SINGAPORE- The third season of ciNE65, a biennial short film competition, was launched at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on Tuesday.

The competition, started in July 2011 by Nexus, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) responsible for total defence and national education, invites aspiring film-makers to tell their Singapore story.

The theme for the third season of ciNE65 is Believing Home and aims to commemorate SG50 by letting filmmakers show their beliefs through their short films, said Colonel Roland Ng, director of Nexus.

Nexus also commissioned short films from local film directors Bertrand Lee, Mohamed Yahssir and Kenny Tan. These were shown during the launch ceremony.

Mr Yahssir said: "For anyone who aspires to be a filmmaker, it should be crucial to participate in ciNE65."

The competition, which runs from Dec 30 till April 6 next year, is open to all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents.

Entries will be divided into the student category and open category. There will be no admission fee for participation. Any genre of film reflecting the theme of Believing Home will be accepted.

Overall best film winners will stand a chance to receive an overseas learning trip at an international film festival.

Beside the competition, Nexus will also hold film-making seminars and workshops, available to the public on a first-come-first-served basis, starting next month.

Interested participants can find out more at www.ciNE65.sg