Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S) and Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) are now accepting submissions for “PLASTIC KILLS!”—a horror short film competition designed to highlight the terrors of plastic pollution and its toxic effects to our bodies, our children, our pets, and our planet.
Mutilated bodies! Melted brains! When it comes to killers, no one and nothing is quite as demented, as twisted, as prolific as… PLASTIC! Eat your heart out, Freddy Krueger. (But be warned: there’s probably plastic in it.)
Plastic pollution and microplastics haunt every aspect of life on earth. Plastics have been found in the stomachs of whales, fish, and birds. Microplastics have been found in human blood, hearts, lung tissue, placentas, and even breast milk. Plastic pollution has unfortunately become a permanent part of beaches and shorelines, with more washing up daily, like ghosts hauntingly reminding us of industries’ out-of-control plastic production. The plastic pollution horrors persist, but if we collectively work to highlight these issues, we can Flip the Script on Plastics and work towards a plastic-free future.
How It Works
Tell whatever story you want in a short 1-3 minute horror film. The tone can be straight horror, comedic horror, thriller, or suspense; just remember, we’re dealing with a killer here.
There is no entry fee. The deadline for submissions is October 9, 2023. The winning film will be awarded $2,000. HH&S and PPC will announce the winner on Halloween, October 31, 2023.
To enter, visit the PLASTIC KILLS SHORT FILM COMPETITION portal
Rules and Guidelines
• The short film must highlight the horrors and/or toxic effects of plastic and plastic pollution in a creative way.
• All submissions must pass The Begley-Cohen Test, meaning:
(1) No single-use plastics appear on screen (i.e., the film/show is set in a time with no plastic, or plastics are replaced with refillable, reusable, or package-free options), or…
(2) If a single-use plastic item appears on screen, it is portrayed or discussed as problematic.
• Horror or horror-adjacent genres only: The tone should be fitting for Halloween.
• 1–3 minutes total run time.
• Films must be submitted in .mp4 files.
• Original, scripted material only. Documentaries, “unscripted” content, montages, reels, or trailers will not be accepted.
• Films must be in English or subtitled in English.
Submissions
• Entrants must submit the following materials through the online submission form
▫ .mp4 file of film completed and available for online viewing by the time the contest period ends.
▫ One sentence logline for the film.
Awards
Grand Prize Winner receives:
• Cash prize of $2,000
• Special invitation to the Hollywood, Health & Society Sentinel Awards in Los Angeles, California
• Special invitation to a Plastic Pollution Coalition VIP event in Los Angeles, California, in May 2024
• Film screening during the annual Hollywood, Health & Society Sentinel Awards, attended by press and entertainment industry professionals
Top Five Finalists Receive:
• Plastic Pollution Coalition plastic-free swag bag
• Promotion and shares across Plastic Pollution Coalition and Hollywood, Health & Society newsletters, pages, and social channels
Judging Panel
Jack Bender – Producer and Director: Lost, Child’s Play 3, From
Ian Brennan – Executive Producer: Dahmer, The Watcher, Scream Queens
Alan DiFiore – Co-Executive Producer: Grimm, The Expanse
Esteban Gast – Comedian, recently named as one of Grist’s 50 Fixers
Paul Grellong – Executive Producer and Writer: The Boys, Revolution, Hawaii Five-O
John Herrera – Writer and Producer: Handmaid’s Tale, The Purge
Liv Hewson – Actor: Yellowjackets, Santa Clarita Diet, Under My Skin
Peyton List – Actor: School Spirits, Cobra Kai, Light as a Feather
Jill Mazursky – Producer and Writer: Exposure, Gone Fishin’, Golf Punks
Jonathan Penner – Writer and Actor: The Bye Bye Man, Let the Devil Wear Black, Horror Cinema
Paula Poundstone – Comedian and Author: Home Movies, Inside Out, Hyperspace
Sean Reycraft – Co-Executive Producer and Writer: Mayfair Witches, Coroner, Killjoys, Vampire Diaries
Paul Robinson – Mixed media, photography based artist
Sarah Yarkin – Actor: School Spirits, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Happy Death Day 2 U
Resources:
- Hollywood, Health & Society
- Plastic Pollution Coalition
- Flip the Script on Plastics
- Tip Sheet: The Begley-Cohen Test
- Tip Sheet: The Plastic Pollution Crisis
- Tip Sheet: Plastic Pollution Solutions
Inspiration:
- Flip the Script on Plastics – Reusables on Screen
- Night of the Living Plastics
- Plastic Seduction
- Plastover: An Exodus from Plastic Waste
- The World We Need
- “Serial Killers Use Plastic” (HH&S)
- Two Sentence Horror Stories (Netflix)
- Crimes of the Future
Learn More & Get Involved
Learn more about Flip the Script on Plastics, including additional resources and latest news on how we’re helping Hollywood eliminate single-use plastics from sets and storylines. To get involved with our initiative, contact Amelia@PlasticPollutionCoalition.org.
