1Minute Film Competition Winners announced!

[1 Minute To Save The World]

1 Minute to Save the World, an online international film competition,
is proving that young people can have a huge impact on raising
environmental awareness: from across the globe they have submitted one-
minute films on the subject of climate change, making sure that their
voices are heard by the world leaders and advisers who determine
policy. They are the next generation of environmental activists using
the internet and film to get their messages and ideas seen and heard
by mass audiences online.

The competition, in its second year, has received films from young
filmmakers around the world; from Mexico to Thailand, India to
Vietnam. People of all ages took the opportunity to broadcast their
messages to a global audience, with some films shown at the COP16
Climate Change conference in Cancun in December 2010. Judges included
actor/director Frank Oz, documentary filmmaker Bruce Parry, director
and climate change activist Shekhar Kapur, the UNICEF UK Climate Youth
Ambassadors, and Google Green Business Operations’ Ben Kotts.
The Artists Project Earth ( APE ) Youth Visions award for best film
has gone to a talented group of children from Nairobi with their up-
beat, hip-hop message to ‘get on your bike and save the world’. The
APE Youth Vision Award offered a prize of £5000 for best film PLUS
proposal as to how the money would be spent. The young people from
Nairobi won the judges over with their funky film and proposal to
spend the money on making a further series of six films addressing
issues in the developing world such as turning waste into energy,
making cash from trash and conscious consumerism. APE Award judge,
Bruce Parry said, “It’s a simple message with a lot of heart and great
lyrics: ‘More or less in control’ – love it!” “Me and My Bike” also
took the Best Film Award sponsored by Passion Pictures.

The Best Youth Film Award, sponsored by Unicef and SONY Open Planet,
was won by the children and staff at Wilbury Primary School, Class 4B,
in the UK for their film, “Give the Colours Back to the Earth”. “The
children are thrilled to have won first prize “ said Headteacher
Sandra Heaviside. “It is a tremendous achievement as it was our first
attempt at this kind of competition. The children are very concerned
about the effects of climate change, and were very enthusiastic to
present their ideas in the form of an animation”. SONY’s Emily Nicoll
who sat on the judging panel, stated that the film carried “evocative
storytelling, passionate narration and lovely animation, combining to
set out the issues and to seek solutions in children’s ideas and
actions.“ The UNICEF Youth Climate Ambassadors said that “the
innocence of the children’s voices is contrasted against the somber
message and helps convey how they will be affected most” The winners
will receive the new SONY NEX VG10 camcorder, with runners-up winning
a Latitude E4300 Laptop and Minos Ultra 60 min. FlipCam.

The winning films will now be widely distributed across the internet
encouraging positive action and change at a grass roots level.

Following the announcement of the winners, The 1 minute to save the
world 2011 competition is due to start shortly inviting a new batch of
young activists to join the fight against global warming armed with
cameras and talent. We’ve seen an empowered generation issue a stern
mandate through eco-activism and entertainment; we look now to
continue to remind those with the capacity to make tangible change
that it is urgent they do so.