Film competition: Students’ take on anti-corruption

Six out of 50 short films will be publicly screened.

LAHORE:

More than 50 student teams from across Pakistan have registered for a 15-minute film making competition held by Transparency International Pakistan (TIP).

The entries were received after a series of seminars, workshops, debates and poster competitions in major cities on the topic.

Students will submit their films for the Anti Corruption Film Competition. Six of these will be finalised for screening at the finale.

Each team, of not more than four members, will be judged by professional film makers and critics for creativity, script, screen play, direction, production and adherence to assignment.

“Politically controversial topics and targeting of politicians or institutions has been prohibited.

Our participants know that the competition is about expressing their ideas and not targeting someone,” Sabeela Siddiki, the assistant project coordinator, said.

She said registration had already been closed and the last date for submission of films was July 16.

Schools and colleges participating in the competition from Lahore include the National College of Arts, the Beaconhouse National University, the Punjab University, the Lahore University of Management Sciences, the University of Central Punjab, the Lahore Grammar School and Salamat ICAS. Engr NI Khwaja, the TIP director, said, “It is important for our young generation to make serious efforts to build a brighter and better future for themselves and generations to come.”

He said the competition’s objective was to highlight youth’s ideas. The films, he hoped, would lead to a coherent national performance to institutionalise efforts to curb corruption.

The winning film will get Rs25,000; runners-up Rs20,000 and the third best film Rs15,000. Rs10,000 would be given for closest adherence to the theme.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2011.