The O2, 15 April 2014 — Sundance Institute and The O2 today announced the winners of the Short Film Competition for the third Sundance London film and music festival, 25-27 April at The O2: Russian Roulette by Ben Aston has won the Official Selection Award and Shadows of Time by Sambit Banerjee has won the Community Choice Award. Both films will screen at the festival and both filmmakers will receive prizes including a three-night stay at The Langham Hotel in London. Also announced today was a new prize: that a selection of the finalists’ films will screen on London Live.

The Short Film Competition is presented in association with London Live and is a partnership with Talenthouse, Ravensbourne, and with guidance from Sundance London organisers, Robert Redford, Sundance Enterprises, Sundance Institute – which annually hosts the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A. – and AEG Europe. Short film entries were to relate to a theme of ‘Making a go of it’: stories about moving forward in life, love or loss and the pursuit of inspiration.’ Submissions between three and five minutes in length were accepted.

The Official Selection-winning entry was selected by two juries on either side of the Atlantic. The first included: Josic Cadoret, Talent Development Coordinator, Film London; Kat Lo, writer-director; Ben Mallaby, Senior Lecturer, Digital Film Production, Ravensbourne; David Segal Hamilton, Story Editor & Talent Tracker at the Film Fund, BFI; and Sarah Sheerman-Chase, Events and Awards Producer, WIFTV. A second jury included: John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival; Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival; and Charlie Reff, Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival. The Community Choice-winning entry received the highest number of public votes in a two week period of online voting.

Additional finalists for the competition were: 1 on 1 by Joe Talbot; Making the News by Daniele Baron & Conor OGrady; Red Onions by Nadia Lachman; My City by Robert Ryan; Family Business by Mark Drake; Heaven’s Secret – A Film About Love After Death by Ed Wiles; Brothers by Aleksandra Czenczek; The Elevator Pitch by Simon Ryninks; Redemption by Laura Lisete Roosaar; and Art of Motion by Rhodri Williams. All winning and finalist films are available for immediate viewing online.

Best, from Surrey filmmaker William Oldroyd, and Extranjero, from Daniel Lumb and Crinan Campbell, won the Sundance London Short Film Competition in previous years.

Tickets for all Sundance London films, panels and music performances are now on sale online. Music performers include Archive and Dele Sosimi, one of the original members of Fela Kuti’s band. Sundance London will include 39 films (21 features and 18 shorts), including Fruitvale Station (Director: Ryan Coogler), Blue Ruin (Director: Jeremy Saulnier), Frank (Director: Lenny Abrahamson), Hits (Director: David Cross), They Came Together (Director: David Wain), The Voices (Director: Marjane Satrapi) and The Trip to Italy (Director: Michael Winterbottom). All screenings will take place at Cineworld at The O2.

Short Film Competition

	Russian Roulette (Director : Ben Aston, Screenwriter : Oli Fenton) — London seems a little less lonely when Lucy meets a libidinous cosmonaut on chat roulette… Official Selection Winner
	Shadows of Time  (Director and screenwriter: Sambit Banerjee) — 52 people died in the 7/7 terrorist attack on London and hundreds were severely injured. Men, women and children of different nationalities and faith were all equally affected. Shadows of Time is a poignant tale of love, loss and life as seen through the eyes of an ordinary Muslim woman whose husband died in the horrific incident. Community Choice Award Winner

ENDS

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All Sundance London Press enquiries:

General / Film – Claire Gascoyne / Patrick Reed / Natasha Unalkat
Online – Elizabeth Taylor
Music – Oliver Lavery
Accreditation – Simone Devlin
Tel: 020 7292 8330
Email: firstname.surname@premiercomms.com or sundancelondon@premiercomms.com
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Notes to the Editor:

Sundance London
The Sundance London film and music festival is a partnership between Robert Redford, Sundance Enterprises, Sundance Institute and The O2. The third Sundance London will take place from 25-27 April at The O2 and will host the international and UK premieres of films fresh from the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A., as well as live music performances, panels and events.

Sundance London is supported by: Lead Partners – Kickstarter, Sundance Channel Global; Supporting Partners – HP, Internet Explorer, The Langham, London, and the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development ; Media Partners – Empire, The International New York Times, London Live and Time Out; and Official Providers – ASCAP, Cineworld, Chicago Rib Shack, Dolby, East City Films, Gibson Brands, Heineken, H.R. Owen, Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc, SAGIndie, Talenthouse, the US Embassy London and The Wondering Wine Company.

Robert Redford
Robert Redford is an Academy Award-winning actor, director and producer, a passionate advocate for the arts and a leading environmentalist. He serves as President of the non-profit Sundance Institute, which he founded 30 years ago to foster independence, discovery and new voices in American film and theatre. Mr. Redford also founded the Sundance Channel, Sundance Resort, Sundance Catalog, and Sundance Cinemas and the non-profit Redford Center. Though very different in their activities and independent in their operations, all of Mr. Redford’s Sundance entities share the same core mission he has always held dear: a passionate connection to new artists, new voices and new perspectives. sundancegroup.net

Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

AEG Europe and The O2
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. It owns or operates some of the world’s best arenas and theatres, numerous sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL) and LA Galaxy (MLS), and a collection of companies dedicated to producing, promoting and presenting world-class live entertainment.

In May 2005, AEG Europe announced that it would transform the former Millennium Dome and the surrounding area into the UK’s most exciting and technically advanced music, sport and entertainment destination. It was renamed The O2 and opened in June 2007.

The O2 is the world’s most popular music and entertainment venue. Since opening in 2007, The O2 has been visited by more than 50 million people and picked up awards including Venue of the Year at the Music Week Awards; Venue of the Year at the Event Awards; Venue of the Year at the AEO Awards; Pollstar International Arena of the Year (seven consecutive years); Venue Team of the Year at the Event Awards; Best New Major Concert Venue, Venue of the Year at The Event Services Association and Favourite Venue at the TPI Awards.

In addition to the arena, The O2 is also home to indigO2, which is a live performance space; the British Music Experience; an 11-screen Cineworld complex, Up at The O2 – an experience that allows visitors to walk across the roof of The O2; Brooklyn Bowl, a 12 lane bowling alley, 800 capacity live music space and 130 cover restaurant; and the Entertainment District, which is the same length and breadth of new Bond Street and features 28 bars and restaurants.

AEG employs more than 3,000 staff in over 45 operating companies worldwide. Its international head office is in Los Angeles, and its European headquarters is based in London.