Ak Council Sponsors Two New Awards for Film Challenge

MEDIA RELEASE: 26 October 2011

TVNZ 7 Presents THE OUTLOOK FOR SOMEDAY Sustainability Film Challenge for Young People

Auckland Council Sponsors Two New Special Awards

A RECORD SIX HUNDRED YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE THEIR SAY

Growing numbers of young New Zealanders are making their voices heard on sustainability through The Outlook for Someday film challenge. This year a record number of films have been entered. Over 600 young people, ranging in age from 5 to 24 and from throughout New Zealand, have taken part in making 153 films.

“We are watching the emergence of a generation of sustainability story-tellers,” said David Jacobs, Director of Connected Media, the charitable trust which runs The Outlook for Someday “It’s a real pleasure to see such a lot of focused and talented young people expressing themselves creatively about the big issue of their time.”

Recognising the success of The Outlook for Someday in engaging young people on the issues and challenges of sustainability, Auckland Council is sponsoring two new Special Awards for winners in this year’s film challenge.

The Auckland Council WasteWise Award is for a film focusing on waste minimisation.

The Auckland Council Film-maker Award is for a film made by a film-maker or team from the Auckland region.

“One of our priorities as a Council is to put children and young people first, and this project really helps us to do that,” said Councillor Wayne Walker, Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Forum of Auckland Council. “It engages young people to make films about all the sustainability issues we are grappling with as a council. It’s a great match-up.”

“The WasteWise Award will help us to raise awareness of waste issues and explore ways of improving recycling and resource efficiency in Auckland. We are looking forward to feedback from Aucklanders on the Draft Waste Management and Minimisation Plan, which will be released on 17 November.”

Now in its 5th year, The Outlook for Someday challenge is to make a short sustainability-related film. It can be any genre, filmed with any camera and any length up to 5 minutes. Anyone up to age 24 can enter, either individually or in a team. Entrants are encouraged to interpret ‘sustainability’ in the way that makes sense to them.

Earlier this year The Outlook for Someday was endorsed by UNESCO as a project of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

Judging of the 2011 entries is now under way. 20 Winning Films will be announced in mid-November and available for viewing on The Outlook for Someday website at www.theoutlookforsomeday.net, where there will also be an online vote for The Body Shop Audience Favourite.

The 20 Winning Films will be broadcast in December by TVNZ 7 on both Freeview/TiVo (channel 7) and SKY/Telstra (channel 077).

The Judging Team of media, education, government and business people has just been announced at www.theoutlookforsomeday.net/prizes/judging-team.

As well as choosing the 20 Winning Films, the judges will select 12 of them to receive Special Awards, which will be announced at The Someday Awards ceremony in Auckland on 1 December.

The Special Awards will include the two new awards sponsored by Auckland Council as well as a forests-focussed award for the International Year of Forests 2011 and a Christchurch-focused award which Connected Media has decided to include in recognition of the challenges currently facing the city.

DOWNLOADABLE HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGE FOR MEDIA USE:

The graphic for The Outlook for Someday 2011 is here:

www.theoutlookforsomeday.net/gallery/2011/publicity-images

ENDS

THE OUTLOOK FOR SOMEDAY 2011:

The Outlook for Someday in 2011 is a partnership between Connected Media, TEAR Fund NZ, the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, The Enviroschools Foundation (Project Partners) and TVNZ 7 (Screen Partner)

Funding Partners are the ASB Community Trust, Auckland Council, Department of Conservation, Ministry of Youth Development, Te Puni Kōkiri, and Air New Zealand Environment Trust.

The Body Shop and Adobe are Corporate Partners.

Project Supporters are Levi’s® Stores, ecostore, Orcon, Sony, Madman, Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand, South Seas Film & Television School, Waxeye, Kingsize Studios, Entirely Sound, The Church, AS Colour, Karousel Screenprinting, Corporate Consumables, Lothlorien Feijoa Juice, LEARNZ and the Inspiring Stories Trust.

The New Zealand Coordinating Committee for the International Year of Forests 2011 includes representatives of the Department of Conservation, Forest and Bird, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, New Zealand Farm Forestry Association, New Zealand Forest Owners Association, New Zealand Institute of Forestry, New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, Scion and Wood Processors Association of

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