 minutes), for the chance to win a prize of £100 and a BFI tote bag bundle including an issue of Sight and Sound magazine and a collection of BFI books.

Step 1: Learn essential smartphone shooting skills with the BFI tutor and professional filmmaker Paul Cotrulia will be delivering 4 online training sessions on Zoom to teach you how to shoot and edit professional smartphone videos. Attendance at all 4 sessions is compulsory in order to enter the competition.

Step 2: Prepare and make your film Your film should be on an aspect of your year abroad that you found particularly surprising, fascinating and worth sharing with others. It must not exceed three (3) minutes in duration. If you need some inspiration, some ideas could be:

• A documentary style report on an aspect of your experience
• A promotional film about the value of studying abroad
• A factual piece about a historical site
• A travelogue about somewhere you’ve visited
• An interview with a local person or someone you met
• A fictional short story set where you’ve been studying
• An avant-garde, non-linear film giving an impression of your experience

The jury will consist of representatives from the BFI, School of Modern Languages and Cultures and the International office. They will be looking for:

• Creative interpretation of the brief
• Originality and storytelling
• Proficiency in capturing and editing your piece

Step 3: Enter the competition: The deadline for submission is 12.00 noon (UK time) on 30 September 2022. If you include dialogue it may be a) in English, b) in the target language, or c) in a combination of several languages. You should include English subtitles or a short translation into English for any foreign language dialogue with your submission.

If you feature people in the film please make sure you have written permission from them to appear on the video and include those permissions with your submission. If you had any help with the video (for example, editing, lighting, acting etc) please include the full credits at the end in the video itself or supply a sheet with that information.

Terms and Conditions

Eligibility: The competition is open to any student who spent part or all of academic year 2021-22 abroad as part of their studies, or who undertook a virtual year abroad as a compulsory part of their degree programme. Additionally you will need to complete the 4 training sessions above to be eligible.

Format: Videos must not exceed 3 minutes in duration and should be uploaded as a H.264 file Vimeo with the unrestricted URL link included in the submission form by the closing date of 12.00 noon (UK time) on 30 September 2022.