Gland, Switzerland: 20th June 2011 - Creative filmmakers are being urged to use their talent to help WWF celebrate its 50th anniversary by making the connection with nature.

A new short film competition - Life. Nature. You. Make the Connection - launches today [20.06.11] with WWF offering commissions to the best directors and the chance to pick up their award at one of Asia's top film festivals.

"Film and video are increasingly important to reach mass audiences and inspire people to love nature," said Martin Atkin, WWF International's Media Director. "We want the cream of the filmmaking world to help us celebrate 50 years of conservation by producing engaging, innovative and creative short films which make the connection between people and the natural world."

The competition - which runs until October - is aimed at both emerging talent and established names. "Anyone can enter and the rules are very simple. Films must be completely original, can be up to two minutes long and use any medium - live action, animation, fiction or documentary. It's a great opportunity for filmmakers to use their imagination and skill to get people back in touch with the environment," said Atkin.

Two prizes are on offer - one decided by WWF and the other chosen by popular vote. Each winner will be commissioned by WWF to make a short film with a minimum budget of 10,000 USD. In addition, the two winners will be invited to the prestigious CMS Vatavaran film festival in New Delhi, India, in December to receive their awards and present their films. A selection of the best films will also be showcased at the festival.

Life. Nature. You. Make the Connection is being hosted on Vimeo and is run in association with CMS Vatavaran. For more details on how to enter see http://panda.org/videocomp.

Martin Atkin
Media Director
WWF International
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