#OscarsSoWhite Activist April Reign Launches “Race To Justice” Short Film Competition

Audience Awards/@ReignOfApril

April Reign, the activist and creator of the viral #OscarsSoWhite social media campaign, has announced a new competition for short films called Race to Justice.

For the competition, Reign partnered with Audience Awards, a company that provides networking opportunities for filmmakers. The contest invites filmmakers to create a five-minute short film that details their experiences with and/or personal interpretations about racial justice. In a Twitter thread, Reign discussed the contest more in-depth, highlighting its terms:

The @AudienceAwards and I seek microfilms that portray an honest & instructive conversation about race in America. Top 10 films premiere at #AudFest as headline event. Canon C100 w/24-105 camera kit + $5K in prizes! Deadline: 5/16/18. #RaceToJustice https://t.co/97OqNiSEgg

— April (@ReignOfApril) April 9, 2018

Let me break it down. It’s a five minute video (or less). You can shoot it on your phone. You can win thousands of dollars. It will premiere at a film fest. You wanted a shot. @AudienceAwards & I are providing it. WHY ARENT YOU FILMING ALREADY?! #RaceToJustice pic.twitter.com/bI8cWJsYme

— April (@ReignOfApril) April 9, 2018

Race to Justice plans on distributing the selected shorts on various platforms in order to promote civic engagement and awareness, according to the submission website. The competition’s judges, who include Dear White People producer Effie Brown and “No, Totally!” podcast host Shaun Lau, will select awardees across multiple categories. There will also be an audience award given, where viewers can vote for their favorite film between June 8 and 15. The jury’s choice will be awarded a Canon C100 video camera kit, while the runner-up and audience’s choice will earn up to $2,000 for soundtrack licensing expenses. Furthermore, the top 10 finalist filmmakers will win a year-long premium membership to Audience Awards, an All-Access pass to AudFest, and year-long promotion to agents, distributors, and studios.

Interested? Submissions for the Race To Justice competition are open now until May 16. For more information about the submission process, click here.