Film the House 2018 was launched on 14 May with ALCS as one of its industry sponsors. The competition provides a fun way to raise awareness among Parliamentarians about the importance of the creative industries to the UK economy and the many ways in which we can nurture and protect them. It is one of Parliament’s major competitions and is just one of a number of initiatives aimed at raising awareness of intellectual property (IP) and the need to protect creativity and copyright by bringing together filmmakers and Parliamentarians.

Aiming to showcase the ‘best’ up-and-coming filmmakers and scriptwriters across the UK, Film the House will offer local filmmakers the opportunity to be put in direct contact with the movers and shakers of the film industry. It is also a way for participants to meet their local MP and to learn about how Parliament and lobbying works.

The categories for the 2018 competition are:
• Best Short Film (under 16)
• Best Short Film (16 and over)
• Best Script (under 16)
• Best Script (16 and over)

Please visit the Film the House website for a full set of the competition terms and conditions.

Entrants should apply via filmthehouse.co.uk. The deadline for applications is 30 September 2018 and the shortlist will be announced in January 2019. An awards ceremony will take place at the House of Commons on 2 April 2019 with the Director General of WIPO, Frances Gurry, set to make a keynote speech at this unique celebration of up-and-coming talent that highlights the importance of IP to creators.

Judged initially by your local constituency offices, MP film and script recommendations are put forward for a further round of judging by industry professionals, with prizes provided by the industry sponsors. In 2017, these included mentoring sessions from professionals in the film industry, a private screening of the winners’ films for friends and family, and classification of the winning films by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

The competition is sponsored by Sir Kevin Barron MP (Chair of the All Party Film Group), Lord Tim Clement-Jones (Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Intellectual Property Group), and Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP (Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Writers Group).

Co-sponsors of the competition alongside ALCS include: 21st Century Fox, Motion Picture Association (MPA), Sky, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Viacom.

Twitter: @FilmtheHouse_UK

Facebook: @FilmtheHouseUK

The winners of last year’s competition were:

• Thirteen-year-old Freya Hannan-Mills who won Best Film (Under 16) for her film Turning Tides. Into Film Shorts named Turning Tides its Film of the Month in June last year, describing it as “a poignant portray of grief and friendship between two girls, aided by an evocative, piercing score, and some suitably grim weather”. In addition to acting and filmmaking, Freya wrote ‘Mushy Peas and Battered Bits’, a play performed by Jude Law at Hammersmith’s Lyric Theatre in September last year.

• Ed Wiles who was awarded Best Film (16 and Over) for his film City Lights. City Lights is described by Film Shorts as “a romantic comedy about a night time security guard in a London office tower who finds a unique way to gain the attention of a cleaner in an opposite tower”. The film premiered at the LA Shorts Fest and has also been screened at a number of other international film festivals.

• Sade Adeniran, for A Mother’s Journey which won Best Script. Sade explains that the film “tells the story of a woman going through postnatal depression” and seeks to “shed a little light on the darkness which can sometimes overshadow what should be a joyful time in a family’s life”.

Further information on the value of the creative industries can be found here.