Netflix and AdobeThe Great Untold

Insight

To see different stories represented on screen, we must rewrite the story of how they are found.

Netflix is constantly finding new ways to pioneer the representation of diverse stories from around the world. But so many tales that deserve to be told remain undiscovered, unintentionally boxed out by an industry of genres and budgets, of red tape and the need to be in the right place, at the right time.

With a shared belief that great stories can come from anyone, anywhere, Netflix has teamed up with Adobe to flip the script on how the film industry unearths its next talents.

Idea

Hitting the road to find a new generation of storytellers.

The Great Untold is a short film competition with an adventurous twist, which brings the creative process to life as a literal journey – in the shape of a road trip.

The competition begins on TikTok with a simple ask: create a movie trailer of an untold story set in your world. The prize? The chance for grassroots creators to realise their idea as a real short film, fully produced with the tools, talent and support of Adobe, in partnership with Netflix.

The initiative is debuted by a short poetic film along with a series of Adobe tutorials on social media to help creators enhance their entries. Hyperlocal OOH placements – from hand-painted billboards at small town baseball fields to napkins in roadside diners and even missing cat posters on bulletin boards – ensure that unheard storytellers from every corner of America feel inspired to bring their own ideas to life.

Impact

Hollywood is coming to a town near you.

Adobe and Netflix will select three winning storytellers and document the entire journey –from pitch to premiere – with the road trip physically bringing the tools, talent and industry knowledge to the winners’ hometowns across America.

A behind-the-scenes series – shot by Becoming director Nadia Hallgren – will be created to bring the magic of these first-time filmmaking experiences to the Hollywood stage, hoping to inspire a whole new generation of storytellers.