All short film must be received by 1 August 2007 at the very latest; if they have not been made in English they will require English subtitles. The short-listed nominations are aired during a special weekend of programming on TCM on 3 and 4 November and will also be screened at The Times BFI London Film Festival during the awards ceremony on 30 October.
TCM Classic Shorts is one of the most prestigious and valuable short film competitions of its kind in EMEA, awarding £10 000 of prize money (£5000 first prize; £3000 second prize; £2000 third prize) and exposure across all the TCM channels those territories. In addition, it gives the entrants exposure to a celebrated panel of judges who bring their expertise from all angles of the film industry. This year's panel is:
| Lasse Hallstrom | My Life as a Dog, The Cider House Rules | director, writer, producer |
| Kevin Macdonald | The Last King of Scotland, Touching The Void, | director, writer, producer |
| Simon Pegg | Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Mission Impossible lll | director, actor, writer |
| Stephen Woolley | The Crying Game, Stoned | producer and director |
| Cillian Murphy | Sunshine, Girl with a Pearl Earring | actor |
| Paul Andrew Williams | London To Brighton | director |
| Wendy Ide | The Times | film critic |
| Jason Solomons | BBC | film critic |
| Nev Pierce | Total Film magazine | editor |
| Dan Jolin | Empire magazine | features editor |
The competition prides itself on having discovered some of the best new film making talent in the UK in recent years; last year's winner, Silence is Golden by Chris Shepherd, featured innovative animation and Jane Lloyd, the previous year's winner was used by David Gray as the video for his new single, Alibi.
Many of the short-listed films from previous years have also gone on to receive further acclaim; 2006 finalist Cubs directed by Tom Harper was nominated for a BAFTA, as did 2004 winner Nits, directed by Harry Wootliff. 2002 entry Brown Paper Bag, directed by Michael Baig Clifford, and 2001 winner About A Girl, directed by Brian Percival, both went on to win BAFTAs for Best Short Film. Gerald McMorrow, whose film Thespian X won in 2002, is now directing a feature film, Franklyn, with Hanway Films.
Further information and entry forms are available at www.tcmclassicshorts.com. For further information about The Times BFI London Film Festival, go to www.lff.org.uk.
