The third annual Sony Future Filmmaker Awards has announced the jury members for its 2025 kudos.
Four-time Oscar nominee Jason Reitman (“Juno,” “Up in the Air”), filmmaker Minhal Baig (“We Grown Now,” “Hala”), President of 3000 Pictures Elizabeth Gabler (“Where the Crawdads Sing,” “Life of Pi”), and director Justin Chadwick (“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” “Bleak House”) make up this year’s panel. Reitman is currently in the Oscar discussion for directing, writing, and producing the feature film “Saturday Night.”
Mark your calendars for April 29, 2025, as that’s when this year’s group of 30 shortlisted filmmakers will be announced. The 2025 Sony Future Filmmaker Awards will include a five-day program at the legendary Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif., from June 2 to June 6.
The special event includes hands-on workshops for the aspiring filmmakers, plus industry intuition from top professionals, backstage access, keynotes by major cinematographers, screenings, Q&A sessions, talent agency resources, and more.
The awards ceremony will take place on June 5, 2025, which is when the winners of the four major categories (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Animation, Student) will be revealed and rewarded with cash prizes and Sony digital imaging equipment.
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In addition, the Sustainability Prize will reward a film that communicates on key themes linked to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. And the Future Format honor will champion a new generation of aspiring filmmakers by welcoming short films shot exclusively on a smartphone.
Chadwick, who returns as Jury Chair for the third year in a row, said, “Last year’s shortlist selection illuminated the talent of 30 filmmakers who transformed their visions into captivating stories, bringing them into the heart of moviemaking in Los Angeles where they gained invaluable awareness of our ever-evolving industry. With this year’s competition, we are looking for projects that hold the potential not only to change the lives of these filmmakers but also to provoke and compel us as viewers to alter our outlooks. I am grateful to return for the third year as Chair and I speak for the jury when I say how excited we are to discover the creativity and passion which the 2025 competition will surely bring.”
Sony released the following statement: “Established by Creo in partnership with Sony, the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards continue on their mission to elevate original voices from around the world with a fresh perspective on storytelling. Each year the shortlisted filmmakers are flown to Los Angeles for an extensive program of workshops, screenings, and events, creating meaningful opportunities to expand their networks and equipping them with the tools to push forward their careers. Building on the success of its first two editions, the major program for filmmakers continues to welcome budding cinematic talent from across the globe; the competition is free to enter and open for submissions until Dec. 12, 2024.”
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