Los Angeles-based film-maker collective Filmaka.com has launchedan online twice-monthly competition and is offering a production deal with thecompany and its principals to the year-end finalist.

Twice a month Filmaka.com will announce contest topics and invitecontestants to shoot a one-to-three-minute film and upload it to the site.

At the entry level contestant films will undergo peer voting,followed by jury voting for the 15 semi-finalists. The winning filmmaker fromeach contest will win $3,000 and the runner-up will win $2,000. Both will get achance to compete against all other winners and runners-up at the end of yearfor the feature film deal.

The competition jury includes Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, PaulSchrader, Neil LaBute, Zak Penn, John Madden, Colin Firth, and Bill Pullman.

'I believe there are many talented individuals around the worldwho lack access to Hollywood so they do not have the opportunity to prove theirability and creativity,' Deepak Nayar, Filmaka.com co-founder, said.'Our goal is to find the future of independent filmmaking.'

The first contest topic, Stuck In Traffic has been announcedonFilmaka.com. Contestants canupload from Dec 15-23.