This was his last diary entry: ‘Monday: My money was taken. Tuesday: Names called.
Wednesday: Uniform torn. Thursday: My body pouring with blood. Friday: It’s ended. Saturday: Freedom.’
Jagjeet Singh from the UK has beaten hundreds of budding filmmakers to win the inaugural Nikon European Film Festival with a short movie about bullying.
March 25, 2015: Jagjeet won a Nikon D810 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Cannes for his film entitled ‘Voiceless – Stop the Bullies’.
The Nikon European Film Festival challenged amateur and professional filmmakers to create a video of up to 140 seconds in length, on the theme ‘A Different Perspective’.
Jagjeet said: ‘Having made films for several years, achieving recognition for my work is a dream I have been chasing for a very long time…
‘I’m pleased to win an award for this particular film as it’s a project that sits close to my heart.
‘I wanted to raise awareness of how bullying is universal and the pain it can cause victims and their families.
‘Inspiring, unheard voices of what really matters in society has motivated me to become a filmmaker and I hope this film inspires others to do the same.’
Italian film director Asia Argento, who led the judging, said she was ‘blown away’ by the high standard of entries.
‘All the films were completely original in their own right and we were particularly impressed with how entrants interpreted the theme…
‘The quality of entries submitted by amateur filmmakers is also testament to how advances in technology have made filmmaking accessible for a greater number of people – now [more] than ever before.
‘I’m very pleased that Nikon is at the heart of making this possible for aspiring artists across Europe and around the world.’
The Best Film, as voted by the public, went to Marko Kovac from Serbia.
Jagjeet wins a trip to the Cannes Film Festival in May, as a guest of Raindance.
Asia Argento, a former actress (pictured below), was interviewed by Amateur Photographer about the competition and the growing use of DSLRs in movie-making, last year.
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| Film director Asia Argento, a former actress, who chaired the Nikon European Film Festival judging panel |