BUDDING directors are being encouraged to enter a film festival.

People can record and submit a short film covering one of five categories to Walthamstow International Film Festival 2012.

But they must be quick, with a deadline of July 31 meaning people have less than a month to get their three-minute movie in the can.

Their film will then be judged by a panel including the head of youth film education at the British Film Institute, Noel Goodwin, Walthamstow-based director Barry Bliss and Spandau Ballet musician Gary Kemp.

Winners will get prizes including a year's subscription to Shooting People, a film industry networking site.

All the films will then be played to Walthamstow residents at two venues on the weekends of September 8 and 9 and 15 and 16.

They will be shown at Vestry House Museum, in Vestry Road, and Lotolie Family Hairdressers in Orford Road.

Submissions can cover the categories of drama, documentary, experimental, animation or first film.

Organiser Liza Fletcher said: “We had around 150 films entered last year both from Waltham Forest based film-makers and from around the world – two of the winners travelled to London to collect their prize but were originally from Holland and Romania.

"Amazing to think that they had never heard of Walthamstow before and now remember it for the film festival.”

The filmmakers should send a submission form and a DVD copy of the film to the organisers of the festival, which forms part of the E17 Art Trail.

Entries should be posted to Walthamstow International Film Festival, 4 Campbell Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 6RR.

Visit walthamstowinternationalfilmfestival.com for more details.

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