Acclaimed actress and producer Uma Thurman and trailblazing filmmakers Annemarie Jacir and Sophia al-Maria have joined the SundanceTV Shorts Competition jury panel, organisers have announced. 
Launched by SundanceTV in collaboration with beIN Media Group and the Doha Film Institute (DFI), the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) edition of the SundanceTV Shorts Competition is a platform for independent storytellers and emerging talent in the region, to share their stories.
The winner of the competition will participate in an exclusive masterclass with Golden Globe winner and Academy Award and Primetime Emmy Award nominee, Thurman. 
Additional prizes include a state-of-the-art home entertainment package and a beIN Connect voucher. The winner and three runners-up will be announced in November, and their films will broadcast exclusively on SundanceTV on beIN channel 75 in Mena, later in the year.
Thurman is best known for her iconic roles in Quentin Tarantino’s cult classics, Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill franchise, which garnered her an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination respectively. 
Palestinian filmmaker and poet Jacir has forged new artistic territory, having written, directed and produced over 16 films. 
Two of her films have premiered as Official Selections in Cannes, one in Berlin and in Venice, Locarno, and Telluride. All three of her feature films were Palestine’s official Oscar entries. 
Al-Maria is a Qatari-American writer and artist. Her video art work has been shown in many contexts from solo shows at the Tate Britain and the Whitney Museum to group shows at community colleges and online fundraising platforms.  
Most recently, she wrote a television series called Little Birds (Sky Atlantic) starring Yumna Marwan and Juno Temple set in Tangier 1955. Her first book The Girl Who Fell to Earth (Harper Collins) was published in 2012. Her second book Sad Sack (Bookworks UK) is her favourite though.
Thurman, Jacir and al-Maria complete the jury lead by television industry veteran Harold Gronenthal, who is executive vice president, Programming and Marketing for AMC Networks International, broadcaster of SundanceTV outside of North America.
Those interested to participate in the 2020 SundanceTV Shorts Mena competition are now able to take advantage of an extra week and enter their film(s) until October 25 at www.SundanceShortsMENA.com/submission-form/ 
Entries can be submitted by the producer or director, who must provide proof of residence in the Mena. Films should be no longer than 15 minutes and must be delivered with English subtitles if English is not the spoken language. 
SundanceTV Shorts competition is open for all who have a story to share, irrespective of whether the short film has been produced with sophisticated equipment or with a mobile phone. 
Entries must meet SundanceTV’s official rules and technical requirements, available on the website. Submissions will be judged on creativity, entertainment value, original storytelling and production values.