Editor's Note: The Tony Blair Faith Foundation has announced the Faith Shorts Film Competition asking young people between the ages of 14 and 27 to submit short films on how faith inspires you. The film competition is open to people of all nationalities and have to be submitted by July 9, 2012. HuffPost Religion applauds this effort by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and encourage you to submit entries if you are interested.
The text below was provided by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.
After leaving office as Prime Minister of Great Britain, Tony Blair set up the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. Through global education and community projects, the Foundation aims to build understanding between people of different faiths, cultures and beliefs.
How does your faith inspire you? It’s an interesting question, one open to many different interpretations and anecdotes which is precisely the idea behind Faith Shorts, the short film competition run every year by the Foundation. The Foundation is keen to hear from young people aged between 14 and 27 about their experiences of faith, whether personally, within families or communities, or what they’ve seen in the world around them.
More than ever before, the media has the power to expand the reach of religious ideas to new horizons. But media also has the power to shape these religious ideas and the public’s perspectives on religious traditions. With the technological innovations that allow citizens to become journalists and filmmakers, people around the globe have access to a host of different stories. Faith Shorts aims to harness this spirit to help break down stereotypes and promote understanding between people of different faiths, cultures and beliefs.
Now, calling upon young people to stand up and talk about faith is no easy ask, but each year, the entries surpass our expectations. The best films challenge stereotypes about religion, tell a compelling story and engage us in the filmmaker’s world. This competition allows for the exploration of complex issues in the most creative ways, from a young Jordanian inspired by her faith to learn how to forgive following a bomb blast affecting her family, to a group of young Bahá'í’s rapping about responsibility and faith. The competition debunks the myth that faith is merely a source of conflict, and shows it is an inspiring source of solace, solidarity and community interaction.
As Tony Blair says “we see this film competition as an opportunity for young people to share in their own words what their faith means to them. We hope their personal stories will help increase understanding between the main faiths, break down stereotypes and show a more positive face of religion.” So get your films in!
Judges include leaders from the worlds of faith and film –- from the Grand Mufti of Bosnia to Hollywood stars Hugh Jackman and Jet Li, with prizes including an all expenses paid trip to London to see your film premiered on the big screen at a red carpet event. For more information, or to enter yourself, visit www.faithshorts.org.
Click through the slideshow to see outstanding entries from last year's competition. Each film is only about two-three minutes long:
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