Mumbai: On 20 April, the Motion Picture Association (MPA), organizers of the 15th Beijing Student Film Festival (BSFF) and the China Film Copyright Protection Association (CFCPA) announced the winners of a China-wide short video production competition on the theme "Respect Copyrights, Stay Away from Piracy".
 
Competition entries were judged on impact, clarity of message, creativity and originality, and entertainment value. The contest, won by Ms Yang Tingting, 21, from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, was open to students at more than 300 universities throughout China and challenged filmmakers to take a fresh look at the value of intellectual property to society and to individuals.
 
Ms Yang’s flash animation ‘I want to buy legitimate’ features three different shop owners who only sell pirated DVDs, forcing the customer to wonder whether "I want to buy pirate?" Ms Yang’s winning production earns her a trip to Hollywood to visit the MPA Head Office and member company film studios.
 
"I am gratified to know that young people are taking responsibility for themselves in the fight against piracy. This is one competition that makes them appreciate the value of creative thinking and recognize the consequences of piracy," said MPA president and managing director, Asia-Pacific Mike Ellis. Ellis continued, "In the long term, piracy can be stamped out only if people in general respect copyrights and if movie pirates cannot find buyers for their goods."
 
In addition to awarding Yang the top prize, the competition jury awarded second prizes to Ms Lü Yan, 21, and Ms Ji Piling, 22, both from Jia Geng College of Xia Men University, and Mr Yu Chuansong 22, from Beijing Normal University. A Special Creativity award was given to Mr Yu Xiang, 24, from the Beijing Film Academy and another five entries received Encouragement Awards.