The Cannes Short Film Corner: Vote for Aspiring Filmmakers

The Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival is a sprawling marketplace featuring hundreds of works by many of the world's up-and-coming auteurs. Thanks to the fifth annual National Film Board of Canada's Short Film Competition, you can check out 10 of the best films that the Corner has to offer, all from the comfort of your own computer screen.



Selected from over 1,400 submissions from 60 different countries, these films represent an exciting mix of genres and styles. To see the 10 finalists just visit the NFB's YouTube channel. Voting is as easy as rating the films using the YouTube one-to-five-star scale: five stars for your favorites and one star for those you're not so enthusiastic about. With an HD MINI-DV camera going to the winning filmmaker, every vote counts.







Yours,

Nate Weinstein

Film Community Manager

The YouTube Team

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Michael Buckley to Answer Your Questions!

Have you ever wondered how to build an audience on YouTube and then turn that following into a powerful business? Well, Michael Buckley, writer, producer and star of entertainment news show "What the Buck?," has done just that. (Read all about him in the New York Times.)



Now he's offered to share the secrets of his success with you.



To ask Buckley a question, or to vote on questions submitted so far, click on this link. You'll have until Monday, May 18, 10am PT, to have your say. Then, in a couple of weeks, we'll post a video to this blog with his answers to the most popular questions. We hope you'll take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn from one of YouTube's foremost user-experts.



Thanks,

Curtis Lee

Product Marketing Manager

The YouTube Team

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Seeing Red on YouTube

Today is World Red Cross Day and the commemoration marks over 60 years of the Red Cross preparing communities for emergencies and providing disaster relief to those in need. Over the past few years, the organization has been using YouTube to help achieve these objectives.



For example, the British Red Cross posted this nine-video how-to series about first aid. The videos cover everything from how to perform CPR to how to treat a burn. Not to be outdone, the American Red Cross has just uploaded sixteen very pertinent videos all about swine flu, including information about how it spreads and how to prevent infection.



In addition, today the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies will launch an ambitious new campaign, called "Our World. Your Move," which aims to raise awareness of today's most pressing humanitarian challenges and highlight the power of individuals to make a difference. Interested in taking part? This animated short can serve as your introduction:







Yours,

Ramya Raghavan

YouTube Nonprofits & Activism

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Senator Dorgan Addresses Your Ideas About Solar Energy and "Vampire Devices"

Last week on the Senate Hub, Senator of the Week Byron Dorgan (D-ND) asked for your ideas on energy policy, noting the fact that the Senate is currently in the process of drafting new energy legislation.



Using Google Moderator, you submitted a number of specific suggestions including installing solar panels on government buildings and addressing those terrifying "vampire devices" (appliances that sit idle continuously wasting electricity). In this video, Senator Dorgan responds to your top-rated suggestions:

If you'd like to continue the conversation with Senator Dorgan about energy policy, you can visit his YouTube channel and post a comment or a video response.

Yours,

Ramya Raghavan

YouTube News & Politics

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