TVO Short Doc Contest 2018 is calling all Ontarians to enter their short documentaries by July 15, 2018 for a chance to win great prizes. The theme for this year’s contest is DIY Docs, and it encourages all residents of Ontario to submit their video stories and share their perspective on a subject they feel passionate about. No previous documentary making experience is required.
“TVO’s Short Doc Contest is a meaningful way to share compelling stories with a wide audience. It also offers an important opportunity for aspiring Ontario filmmakers to jumpstart their careers,” says Hannah Sung, TVO Manager, Digital Video. “We want people to be curious, ask questions, and offer a unique perspective.”
Participants are invited to enter original short documentaries up to 4 minutes and 45 seconds in length. During the entry period, TVO will share documentary filmmaking tips and best practices through several inspirational videos at tvo.org/shortdoc and on TVO’s social media channels. This series of videos will feature award-winning filmmakers Charles Officer (Unarmed Verses), Min Sook Lee (Migrant Dreams), and Lewis Gordon (the first-place winner of TVO’s Short Docs Contest 2017). The first video, “What is a documentary?”, explores the surprisingly elastic definition of what constitutes a documentary film. Subsequent videos will include tips on shooting and interviewing.
Contest Schedule:
Now through July 15, 2018 – Submit short documentaries at tvo.org/shortdoc.
July 16 to August 26, 2018 – Judging panel selects the finalists.
August 27 to September 19, 2018 – Public voting for the People’s Choice Award at tvo.org/shortdoc.
September 20, 2018 – Winners announced.
Prizing:
The exciting line-up of prizes includes cash, Hot Docs Festival passes, a Twitter Canada workshop, as well as memberships for TIFF and the Documentary Organization of Canada:
First prize: $2000 in cash, a pass to the Hot Docs Festival in 2019, a one-year membership to the Documentary Organization of Canada, and a pitch session with TVO’s Executive Producer of Documentaries, Jane Jankovic.
Second prize: $1000 in cash, a best practices workshop at Twitter Canada, and a one-year membership to TIFF for two people.
Third prize: $500 in cash and two tickets to the Canadian Film Centre’s annual BBQ fundraiser during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Best”short short”: New this year, this prize recognizes the best ”short, short” doc which is 90 seconds in length or under. The winner will receive $500 in cash and a pass to the Hot Docs Festival in 2019.
The People’s Choice Award: As voted on by the public, this winner will receive $1000 in cash, one year of free admission to all programming at the DOC Institute, and a professional consultation with a DOC Institute board member.
All winners will receive a one-year Hot Docs Cinema bronze membership, and finalists will have their documentaries showcased on tvo.org. The top winners will see their documentaries air on TVO.
Judging:
All submissions are screened by a panel of judges including: distinguished documentary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin; 2017 TVO Short Doc Contest first-prize winner, Lewis Gordon; award-winning short documentary filmmaker and interactive storyteller Shasha Nakhai; and Linda Fong, independent production officer at TVO.
For more information on the TVO Short Doc Contest 2018, visit www.tvo.org/shortdoc, and follow us @tvodocs on Twitter and Facebook using #TVOShortDoc.