A filmmaker from Basingstoke has made it to the final of a worldwide competition raising awareness of water conservation.
Ben Mills, 22, is a finalist in the Intelligent Use of Water film competition, an annual event for films that focus on water conservation issues. The filmmaker from Kempshott will be flown to Los Angeles to showcase his film, Fun and Games, along with five other finalists at the September 20 screening at The Paley Center for Media.
If he picks up the jury award, Ben could walk away with the $6,000 first prize while other cash prizes are also available. Ben, who studied film at Queen Mary's College, told the Observer: "I found the competition online. Environmental causes have always been something I'm really interested in. This combination of my passion for filming and green interests really drew me in.
"What's interesting about water conservation is people think we have a never ending supply of water but the current rate of usage is more than the earth can replenish. We are at the stage where a few little changes most people wouldn't notice would be able to solve the problems, now while if we leave it much longer we will have a massive crisis."
The competition enables both amateur and experienced filmmakers to showcase their creative filmmaking talents while raising awareness of the need for effective, efficient and responsible use of water. Ben is the only filmmaker from outside the US to make it to the final.
He described his film, which stars actors Marc Barnes and Emma Stannard, as a comedy that follows a phone call between a man and his girlfriend who is away at a water conservation seminar.
"It ends with an argument, a broken toilet and an unlucky cat," revealed Ben. "I wanted to take a subtle approach to make the audience think about water conservation in retrospect. There are little tips and facts you can employ around the home. Hopefully people will come away thinking they've just watched a film, rather than had a lesson."
Ben, who studied film and TV production at the University of Westminster, has been working as an assistant director at Greenwich Theatre while shooting short films and described Holly wood as the "Mecca" for filmmakers. "Going out to Hollywood because of a film I've made is the ultimate honour," he said. "My dream is to direct sitcoms for British TV. I love storytelling."
Ben is also taking one of his recent films, Wrestling Yetis, to a number of festivals. It picked up Film Nation's film of the month prize, and will be playing on the BBC's Big Screens in cities around the country. To watch Fun and Games, visit www.iuowfilm.com. To find out more about Ben's films, go to www.benmills.tv
