Sony Pictures Television Networks, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, has announced the opening of the Picture This Festival for the Planet, a short film competition for emerging filmmakers worldwide to showcase the positive future they see for the planet.
The judges panel includes "The Blacklist" star Megan Boone as well as N.P. Singh, Managing Director and CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India.
Starting from Tuesday, people from over 70 countries around the world are invited to submit videos between one and eight minutes in length inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of global goals agreed upon by all 193-member states of the United Nations to end poverty, protect the planet and promote prosperity for all, read a statement.
Eight regional winners will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the Picture This Festival for the Planet for a day of networking and training alongside industry leaders and social impact partners at the Sony Pictures Studio lot, followed by a screening of the regional winners' films.
There will be three winners selected from India.
Andy Kaplan, President, Sony Pictures Television Networks, said: "At Sony, we are proud champions of the intersection between storytelling and innovation and are incredibly excited to spearhead Picture This. With the support of the United Nations Foundation and our other partners, we look forward to elevating and amplifying these important development goals through the voices of emerging creatives and acknowledge their good work in a meaningful way."
In addition to Kaplan, Boone and Singh, the list of celebrity advocates and industry leaders who will judge film submissions include Elizabeth Cousens, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, United Nations Foundation; Marie Jacobson, Executive Vice President Programming and Production, Sony Pictures Television Networks; Tom Bernard and Michael Barker, Co-Presidents, Sony Pictures Classics; Glenn Gainor, President of Physical Production, Screen Gems; Debbie Levin, President and CEO, Environmental Media Association; and Damian Bradfield, President and Chief Marketing Officer, WeTransfer.
Singh said: "Much of India's development agenda is embodied in the SDG. Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) is supporting the Picture This festival for the Planet because we believe that heightened social consciousness leads to positive social impact.
"Visual storytelling is a powerful tool to inspire social change. That is why we would like to invite students, professionals, academicians, environmentalists and filmmakers to submit their entries. Picture this, to picture a change."
Cousens feels the fest is "an innovative new platform to connect global audiences to what is happening on the ground as people put the SDGs into action in their daily lives".
"By celebrating individual stories of people around the world actively working to protect people and planet, Picture This will help inspire others to join the effort to realize these ambitious - and achievable - goals," Cousens added.
It is not the first team-up between Sony and the United Nations. In 2016, they launched Angry Birds for a Happy Planet, a global youth outreach campaign that leveraged online and social media platforms to encourage action to protect the planet and fight climate change.
The last date for submissions for the Picture This Festival for the Planet is April 30.
--IANS
sug/rb/bg
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
