Established by Creo in partnership with Sony, the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards continue on their mission to elevate original voices from around the world with a fresh perspective on storytelling. Each year the shortlisted filmmakers are flown to Los Angeles for an extensive program of workshops, screenings and events, creating meaningful opportunities to expand their networks and equipping them with the tools to push forward their careers. Building on the success of its first two editions, the major program for filmmakers continues to welcome budding cinematic talent from across the globe; the competition is free to enter and open for submissions until December 12, 2024.

 

The jury for the 2025 edition of the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards brings together a panel of leading lights from the world of cinema: acclaimed filmmaker and writer Minhal Baig (We Grown Now, Hala, BoJack Horseman); President of 3000 Pictures Elizabeth Gabler (Where the Crawdads Sing, upcoming Klara and the Sun, Life of Pi); Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman (Saturday Night, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Juno); and award-winning director Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, The Other Boleyn Girl, Shardlake) who returns as jury chair for the third year running. 

 

Justin Chadwick, award-winning theater, television and film director and Chair of the Jury said: “Last year’s shortlist selection illuminated the talent of thirty filmmakers who transformed their visions into captivating stories, bringing them into the heart of moviemaking in Los Angeles where they gained invaluable awareness of our ever-evolving industry. With this year’s competition, we are looking for projects that hold the potential not only to change the lives of these filmmakers but also to provoke and compel us as viewers to alter our outlooks. I am grateful to return for the third year as Chair and I speak for the jury when I say how excited we are to discover the creativity and passion which the 2025 competition will surely bring.”

 

This year’s 30 shortlisted filmmakers will be announced on April 29, 2025, and flown to Los Angeles for an extensive five-day program at the iconic Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, from June 2-6, 2025. The 2025 program is set to offer the shortlisted filmmakers hands-on workshops and industry intuition from top professionals; giving filmmakers an opportunity to hear practical advice from expert speakers as well as the opportunity to connect with their peers across a week of engaging and interactive sessions. Led by Sony Pictures executives, the filmmakers are given backstage access; covering a range of topics from keynotes by major cinematographers, screenings and Q&A sessions, to working with talent agencies and using cutting-edge technologies and animation, film scoring and music rights. The event will culminate in an awards ceremony on June 5, 2025, where the four category winners will be revealed and rewarded with cash prizes and Sony digital imaging equipment.

 

The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2025 edition comprises four core categories for filmmakers to enter: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Animation and Student. In response to the remarkable volume and quality of submissions last year, in 2025 the Fiction and Non-Fiction shortlists are expanded to include 10 filmmakers each, allowing for an even greater scope of original narratives and documentaries to be recognised as part of the wider shortlist of 30. 

 

Additional initiatives include the Sustainability Prize, set up by Creo and Sony to reward a film which communicates on key themes linked to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and Future Format — championing a new generation of aspiring filmmakers by welcoming short films shot exclusively on a smartphone.

 

For more information and further details of the categories of the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2025, please visit sonyfuturefilmmakerawards.com