Nokia Shorts Film Competition in the UK

Nokia is calling on movie-lovers in the UK to vote for their favorite 15-second short film at - and give the winning director a chance to showcase their talents in a longer film.

From an interesting take on speed dating to the driving test from hell, the ten Nokia Shorts 2004 finalists span a range of genres and employ a variety of innovative film techniques. There's animation, comedy, drama and some surreal dark comedies - all executed within 15 seconds.

Nokia Shorts is designed to encourage the development of film content for mobile devices and was launched in June by Oscar-winning director Mike Figgis. The winner, as chosen by members of the public, will get the opportunity to make a longer film with a professional crew plus training courses courtesy of Raindance, UK's leading independent film company.

The finalists, chosen by an industry-led panel, were screened at this year's 12th Raindance Film Festival, which took place at selected cinemas in London between the 1st and 10th October 2004, where festival goers were able vote for their favorite.

"This competition really shows the talent that exists out there among the young British film community," said Elliot Grove director and founder of Raindance. "To get a concept across in just fifteen seconds is no easy feat and we were thrilled at the high standard of the entries. These 10 film makers will now gain fantastic exposure through having their shorts shown at this year's Raindance Film Festival."

The winner of Nokia Shorts 2004 will be announced in early November. The winner will receive training courses in the key aspects of film making at Raindance and also have the opportunity to make another short film, longer in length than 15 seconds and with a bigger budget, professional crew and professional film equipment. The two runners-up will also receive Raindance training courses.