Calling all film makers - the 2.8 Days Later film challenge is on!

Poster by Jay Cover (www.jaycover.co.uk) of Nous Vous (www.nousvous.eu)

Every single member of the Hebe team is mad about the movies. Our combined film collection makes for an impressive library, ranging from blockbuster classics, to obscure indies, to world cinema... mostly Chinese and Spanish, we have to admit. We're all in some kind of film rental club, and besides me (nearly Christmas - hint, hint) everyone has an unlimited cinema card. We're as close to being film geeks as it's possible to get without feeling compelled to sit in the cinema reciting lines in harmony with the actors.

So, imagine our delight when the team at Trinity Leeds revealed to us that one of the coolest boutique cinema brand in the UK, Everyman, intends to open its first out-of-London venue in the heart of the scheme; and, in order to introduce Everyman to the people of Leeds they wanted us to dream up a project to support grassroots, independent film making in the city. Our gut instinct was to call Matt Maude at Left Eye Blind to see whether we could work together, and the 2.8 Days Later film challenge is the outcome:

So, it’s lights, camera and action for this new project, which challenges aspiring filmmakers to write, shoot and finish a film in less than three days. Registration for 2.8 Days Later opened this week and the main event will take place in Leeds on 18th, 19th and 20th November 2011.

Over the course of three days as many as 150 people, working in small teams, will take up the challenge working from Left Eye Blind’s base in Holbeck, Leeds. Industry professionals will lead workshops covering different aspects of the filmmaking process, and will mentor participants as they create a brand new short film.

“This is adrenaline filmmaking at its best”, says Matt Maude of Left Eye Blind, himself one of twelve finalists in this year’s Virgin Media Shorts competition. “We piloted the project back in June 2011 with brilliant results, we even had filmmakers taking part in the US and Germany. This time we are focusing our efforts on supporting Northern talent in and around Leeds. It’s great to be working with Trinity Leeds and Everyman Cinema, both of whom we see playing a vital role in the future of film in Leeds and the surrounding area. It’s no secret that the future of funding for British film is uncertain at the moment and this is a great example of how private business can support and is supporting grassroots independent filmmaking.”

Film will share centre stage in the Trinity Leeds scheme, which will be home to Everyman Cinema’s first venue outside London. Everyman’s chain of boutique cinemas is widely known for screening independent film and world cinema, alongside major releases.

“Leeds is the birthplace of film and this project is all about tracking down today’s undiscovered talent” says Claire Reynolds, Marketing Manager for Land Securities, the developers of the Trinity Leeds scheme. “We hope to find people who have the potential to rock the future of British film and want to help them reach the big screen. We’re proud to be working with Left Eye Blind and look forward to viewing all the final cuts.”

All the 2.8 Days Later films will be entered into a new Trinity Leeds film prize. Three awards are up for grabs and the public, the media and a panel of industry experts will pick the winners. The awards winners will each receive a prize ranging from free cinema passes, to support towards a further film, to the opportunity to showcase their entry at an Everyman venue in London – as a trailer at the start of a major movie! The winners will be announced at a special, public screening event in Leeds during spring 2012.

2.8 Days Later is open to anyone over the age of sixteen, and thanks to support from Trinity Leeds it is totally free to enter. There are only 150 places up for grabs and registration closes on 15 November 2011. Visit the Trinity Leeds page on Facebook to register your place now: www.facebook.com/TrinityLeeds

The whole team will be heading down there on the day. The only thing to confirm is whether we form a team or go head-to-head in a quest for glory on the big screen - the film challenge is on!