This is a really exciting year for the Jarman Award with a great shortlist that includes Brad Butler & Karen Mirza; Aura Satz; Ben Rivers; Benedict Drew; James Richards; Shezad Dawood; Nathaniel Mellors; Matt Stokes; Marcus Coates and Jon Thomson & Alison Craighead. It's the 70th anniversary of Derek Jarman's birth, and the award keeps his fearless spirit of cinematic experimentation alive at a time where all independent filmmaking is under duress. The video artists Lali 'Spartacus' Chetwynd, Luke Fowler and Elizabeth Price, included on the shortlist for this year's upcoming Turner prize, are all previous nominees of the Jarman Award.

As in previous years, the UK tour will culminate in an expanded day of talks and screenings at London's Whitechapel Gallery on Saturday 3 November. The winner of the Jarman Award for 2012 will be announced at a special event on Monday 5 November at the Whitechapel Gallery, receiving combined prize money of £10,000 and a broadcast commission for Channel 4’s short-form arts strand, Random Acts.

This year three further artists will also be commissioned to make a short film for Random Acts, the total value of these commissions being £16,000. The 2012 Jury who will select this year’s winners are: Stuart Comer, Film Curator, Tate Modern (Chair); Mark Cousins, Film-maker, Author and Curator; Aaron Cezar, Director, Delfina Foundation; Elizabeth Price, artist; Iwona Blazwick, Director, Whitechapel Gallery; Mark Rappolt, Editor, ArtReview; and Tabitha Jackson, Commissioning Editor for Arts, Channel 4. Check out Saturday's schedule here.