We are thrilled to announce the judges for our third annual Young Filmmakers Contest:

  • Ashley Clements, star of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and a writer/producer, including an upcoming modern adaptation of Macbeth 
  • Laurie Viera Rigler, author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and its sequel and creator of the Babelgum Original web series Sex and the Austen Girl
  • Thomas Rigler, Emmy-winning director, executive producer, and nonfiction showrunner
  • Robin Swicord, director and screenwriter of the film based on The Jane Austen Book Club (among other credits)
  • Kenneth Turan, longtime (recently retired) film critic for the Los Angeles Times
  • Aydrea Walden, writer/producer/actor and creator of the Webby-nominated Black Girl in a Big Dress

The contest is open to all amateur filmmakers in North America under the age of 30, and submissions from Jane Austen enthusiasts in high school, college, and graduate school are especially welcome. Cash prizes and adulation await the top three original shorts of five minutes or less centered around Jane Austen. The deadline for entries is October 30, 2020. We encourage all regions to share this info with anyone you think would be interested, especially among high school and college film and English teachers. Details, entry forms, and videos of past winners are available at jasnasw.com/young-filmmakers-contest or email youngfilm@jasnasw.org.