A new Sunderland based film festival has been launched that is already offering local filmmakers the opportunity to win a prize and recognition for their work.
The “Northern Lights Film Festival” becomes the second organisation of its kind to be created on Wearside following the footsteps of the extremely successful Sunderland Shorts Film Festival.
Inspired by the push to transform the city into a cultural and creative hub, the Northern Lights Festival wants to help local and independent filmmakers find a voice and platform amidst an “extremely competitive industry”, the Sunderland Shorts event now having thousands of submissions from further afield which quickly drowns people out.
The new festival has already opened discussions with the Sunderland Fans Museum as an event venue for future showings, but for now is launching with an online competition, titled “The Sunderland Crystal Trophy.”
The Crystal Trophy, an online event, will rank the top ten participants in a league table and publish their work, awarding the top ranked contender a trophy accordingly. A Best actor award is also available.
Registration for the event costs just £20, offering a much more affordable alternative to highly priced festivals.