NASA Wants You To Create A 10-Minute-Film Using Their Space Footage!

From 2001: A Space Odyssey to Star Wars, the mysteries of outer space have provided filmmakers with inspiration for some of the best movies ever made. But while CGI and special effects have reached an unbelievable level of realism somehow it never properly conveys the true majesty of the cosmos. If you’ve ever felt this way and had a dream of making your own sci-fi short film NASA is bringing you the opportunity to make it a reality.

The Cinespace contest is a collaboration between NASA and theHouston Cinema Arts Society which encourages both professional and amateur filmmakers to create short films using actual space footage. This year marks the third installment of the competition and will be judged by award-winning director Richard Linklater of Boyhood fame. The film must be under 10 minutes long and include at least 10% of NASA’s imagery, but aside from that there are no restrictions on the content, style or genre.

Each entry will be judged on creativity, innovation, attention to detail and the ability of the piece to evoke the panel’s emotion. If you are one of the lucky winners you’ll receive a cash prize and unlimited bragging rights, $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 to the first, second and third place winners respectively. So all you cinephiles who have been putting off your magnum opus, grab and camera and get shooting because opportunities like this are as rare as a pocketful of stardust.

Find out more about the contest here.

Check out some of the entries from previous years for inspiration.