Los Angeles - News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) MySpace on Tuesday announced a collaboration with bestselling Brazilian author Paulo Coelho ("The Alchemist") to produce a user-generated mashup film based on his latest book, "The Witch of Portobello."

Coelho fans and aspiring filmmakers may submit short films based on one of the book's 15 narratives, which will then be edited together into a 52-minute movie for TV.

Directors of chosen submissions will each receive a 3,000 euro ($4,638) prize.

MySpace's community of musicians will also be invited to submit tracks for possible inclusion on the soundtrack.

Submissions will be accepted beginning on June 16, and must be received by July 25, with winners to be announced on Aug. 24.

"Paulo's decision to reach out to the global MySpace community is a powerful reflection on both the power of collaboration and the creativity of our users," said MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe.

"We hope that through amazing opportunities like this we can continue to inspire thousands of people and make the art of making movies even more accessible."

Related Links:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117987195.html

http://snipurl.com/2exaz (Hollywood Reporter)

http://www.myspace.com/paulocoelho