Young Filmmakers Contest

The Southwest Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) is accepting video submissions for its Young Filmmakers Contest, part of the 2017 Annual General Meeting (AGM) “Jane Austen in Paradise: Intimations of Immortality.”

Students at the high school, college and graduate-school levels (including spring 2017 graduates) are eligible to compete for the brand-new contest, a first for a JASNA AGM. Judges will include film industry professionals as well as faculty from Southern California film schools, and up to three winners will be chosen in the three divisions (high school, college and graduate school). The top submissions will be screened at the AGM and a “crowd favorite” award will be bestowed on the favorite submission selected by JASNA members.

Winning entrants will receive a small cash prize, a year’s membership in JASNA and paid admission to the AGM on Friday, Oct. 6, when a special filmmakers dinner will honor their efforts. The evening will include a screening of the 2016 film Love and Friendship, written and directed by Whit Stillman, who will be in attendance.

Works must be five minutes or less in duration, shot in widescreen format and adapted from or inspired by Jane Austen’s writing or life, and relate in some way to the theme “Jane Austen in Paradise.” Otherwise, contestants are encouraged to use their imagination. They may submit comedies, dramas or documentaries in live action or animation. They may be modernizations or mashups of Austen and another public domain author. They may be set any time from the Regency era to the present or even in the future. They may be cast with puppets, pets or people.

Deadline is July 21, 2017. View our entry form for more details and all rules and regulations.