The UK’s biggest short film competition, Virgin Media Shorts, last week unveiled the filmmakers that have successfully made this year’s shortlist, including Leeds company Left Eye Blind.

Over a thousand films are entered into the competition each year, and now the twelve shortlisted film makers will now go on to be judged by a panel of industry heavyweights including acclaimed British actor John Hurt CBE, The Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass, and Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll director Mat Whitecross. All are now in the running to receive the Grand Prize: up to £30,000 film funding to make their next film hand-in-hand with the British Film Institute

Left Eye Blind and their film 'The Dreamers' are one of the twelve shortlisted films within the Virgin Media Shorts competition. Based at Marshall's Mill in the heart of Leeds' media centre, Left Eye Blind have an established themselves as a reputable production company creating music videos and pop promos for the local music scene during 2007 to 2009. 

Signing to Academy Films in early 2009 the founders Jamie Donoughue and Matt Maude have steered the company increasingly towards the production of fiction films. 

Shortlisted for the award, the twelve films now play at 200 independent and picture house cinemas up and down the country for an entire year.

"It's a fantastic opportunity" says Matt Maude, director of the film and Left Eye Blind's founder.

"To have our work watched by a cinema paying audience, by such a panel of judges, the likes of Paul Greengrass and John Hurt, it's just amazing. The film itself was shot in three and half days in Belgrade, Serbia but it took nearly two years to get the clearance of the music (Sigur Ros) within the film. We're not even thinking about getting the first prize. Having the work in cinemas is a big enough prize in itself."

"Building our business in Leeds has always allowed us to come into contact with some of the best and brightest talent in our industries. There's such a wealth of graduating talent here and we're really pleased that so much of it has found a home within our company. In reality our future changed almost overnight in finding offices in Marshall's Mill. In this space we've been able to invite our regular collaborators to come into our working space and incorporate them into our company. We're trying to turn the tide that says you have to move to London to be part of the industry. In effect our offices in Holbeck Urban Village are two and half hours up the Northern Line from Soho edit suites" says Left Eye Blind company director Jamie Donoughue.

In addition to their short film and music video work, Left Eye Blind completed their first earlier this year. 'Finding Lara' a romantic comedy road movie set across Europe and the Balkans was completed on a budget of just €15,000. Directed by Jamie Donoughue the three week shoot that took the crew across fourteen countries. Their second feature film 'Fractures', a co-production between the UK and the Albanian Film Council goes into production in November 2011. 

The Dreamers, directed by Matt Maude can be found at virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/1571/the-dreamers-sanjari

"Virgin Media Shorts are doing something that barely no one else is doing across the entire country. They're providing opportunities to filmmakers. We all need things to move up the ladder in the beginning. But in reality it's all about the opportunity of getting your work seen by as many industry peers as possible. It's getting your name known and your face about. It's all about networking your talent before people begin to invest time and money into you. And that's what Virgin are doing within this scheme. They're acting like a big signposting system to new undiscovered talent. One with bright flashing lights that read 'Invest here':" 

The Dreamers has just been shortlisted for another competition. If you'd like to support the film and Left Eye Blind, please vote for it in the Kirin First Press competition: kirinfirstcut.co.uk/how-to-vote

In addition to their work within fiction films, Left Eye has created a series of programs designed to support emerging talent within the area. 2.8 Days Later, a program that asks filmmakers to write, shoot and finish a film in just under three days runs again in mid November. Filmmakers interested in taking part should get in touch directly with Left Eye Blind at info@lefteyeblind.com.

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