In 2006, Tim Leaton's one-minute trailer, "Orphans in Africa," won the nationwide "Film Your Issue" competition, an unprecedented student issue film competition for 30 to 60-second films open to all 18 to 26-year-old U.S. residents. The illustrious VIP jury included Barack Obama before he was President, the Dalai Lama, Walter Cronkite, Brian Williams, George Clooney, and the Mayor of LA, Craig Moon, President and Publisher of USA TODAY, among others. The winners were determined by a 50-50 public-jury vote. The public cast their votes online at MSNBC.COM, which drew a record-breaking 88,638 responses, leaping past the 61,598 votes for the MSNBC.COM poll for best Super Bowl ad. Leaton presented his film at an awards ceremony at the United Nations in June of '06; in addition, the film was shown at a private screening in Park City during Sundance, at the Maui Film Festival, and on mtvU. From the five winners and over 350 total contestants, Leaton was also selected to receive the grand prize of an eight-week paid internship at Walt Disney Pictures in Los Angeles. The grand prize award was officially announced at a party in West Hollywood with the Los Angeles Mayor, as shown below on TV. Tim returned to "Film Your Issue" as a member of the jury in '07.
