Bright young thing

Ever read a film review and thought you could write it better? Ever flicked through a movie mag and come to the conclusion, “I could do this…” Well now’s your chance to prove it.

The Young Film Critic Awards are back and all you need to enter is an opinion on a flick of your choice. It’s really that simple.

"This competition is about the appreciation of film,” says the awards patron and film critic Derek Malcolm.

“Some of the greatest geniuses of the 20th century have been filmmakers. They are just as good as the authors, just as good as the playwrights and the painters and their films are quite capable of being appreciated by young people. So I hope this competition doesn’t create critics. I hope it inspires people that want to know a little more about the cinema."

So if you fancy yourself as the new Mark Dinning or Matt Mueller (lord help us!), then get reviewing. There are two different age categories for the Young Film Critic Of The Year: 11 to 14 and 15 to 18. You'll need to submit a 250 word review on a film of your choice, which will be picked over by a panel of the UK’s top film writers.

The closing date is Thursday 28 September 2006. Click here to get more info from the official site.

Happy scribbling people…

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.