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    My RØDE Reel short competition awards $1 million to varied winners

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1339 Views
    Winning entries for My RØDE Reel 2020 included (l-r) "Amazni Olwandle," "Black.Matters" and "The Starey Bampir"
    SYDNEY, Australia --

    RØDE Microphones has announced the winners of the World’s Largest Short Film Competition, My RØDE Reel, with a $1 million cash prize pool. 

    More than triple the number of entries were submitted this year compared to 2019. These came from 114 countries–more than ever before–with the winning filmmakers spanning 12 different nations from every corner of the globe.

    “We are absolutely blown away by the response to My RØDE Reel,” said RØDE CEO Damien Wilson. “Needless to say, 2020 has been very tough for people working in the film industry. This year, we wanted to give filmmakers a much-needed boost by offering the chance a win a substantial amount of cash. We also wanted to encourage entrants to get creative despite any limitations they may be facing, and this was particularly inspiring this year. The passion and artistry we saw in all of the films was extraordinary, and a testament to the resilience of creativity. A huge thank you to everyone who entered, and congratulations to the winners. We’ll see you all again next year.”

    The winning films are:

    Judges’ Prize
    (as judged by the 2020 My RØDE Reel panel consisting of Selina Miles, Meyne Wyatt and Ryan Connolly)

    • Winner ($200K): Amanzi Olwandle (Ocean Water) – Timothy Hay (South Africa)    “Amazni Olwandle was absolutely excellent,” said judge Connolly. “Excellent cinematography, rock-solid pace, well-acted, and a ton of heart. It conveyed its emotion and story effortlessly while showing a lot of respect for its audience. I was really floored by it.”

     
    Comedy
     

    • 1st Place ($75K): The Starey Bampire – Amelia Farmer (Australia)
    • 2nd Place ($30K): The Contract – Rick Darge (USA)
    • 3rd Place ($15K): Social Distance – Myles Conti (Australia)

     
    Drama
     

    • 1st Place ($75K): Black.Matters – Kyndra Kennedy (USA)
    • 2nd Place ($30K): Bear Hugs – Nick McLean (New Zealand)
    • 3rd Place ($15K): This Dream I Have – Mason Beals (USA)

     
    Documentary

    • 1st Place ($75K): The Last Video Store – Arthur Cauty (UK)
    • 2nd Place ($30K): Cynthia – Calvin Lam (USA)
    • 3rd Place ($15K): Origens, A Climbing History – 100 Limite Films (Brazil)

     
    Animation
     

    • 1st Place ($75K):  The Forbidden Zone – Zach Tolchinsky (USA)
    • 2nd Place ($30K):  What a Waste – John Remar Lavina (Phillippines)
    • 3rd Place ($15K): Tread – Matt Landkroon (New Zealand)

     
    People’s Choice
     

    • 1st Place ($25K): Harmless (Anodin) – Mathieu Jonckheere Yokaasan (Belgium)
    • 2nd Place ($15K): Uprooted – Andre Pilli (USA)
    • 3rd Place ($10K): Humans of Kerala – AJ Film Ferry (India)

     
    Best Young Filmmaker
     

    • 1st Place ($25K): Unicorn Turbo Charge – Micah Martinez
    • 2nd Place ($15K): Bricks and Guns – Joshua Parry
    • 3rd Place ($10K): A Journey Through Wing Chun – Matthews Ma

     
    Sound Design
     

    • 1st Place ($25K): Incident – David O’Connor (South Africa)
    • 2nd Place ($15K): The Accident – Michael Lubin (USA)
    • 3rd Place ($10K): Foleysh – Quokka Production (Italy)

     
    Behind-The-Scenes
     

    • 1st Place ($25K): Flying Colours – Devon Dresback (USA)
    • 2nd Place ($15K): Harmless (Anodin) – Mathieu Jonckheere Yokaasan (Belgium)
    • 3rd Place ($10K): Noodle Power! – Gottfried Roodt and Lloyd Wilgen (South Africa)

     
    Best Chinese Film
     

    • 1st Place ($25K): The Bell – Tong Z
    • 2nd Place ($15K): Baptism Mortis ­– Wu Yulin
    • 3rd Place ($10K): The Lonely Zoo – Peiyan Xia
    Tags:Amanzi OlwandleMy RØDE ReelRØDE Microphones



    Differences bubble up between PepsiCo and Coca-Cola on diversity programs

    Saturday, February 22, 2025
    Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

    PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.

    In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.

    Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.

    Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.

    Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.

    PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.

    In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.

    "Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion … could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.

    Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More

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