We get wind of a new contest/showcase site for aspiring filmmakers called Filmaka.com. The following release was made available to us thanks to the professionals at Variety:
Former Fox TV exec Sandy Grushow has joined with “Bend It Like Beckham” producer Deepak Nayar to create Filmaka.com, a web-based movie studio that is attracting aspiring filmmakers with promises of big coin for their feature films or series pilots.
Filmaka.com hosts a series of contests judged by a jury that includes Wim Wenders, Paul Schrader and Werner Herzog. The entrants submit a fee and a three-minute short, of which Grushow said the site has received 3,600 from 95 countries. Filmaka.com hosts the shorts for the curious, but when the contest is over, Grushow and Nayar will produce the winner’s feature film with coin “in the range of $2 million to $3 million.” Though the studio hasn’t advertised its services, the volume of submissions has already been large enough for Filmaka to start producing Web series — Grushow said one of the shows has 12 episodes in the can. The series are funded cheaply — between $700 and $4,000 per episode. The winning entry of the feature film contest will be announced next week.
You pay to enter your 3 minute clip, and are then thrust into a competition where the victor claims a 2 million production budget. Even if you don’t win, your short is showcased on the site and acts as an advertisement for your abilities. This is an outstanding contest that should tempt every aspiring filmmaker, and is a fantastic way to test your mettle.
With Werner Herzog on the panel of judges you know they are fucking serious about this endeavor and hope to make a go of it. Time will tell if this is a viable way to find talent, but I personally think it is an outstanding way for people of skill to rise to the top and get noticed. For those of you that are interested in entering the contest or simply watching the web episodes – go to the source at Filmaka.com
