Turner Classic Movies has launched the TCM Classic Shorts competition, with the awards ceremony to be part of The Times bfi London Film Festival (22 October - 6 November).

Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes and Bernardo Bertolucci are just three of the fifteen judges to sit on the competition's panel to find the best short film of 2003.

TCM Classic Shorts which offers £10,000 in prizes, was responsible for discovering 2001 winner Brian Percival, director of About A Girl, which went on to win the BAFTA for Best Short.

This year, TCM is making a bigger commitment and expanding its involvement with the festival by sponsoring the Short Cuts and Animation strand of the festival for the first time.

TCM Classic Shorts is open to all UK made short films, and all films must be received by 17 September to be eligible for the competition. The short-listed nominations will be aired on TCM and screened at The Times bfi London Film Festival.