As reported in June, the two enlisted Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher (PRECIOUS) to write a script containing just dialogue between two unnamed characters.
Entrants were asked assign a location, motive and names to take Fletcher’s outline to the boundaries of their imagination.
More than 700 filmmakers from across the globe entered, between them covering every film genre and style.
The international judging panel, chaired by Fletcher, featured industry leaders including Independent Producer and Kodak Representative Anne Hubbell, former editor of Screen International Colin Brown, BBC producer Colin Barr and film critic Alison Bailes selected five films for their originality and imagination.
The winners are:
James Griffiths, a full-time film maker from London, whose film ‘Room 8’ is a live action cinematic piece in which miniature people, parallel universes and a twist at the end provide a true cinematic experience for the masses.
Shekhar Bassi, an aspiring film maker living in London, whose film ‘The Mrs’ is an entertaining black comedy crime, telling the story of a dysfunctional couple’s marriage.
Cadi Catlow, a Welsh animation director, who created stop motion film ‘The Crab’ set in an extremely limited environment that uses only subtitles and relies entirely on timing and extremely accurate animation to portray the emotions, thought processes and personalities of two crabs.
Paul Frankl, a freelance director from London, whose film ‘Water Song’ tells the story of a deaf woman who finds refuge in the tranquillity of swimming, but out of the pool struggles to make contact with a man she has feelings for.
Alexis Barroso Gascó a writer, director and graphic designer from Spain, whose film ‘Concrete’ is set in an office block and tells the story of an executive man, a cleaner and a cookie box, which brings your deepest darkest desires to life.
Fletcher said: “The entries we received to the Bombay Sapphire Imagination Series film competition were so strong that the judges faced a difficult task reducing them to just five.
“The interpretations that we received took place in settings that ranged from the past to the distant future, involving characters and situations that reflected remarkable imagination on behalf of the entrants from around the world.”
Bombay Sapphire Global Marketing Manager Joanna Botwood added: “This competition provided unique opportunities to push boundaries and ask people to explore their own imagination.
“Taking just two ingredients – an Academy Awards-winning screenwriter’s script and their own imagination – they took on a challenge and successfully shared their ideas for a film that the Bombay Sapphire team will help them to produce, direct and premier next year.”
The winners will now participate in producing and directing their own individual films, which will be shown in early 2013. To see the five winners and hear more about their films and experiences during the production process visit www.imaginationseries.com.