Creo Announces Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2025 Jury

Entries are now being accepted to the competition - jury includes filmmaker Jason Reitman, filmmaker and writer Minhal Baig, 3000 Pictures president Elizabeth Gabler, and director Justin Chadwick; event runs June 2-6, 2025 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.

Creo has announced the jury for the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2025, which returns for its third edition at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City June 2-6, 2025.

Each year, shortlisted filmmakers are flown to Los Angeles for an extensive program of workshops, screenings, and events, creating opportunities to network and further their careers; the competition is free to enter and open for submissions until December 12.

The jury includes filmmaker and writer Minhal Baig (We Grown Now, Hala, BoJack Horseman); 3000 Pictures president Elizabeth Gabler (Where the Crawdads Sing, Klara and the Sun, Life of Pi); filmmaker Jason Reitman (Saturday Night, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Juno); and director Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, The Other Boleyn Girl, Shardlake) who returns as jury chair for the third year running.

“Last year’s shortlist selection illuminated the talent of 30 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,” said Chadwick. “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 a five-day program at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, from June 2-6, 2025. The event will culminate in an awards ceremony on June 5, where the four category winners will be revealed and awarded cash prizes and Sony digital imaging equipment.

The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2025 comprises four core categories for filmmakers to enter: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Animation and Student. The Fiction and Non-Fiction shortlists have been expanded to include 10 filmmakers each.

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, which welcomes short films shot exclusively on a smartphone.

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Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.