Last spring, shortly after the country entered lockdown, Huawei Canada invited aspiring video directors to enter a competition and share stories of connection within the virtual reality of COVID-19. Almost 50 post-secondary students enrolled in video production programs across Canada submitted short videos created exclusively on the HUAWEI P40 Pro smartphone. The contest was designed as a nexus for the next generation of video-making talent and the latest smartphone technology, providing participants with an opportunity to be creative, explore new functionality, and put their skills and ingenuity to the test.
“At Huawei, we are confident and optimistic about the future – and always believe in planting seeds for the future,” said Steve Liu, Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. “We are committed to helping the next generation grow, develop, and acquire new skills. This contest embodies that commitment.”
The HUAWEI P40 Pro is recognized as the gold standard for mobile photography and video production. Its professional-grade Ultra Vision Leica Quad Camera with 50x SuperSensing zoom, was named the world’s Best Photo Smartphone at the TIPA World Awards 2020. Students entrants in the competition were supplied with the HUAWEI P40 Pro and given 30 days to shoot and edit their submissions, which could tell any story of the contestant’s choosing.
A panel of six judges used a standard, impartial rubric to rate each submission and tabulate a score. In addition to two business leaders from Huawei Canada, the judging panel included:
Mark Rowswell (also known as Dashan), popular comedian and cultural ambassador;
Vasek Pospisil, celebrated professional tennis player and Wimbledon champion;
Gayle Ye, award-winning cinematographer whose work has screened at the Cannes Court Metrage and Toronto International Short Film Festival, and;
Sidney Chiu, feature film producer and Vice Chair of the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival’s Board of Directors.
In an awards ceremony streamed live on July 20th, the judges announced the contest’s four prize winners. “Morpheus Touch,” submitted by Liliya Syvytska of the University of British Columbia, won third prize. Michael Petruzzelli of York University won second prize for “Together Apart.” Xu Tan of York University was awarded first prize for “Hikaru.”
Anson Yan of the University of Toronto was the recipient of the grand prize for “Dreaming in Toronto.” The first-year student in new media and economics was pursuing his dreams when he arrived in Canada in 2014 from China, from where his uncle sent him off on his new adventure with a camera. “I did a short film when I was in high school,” Anson says, “and a lot of cinematic vlogs and tech review videos. But this is my first prize in video, and it is really encouraging me a lot! The Huawei P40 Pro has four different lenses that can go from super wide angle to telephoto. I usually have to carry three big lenses to shoot, but right now, I can do all the things in a cell phone.” It really makes telling a story spontaneous and easy when video makers can carry everything required to produce professional quality work at all times in one compact piece of gear. And, of course, it’s also a smart phone.
“Our mission was to create a meeting point between the next generation of Canadian filmmaking talent and the next generation of smartphone technology,” said Kevin Li, President of Huawei Canada’s Consumer Business Group. “Although this contest is now over, we can all continue to be inspired by technology’s power to uplift.”
You can meet the winners and view all four videos – along with a highlight reel – on the Next-G Video Contest’s official website. https://nextgvideo.huawei.com