JUDE LAW, RALPH FIENNES, BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI & BARRY NORMAN JOIN TCM IN SEARCH FOR BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM DIRECTOR FOR 2003!

TCM (Turner Classic Movies) announces the launch of the TCM Classic Shorts competition, which will hold the awards ceremony as part of The Times bfi London Film Festival (the festival runs from 22 October - 6 November 2003). Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes and Bernardo Bertolucci are just three of the fifteen judges to sit on the competition’s panel to find the best short film of 2003.

TCM Classic Shorts is one of the most prestigious and valuable short film competitions in Europe offering £10,000 in prizes. It has been responsible for discovering some of the best new talent in the UK including 2001 winner Brian Percival, Director of the film About A Girl that went on to win the BAFTA for Best Short. This year, TCM is making a bigger commitment and expanding its involvement with the festival by sponsoring the Short Cuts and Animation strand of the festival for the first time.

The Short Cuts and Animation strand premieres the very best of international short and animated films. The festival recognises the importance of this strand as it can act as a launch pad for new film-makers, student films and independent productions, as well as launching the careers of many high profile actors.

TCM Classic Shorts is open to all UK made short films. The opening date is 2 June and all films must be received by 17 September to be eligible for the competition. The short-listed nominations will be aired on TCM and screened at The Times bfi London Film Festival.

The panel line up features some of the biggest names involved in the British film industry:
Jude Law Actor: Road to Perdition, The Talented Mr. Ripley
Ralph Fiennes Actor, Producer: The English Patient, Schindler’s List
Bernardo Bertolucci Actor, Director, Writer: Stealing Beauty, The Last Empire, Last Tango in Paris
Barry Norman TV Film Critic and journalist
Richard Eyre Director and Writer: Iris
Stephen Frears Actor, Director and Producer: Dirty Pretty Things, High Fidelity
Mark Herman Director, Writer: Brassed Off, Little Voice
Richard Jobson Film Critic, Writer, Producer, Director: Sixteen Years of Alcohol
John Madden Director: Mrs Brown, Shakespeare in Love
Ismail Merchant Actor Director, Producer: A Room With A View
Stephen Woolley Producer: The End of the Affair, Interview with the Vampire
Colin Kennedy Editor: Empire Film Magazine
Nick James Editor: Sight & Sound Film Magazine
Wendy Ide The Times bfi London Film Festival, short film programmer
Tina McCann General Manager of Turner Entertainment Networks Europe

Further information and entry forms are available at: www.tcmonline.co.uk and for further information about The Times bfi London Film Festival, log onto: www.lff.org.uk