Web surfers picked South African documentary filmmaker Carey McKenzie as the winner of the Cannes 2006 Online Competition, for her short film B is for Bomb (produced in United States and edited in SA by local editor Michael Brennan). Narrated by a child, the film is an alphabetical listing of the hazards of nuclear power.
This second edition of the Cannes Online Competition had close to 44 000 viewings, up 308% over the 2005 edition. It drew web enthusiasts from the UK, France, Turkey, Australia, Poland, the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the United States, Japan and Mexico.
B is for Bomb was made as an update to McKensie’s feature length documentary, Original Child Bomb, which premiered at the 3 Continents Film Festival in 2004. Both films focus on the human cost of nuclear weapons, with B is for Bomb drawing specific attention to the importance of nuclear weapons in current international power struggles, most especially with regard to Iran. The short was viewed by 5 883 people worldwide and won by popular vote.
The Cannes Online Competition was organised by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in partnership with the Short Film Corner and timed to coincide with the Cannes Film Festival (8 to 22 May).
As winner, McKenzie will receive a miniDV HD camcorder courtesy of the NFB and a virtual mobile studio, including an Apple iBook G4 with Apple’s Final Cut Studio package, from TELUS-Globetrotter.net.
The Cannes Online Competition showcased 10 shorts by filmmakers from six different countries, chosen from close to 900 films submitted.
