Aspiring Singaporean filmmakers will stand a chance to showcase their work on BBC World News as part of a global multimedia initiative, My World, which aims to build a unique picture of people’s lives around the globe via user-generated content.
Audiences worldwide are invited to shoot a two-minute mini-documentary with the theme of ‘My World’, using any kind of camera available to them – from a mobile phone to a digital camera. Clips can be submitted on the competition webpage www.bbc.com/superpower.
The project aims to find original stories from each continent, with compelling personal narratives. A shortlist will be made comprising the most original, ambitious and thematically important pieces. The best material from each continent will then be assembled into sequences of ten films by guest curators; these will be shown on BBC World News and entrants interviewed as part of The Strand on BBC World Service. Finally, a single film will be chosen by the curators and awarded the prize of a semi-professional camcorder.
The chosen documentaries will air on BBC World News and on BBC World Service. The Strand will carry interviews about the project from now until March 2010.
The contest opens for uploading at 6.00pm on 25 January 2010 and closes at 12.00am on 6 March 2010.
For each continent, a well-respected documentary professional will curate and judge the entries. These include Emmy award winning producer Cara Mertes for the Americas, Academy Award winning producer Greg Sanderson for Europe, Director of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival Fujioka Asako for Asia and Director of the Encounters Documentary Festival in South Africa, Mandisa Zitha for Africa.
Simon Pitts, Executive Producer, says: “My World will allow people around the world to share their stories, and show people what matters to them. With the help of our excellent curators, the BBC’s international news services will be able to create a vivid and compelling picture of life today on each continent through this unique project.â€
To enter your own documentary clips please go to: www.bbc.com/superpower.

