Both amateur and professional filmmakers are vying for top prize at this year's 'I Shot Hong Kong Short Film Festival'. For a week next month, their films will be publicly screened and critiqued by industry judges.
The judges say anyone can become a filmmaker as long as they are willing to give it a try, and submissions are expected from industry professionals to part-time hobbyists.
'I realise the budget is usually limited,' says Lloyd Chao, business director of Shaw Studios and one of the judges. 'Technical quality is therefore not as important'.
Mr Chao says he is looking for a short film that has a good narrative, or at least evokes an emotional response.
'The hardest thing for any short filmmaker is to focus in on what they're trying to say,' he says. 'First-time filmmakers, especially, cram everything they can think of into their piece. They have to be willing to leave things on the editing room floor.'
Festival judge and movie producer Colette Koo says: 'I look for creativity and the ability to tell a story.'