Change the Narrative!

BESE’s mission as a digital platform and content studio is to broaden and reshape the existing narrative by shining light on stories that reflect today’s America. American Latinx is a growing, thriving community and a cultural force but their stories have remained historically marginalized. BESE fills a niche for young Latinx audiences craving positive portrayals of the modern American experience that reflect the new mainstream. The goal of this contest is to find a new voice to help us do this. 

THE CHALLENGE: Submit a 2-3 min non-scripted pilot presentation that, if chosen, can be developed into an episodic short-form web series. 

The theme of the pilot should reflect at least one of the pillars of our content programming: Nation, Culture and Identity. The style and format is open to non-scripted series - documentary, experimental, light-hearted comedy - but the concept should be big enough to become an evergreen series. Although the series should be rooted in Latinx themes, we are open to working with all kinds of filmmakers and hearing their stories about representation and identity as well. However, we are not looking for scripted series with actors in front of the camera. 

Each episode should have a cost breakdown between $1,000-$1,500, including crew, gear and any stock footage licensing. The series will play on our website BESE.com, as well as all of our social channels including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. You must have full rights to all of the content in the series and agree to grant BESE the rights to exploit the series. For examples of work see below:

Folkslore: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJyAeFRsBNwWzX8ZiEGEljvBTpweUYemz

Hidden Figuras: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJyAeFRsBNwVMB8L0lB9ug6GUAnlXvvZ5

Sea of Change: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJyAeFRsBNwUu8EQoPBS28OqfNce6FFoH

Gimme The Word: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJyAeFRsBNwUHzju5NOkxIrPAwiMUC9cm

BESE’S MISSION & VALUES:

• All content must provide nourishment of heart, mind and soul
• Passion, Authenticity & Quality must be reflected in the work
• We embrace and celebrate diversity
• If you believe in the work, the world will too

Potential themes to explore:

• Growing up multicultural in America 
• Representation for minority communities
• Issues you won’t hear about in the mainstream news
• Social justice for people of color
• Generational differences in immigrant families 
• Anecdotal stories about being Latinx 
• Making a positive impact in your community
• Defying stereotypes

Entries will be evaluated by the following criteria:

• Creativity
• Storytelling
• Point of View
• Production Value

HOW THE WINNERS ARE DETERMINED:  From the first round of accepted entries, the top 3 entries with the most votes and the top 3 preliminary jury-selected entries will advance to the finals round. From the finalists, Zoe Saldana and the BESE team will select the winners. 

PRIZE DESCRIPTION: 

1st Place – 6-episode limited series run on all BESE platforms ($1K-$1.5K budget per episode)

2nd & 3rd Place - Pilot presentation shared on all BESE platforms

THIS COMPETITION IS OPEN TO US RESIDENTS ONLY. PLEASE USE THE DISCUSSION TAB FOR QUESTIONS

Links to BESE sites:

https://www.bese.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bese/

https://www.facebook.com/BESE/

https://www.youtube.com/bese 

https://twitter.com/beseofficial

AUDIENCE AWARDS provides filmmakers with the opportunity to gain exposure & accelerate your careers. We are committed to providing a stage for diverse, emerging talent and your creative work. Our democratized video platform celebrates the power of storytelling and provides you with the tools to build an audience and get your work seen. Films submitted to film festivals and video contests on our site are juried by industry professionals and the global audience providing digital distribution deals and film festival screenings for the top film submissions. Upgrade to a Pro Subscription and get more for your career.

SUBMISSIONS DUE BY

Submissions Closed

VOTING OPENS

Dec 10, 2018 at 2:00pm MST (America/Denver)

VOTING CLOSES

Dec 17, 2018 at 1:00pm MST (America/Denver)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Dec 17, 2018 at 12:00pm MST (America/Denver)

PRIZE DESCRIPTION

1st Place – 6-episode limited series run on all BESE platforms 2nd & 3rd Place - Pilot presentation shared on all BESE platforms

FINAL ROUND PRIZE DESCRIPTION

1st Place – 6-episode limited series run on all BESE platforms 2nd & 3rd Place - Pilot presentation shared on all BESE platforms

FINAL TEAM AWARDS

1st Place Jury Award: 6-episode limited series run on all BESE platforms

2nd place Place Jury Award: Screening on BESE

3rd Place Jury Award: Screening on BESE