We already had an amazing response to our Democracy & Dialogue competition – be sure to enjoy this brief message from the one and only Mister Hughie Dunne:

There are a few (and we mean three) places left for our FREE viral video workshop this Saturday – to nab a place, go HERE immediately. And yes, we’re busy working away on the 2009 Darklight programme. And yes, it’s going to be amazing.

Attention budding filmmakers! Watch this film NOW!

Think you can do better? Then make a short film about Democracy & Dialogue and have your work screened at this year’s Darklight Film Festival

What does democracy mean to you? When did you last vote? In a general election? The referendum? Or was it last Saturday night, choosing a pub with your mates?

The European Commission Representation in Ireland and the Darklight Film Festival invite you to make a short online film on the theme of ‘Democracy & Dialogue’ – and what it means to you.

Twenty years ago, the Berlin Wall fell and the people of Eastern Europe finally got to enjoy greater democracy and freedom of speech. With this in mind, we are holding this competition as a celebration of democracy.

2009 is also the European Year of Creativity and Innovation – a celebration of how ideas can change society. Online media is a powerful force in the 21st Century: using the internet as a forum for debate, individuals can bypass the established press, TV and radio, and let the power of their ideas make change. And this is where you come in….

The Proposition

Make a short film, one inspired by the notion of Democracy & Dialogue. Go on… It doesn’t matter if you record it on your mobile phone, a state of the art digital video camera, or create your own DIY animation – the idea’s the thing. Make it a comedy, a tragedy, a documentary, an animation – whatever takes your fancy. It’s about self-expression. And if it gets people thinking, even better.

The Prize

The winning entry will win a state of the art HD Digital camera worth €1800 and have their work screened this October at the 2009 Darklight Film Festival.

The Web

As this is an internet competition, your entries need to be uploaded onto a video hosting site – You Tube, Google Video, Vimeo… Any online video hosting site will do nicely. Once you do that, submit your link HERE, along with your details.

NB: Don’t forget to check out the terms and conditions of this competition.

Entries must be submitted by email by the 11th of September.

The Criteria

The winner will not only be selected on the basis of the best film produced, but also by the number of hits their video gets. 75% of the marks for the movie will be given over to creativity and imagination, and 25% for building an audience.

The Workshop

We will also be holding a free one-day workshop on Saturday 8th August, showing you how to make your own online films. It does not matter if you are a novice or an experienced filmmaker, you will be sure to learn something on the day. Watch this space for further updates…

That’s right – the (extended) closing date for submissions to the 2009 Darklight Festival is this Friday, July 17th. So get your finger out. We eagerly anticipate the imminent arrival of your masterverk – submission details can be found HERE. To set the mood, enjoy last year’s winner of the Best Animation Prize at Darklight – David O’Reilly’s brilliant Please Say Something:

Via the mighty JoBlo… We love it:

“Destino” was an animated short film conceived by Walt Disney and Salvador Dali in the 1940s. Though detailed storyboards were created for the film the project was scrapped because of financial concerns Disney was having at the time and only 18-seconds of actual footage were created. Back in 1999, while working on the release of FANTASIA 2000, Roy Disney brought the film back to life and intended for it to be the centerpiece of FANTASIA 2006. While that version of FANTASIA never came to life, French director Dominique Monfrey and a team of animators finished the project based on the original storyboards. Up until now, the only place to see the finished film was at various film festivals or before films “The Triplets of Belleville.” A DVD release of the short has been repeatedly delayed with a 2010 release now planned. But due to the magic of the internet, you can watch the entire “Destino” short below!