Bruce Parry: Your planet needs your film-making talents

'Anyone can deliver a short but powerful message to the world about the most important issue of the day,' says the Tribe presenter
Bruce Parry
guardian.co.uk, Friday 24 July 2009 07.00 BST
The climate crisis that's facing all of us means that it's time for all hands on deck. For too long we've been bombarded with short films in the form of adverts that tell us it's cool to consume; cool to replace barely worn out goods with newer ones; cool to travel as far and as fast as possible. Personally, I think it's time to fight back; time to fight fire with fire; time to counter the messages that infinite growth and consumption are good using the same weapon with which they've been delivered to us. Film.
That is why One minute to save the world is being launched. The idea behind it is to enable anyone, anywhere, to deliver a short but powerful message to the world on the most important issue of our day – climate change. The winning films will be sent around the world in November as an online campaign to raise awareness of the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December, where all the world's leaders will be gathered to thrash out an agreement on the future of our planet.
The competition is open to total amateurs and professionals alike, and also under-18s. We hear more and more about the "citizen journalist" with international news channels leading stories using footage captured by the public, so we're also welcoming films made on a mobile phone. One minute to save the world are planning to have the winning films screened in cinemas and at the Copenhagen Conference. They'll also be viewable via Guardian's environment website and on the competition website, where the public can vote for their favourite film. The website will become an online film festival which requires no travel or celebrity status to attend – all you need is access to a computer. And as everyone knows, the power of the net can make the most unexpected video attract the attention of millions globally.
The winning entries will be judged by a panel that includes award-winning director and climate change activist Shekhar Kapur; Franny Armstrong, director of Age of Stupid, the Guardian's environment editor John Vidal and me. Together we will be looking for films that convey a powerful message about how climate change affects you and those around you. Were you a flood victim in England or New Orleans? Have you seen a change in the plants and wildlife in your garden? How has your world been affected and how can we address it?
So, we hope you'll all get thinking and shooting – whether you're a seasoned pro or just someone who cares. Your planet needs you and your talents. One minute might not seem like a long time but it's actually longer than many advertisers spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on. It's also an easy length of time to hold people's attention. And that is one of the things we urgently need to do if we're going to turn things around for our planet before it's too late.