To celebrate the opening of M Shed, the new museum of Bristol, from 17 – 22 June filmmakers from all over the world are invited to create quality short films based in and focused on Bristol, in just 117 hours.

This high-energy event, presented in partnership with Bristol Film Office, Encounters International Film Festival and M Shed, will encourage visual storytelling and will promote Bristol as a filming location.

From 17 June, we will challenge filmmakers to make a 2’30” short film (either drama, documentary, experimental, live action or animation) in 117 hours. Films must be of cinematic quality and be suitable for pre-watershed viewing. Each film must be inspired in some way by a story, artefact or theme in one of the three galleries that form the core of the M Shed museum:

Bristol People: Characters past and present, real and mythological, and the ways that they create, celebrate, trade and challenge, defining the character of the city.

Bristol Places: The physical and dynamic city, the locations and secret sites that shape the experience of the city.

Bristol Life: People’s shared experiences in the city, joining and leaving, at school, work, home and at play.

Filmmakers will have privileged access to M Shed between 10:00-12:00 on Friday 17 June to gather their inspiration and to meet some of those who have contributed stories and objects.

Bristol Film Office will open up the city to offer location support to filmmakers taking part in the challenge, and Sound Cloud is providing access to music from local bands and musicians, to be used as soundtracks to the shorts. Discounts and prizes will also be available to filmmakers from supporting local companies Big Bang, Dreambase Studios, Evans AV staging, Films at 59, and Visual Impact. 

The finished films will form part of the city’s memory, and will join the museum collections, so that they will be available to view by visitors in the future.  They will be screened as part of a celebratory event at the museum on Friday 24th June.

One film will be selected by a distinguished jury and awarded a prize of £1,000 cash.

  Encounters Managing Director, Liz Harkman said, ‘This is a great opportunity for filmmakers to test their skills without the worry of insurance or location fees, and to see if they can write, shoot and edit a short film in just 117 hours. By implementing creative limitations, we hope that the competition will spark new ideas and new approaches to short filmmaking, and will encourage local, national and even international filmmakers to recognise Bristol as an excellent setting to any film.’

 Bristol Film Office, Film Liaison Officer, Esther Mars said, ‘Bristol is a fantastic city to film in with a huge range of locations a short distance from each other. It’s easy to navigate and I think all the filmmakers taking part will really get to know the city, its hidden places and stories even if they’ve never been here before. The 0117 challenge gives the keys to the city to filmmakers to get out there and make something incredible with the city of Bristol at its heart.’

M Shed Special Projects Manager, Anna Farthing said, ‘Films and museums both capture a city’s culture and characterise it for the wider world. M Shed is the museum of Bristol, but it is as much about the present and the future as the past. We are therefore delighted to support the making of films that can capture this moment for posterity. We hope that the process, inspired by M Shed’s treasure trove of stories, will encourage people to look with fresh eyes at the city’s locations and discover them anew.’

To participate is easy. All teams must register online for free at http://www.encounters-festival.org.uk before Wednesday 15 June, and the final film must be received as a digital file or DVD, in person or uploaded by 10am Wednesday 22 June.