RØDE announces winners of MY RØDE REEL 2021

RØDE has announced the winners of My RØDE Reel 2021, including the recipient of the massive US$250,000 major prize – the largest cash prize ever offered in a short film competition. 

Once again, filmmakers were invited to submit a 3-minute short film to My RØDE Reel for the chance to win this incredible prize. And once again, the competition drew a huge response from the world’s filmmakers, with over 2,000 entries being submitted from 114 different countries. Find out who won the $250,000 and each of the category prizes below. 

A still from the My RØDE Reel 2021 winning film ‘Two Halves’, an incredible animation by Malaysian filmmaker Chen Wei Choon.

My RØDE Reel is the world’s largest short film competition – an annual celebration of creativity that invites filmmakers and content creators to submit an original short film for the chance to win life-changing prizes. Since 2014, more than 20,000 films have been submitted to My RØDE Reel from over 100 countries around the world, with RØDE awarding millions of dollars in cash and gear to entrants, helping to launch thousands of careers. 

The 2021 edition of My RØDE Reel saw RØDE upping the ante once again with its biggest major prize to date – US$250,000 in cash. There were also dozens of cash and gear prize packs to be won across the genre and special categories. All in all, 30 filmmakers will be taking home a share in over $350,000 in cash.

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

Judges’ Prize (as chosen by My RØDE Reel judges: Sunday Emerson Gullifer, Jess dela Merced and Ryan Connolly). 

Winner: ‘Two Halves’ – Chen Wei Choon (Malaysia) 
 
“Full of creativity and craft, ‘Two Halves’ is a beautifully made short film that absolutely utilises its three-minute runtime to deliver a well-told story,” says competition judge Sunday Emerson Gullifer. “We are delighted to award it the My RØDE Reel Judges’ Prize.” 
 
Drama

1st Place: ‘The Cold Order’ – Lucas Nicotra (Australia) 
2nd Place: ‘Last Birthday’ – Wiktor Szafrański (Poland)
3rd Place: ‘Walk in the Park’ – Chris Lodge (Ireland)
 
Documentary 

1st Place: ‘The French Cowboy’ – Jacob Redman (France) 
2nd Place: ‘Xolani’ – Tao Farren-Hefer (South Africa)
3rd Place: ‘EMBAERA’ – Noam Tryber (Israel)
 
Comedy 

1st Place: ‘ZERO’ – Tim Hamilton (New Zealand) 
2nd Place: ‘Next in Line’ – Alex Raban (USA)
3rd Place: ‘Pipe Dreams’ – Nigel Shinnors (Ireland)
 
Animation

1st Place: ‘Two Halves’ – Chen Wei Choon (Malaysia)
2nd Place: ‘SKYLER’S BOX’ – John Remar Lavina (Phillippines)
3rd Place: ‘Nighty Night’ – Bruno de Sena Giovanini (Brazil)

Sound Design 

1st Place: ‘Brainstorming’ – Bruno de Sena Giovanini (Brazil) 
2nd Place: ‘Employee of the Month’ – Scott Pope (Australia)
3rd Place: ‘Misia – A Love Letter to My Daughter’ – Andrzej Rudz (Japan)
 
Behind The Scenes

1st Place: ‘Employee of the Month’ – Scott Pope (Australia) 
2nd Place: ‘Fadeaway’ – Lucas Nicotra (Australia)
3rd Place: ‘Escape’ – Malik Bouabid (Canada)
 
People’s Choice Prize 

1st Place: ‘The Stage’ – Yadukrishnan O.V (India) 
2nd Place: ‘CHUZALONGO’ – Diego Ortuño Ñ (Ecudor)
3rd Place: ‘The Redemption’ – Mohanad Al-jawaheri (Germany)
 
Best Chinese Film 

1st Place: ‘归宿 (The Home)’ – Xie Dawei
2nd Place: ‘家庭驱邪的五个步骤 (Five Ways of Home Exorcism)’ – Dazhao Gege
3rd Place: ‘无价之宝 (Priceless Treasure)’ – Chen Si
 
Watch all the winning and runner up films at myrodereel.com. My RØDE Reel will return in 2022.