Niche film competition for architectural documentaries

From Rural Studio: A Story of Solutions

We're relaying info about an interesting niche film competition that's seeking great short documentaries around the theme 'Architecture as a Solution'.

At RedShark, we typically refrain from delving too deeply into the wide world of film festivals, as there are simply too many of them to adequately cover. However, we've loosened that stance in the past few months with our article on The Rookies awards, which aimed to find the best student talent in a variety of categories, including film, animation and VFX.

Today, we're letting you know about another film competition that has come to our attention. For this one, entry is open to everyone, not just students, and it carries its own thematic bent.

The Look Up Film Challenge, produced by the CSpense Group, a Millennial-based creative and film production company, along with The American Institute of Architects (AIA), urges documentarians to submit 2-3 minute doc shorts that explore how architecture can be used "as a solution." The theme of this "challenge," in my opinion, provides an intriguing starting point for filmmakers to depict the varied ways that architecture can function for the betterment of individuals, communities and society as a whole.

Registration is open and will officially close on July 10, so if this is the first you're hearing about this competition, there's still time to grab your camera (or camera person) and shoot your doc.

You may be wondering what the winners get for their efforts. The Grand Prize Winner and the Public Choice Winner will receive $2,500 each and will have their films exhibited at the Architecture & Design Film Festival (in NY and LA), as well as the SXSW Eco Conference. All submitted films may be distributed "via AIA and CSpence Group channels," which presumably means through branded pages on social media and streaming video sites.

Check out the video below, Rural Studio: A Story of Solutions, which the CSpence Group produced as an example of the sort of films it hopes see in competition. If you're interested in submitting to the Look Up Film Challenge, visit this site for more information.