Now in its 14th year, the Childnet Film Competition invites all young people aged 7-18 across the UK to create a short film or storyboard focusing on a specific online safety theme each year.
Looking to enter the competition? Find all the information here.
Are you from outside the UK? Head here for the Childnet Film Competition: International!
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is the voice of prestigious content creators and distributors in the film, TV, and streaming industry, renowned for their exceptional quality and popularity.
As the global champion for the film and entertainment sector, the MPA has forged a proud partnership with Childnet for over three years, collaborating on significant initiatives like the Childnet Film Competition and Safer Internet Day.
In this blog post, Stan McCoy, President & Managing Director of MPA EMEA, delves into the profound significance of this partnership and shares why it holds a unique place in their hearts.
The Future of Film
Judging the Childnet Film Ccompetition is like peeking behind the curtain of the future of film. I’ve been a cinephile for as long as I can remember. It’s what fuels my work with the Motion Picture Association (MPA), and my passion for the film industry. It has therefore been an honour to get involved with the Childnet Film Competition over the last few years, to sit on the judging panel, and to glimpse true next-generation talent.
Loving film and supporting filmmakers means supporting creators from the inception of an idea through to the finished work. I get to do this every day working for the MPA – championing the immense value of the film and television industry around the region from Europe to Africa to the Middle East.
Advocating copyright protection
The MPA is the leading advocate of the film, television, and streaming industry around the world, connecting studios including Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. One of our key missions is to champion the power of intellectual property and copyright protection. This way our members and their business partners can continue to make the films and TV series that you enjoy watching.
We often work with film makers and creative communities in pursuit of common interests, such as the prevention of online piracy, which attacks creators and creativity itself. That’s why we direct young cinephiles to Get it Right from a Genuine Site when they’re in search of the next film or TV show to dive into.
Judging the Childnet Film Competition
One of the reasons that I relish the opportunity to judge the Childnet Film Competition is that we can build a love and respect for the creative process of filmmaking. With that comes true engagement: an understanding that making films takes time, effort and commitment, and usually, they are a team endeavour.
Everyone involved in making a film has a crucial role to play – whether they’re working in production design, script editing or photography. That means that films must be financially viable for all the creatives, so we work hard to spread an understanding of the importance of consuming films safely and legally.
Breadth of careers in film
Having respect for filmmaking is what drives so many of us who play different roles in the film and TV industry and keeps us going – and coming back to the cinema time and time again.
This last year has been a stellar example of people thinking outside of conventional rules and letting their imaginations take over – with inventive, outlandish movies like Everything Everywhere All at Once winning Best Picture at the Oscars, while a heartfelt story of one filmmaker’s journey to becoming a leading director was told through Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans.
Meanwhile, at the BAFTAs this year, first-time film director Charlotte Wells was awarded the Outstanding Debut prize for her wonderful movie, Aftersun, which had been so warmly received at Cannes last year.
I see so much of that creative spirit in the Childnet film competition, and in Film School Friday – the event series we began at the MPA, on which we have also collaborated with Childnet – to help highlight the breadth of exciting career opportunities in the film and TV sector, and the skills it takes to become one of our future great storytellers. I’m looking forward to the next one that is on the horizon this summer.
What we’ve learned from the last year in film is to be bold – be big in heart, in intellect, in imagination – tell the stories that matter to you, and you may well find that they also matter to someone else.
You have until Monday 5th June to submit your films and storyboards, with the final event showcasing on Tuesday 4th July – if your learners have made it to the final, their film will be broadcast live to the judges and on our YouTube page for all to see!
