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Robert Redford Announces Sundance Film Festival: Global Short Film Project for Mobile

The GSM Association; The Sundance Institute
2006-11-09 13:12 1449

Sundance Institute Announces Pilot Project in Collaboration With the GSM

Association, to Create Short Films for Viewing on Mobile Phones

NEW YORK, Nov. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Sundance Institute, a champion

for independent filmmakers for over 25 years, announced today that it is

joining forces with the GSM Association (GSMA), whose members serve more than

2 billion mobile phone customers across the globe, to create the Sundance

Film Festival: Global Short Film Project, a groundbreaking pilot project that

will showcase and extend the reach of the independent short film genre to

mobile users worldwide.

Unveiled at a press conference at the Museum of Television & Radio in New

York, the organisers of the Sundance Film Festival in conjunction with the

GSMA, have commissioned six independent filmmakers to create five short

films, crafted exclusively for mobile distribution. All of the filmmakers

participating in the project have screened films at the annual Sundance Film

Festival.

"Cell phones are fast becoming the ‘fourth screen’ medium, after

television, cinema and computers," said Sundance Institute president and

founder Robert Redford. "We feel this experiment embodies fully, our quarter-

century dedication to exploring new platforms to support wider distribution

of independent voices in filmmaking. We are excited about bringing this

opportunity to independent filmmakers and most excited to see what they will

do with it," added Redford.

While cell phones have previously been used to deliver film and

entertainment content, this pilot project is believed to be the first to

commission high calibre independent filmmakers to create original stories

specifically for the mobile environment. The project presents creative

challenges to the filmmakers who will be working with a limited budget, time

and resources to make a 3-5 minute film for a small mobile screen.

"The Global Short Film Project takes us into the realms of a uniquely

intimate new medium, one which holds tremendous promise for maximising the

impact and international reach of the short film genre, and in doing so

serving the artists," said John Cooper, Director of Programming for the

Sundance Film Festival and Creative Director for Sundance Institute, who will

oversee the project.

Citing the experimental and groundbreaking nature of the collaboration,

Bill Gajda, Chief Marketing Officer at the GSM Association said, "The

emergence of mobile as the fourth screen is already changing the way people

are educated and entertained. This project will explore the potential of the

mobile medium to deliver compelling, cinematic entertainment to a global

audience on an unprecedented scale."

The six filmmakers featured in the Sundance Film Festival: Global Short

Film Project are Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - 06

SFF), Justin Lin (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW - 02 SFF), Maria Maggenti (PUCCINI FOR

BEGINNERS - 06 SFF), Cory McAbee (THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT - SFF 01) and Jody

Hill (THE FOOT FIST WAY - SFF 06).

The Sundance Institute will exclusively premiere these completed short

films on the opening day of the world’s biggest annual mobile event, the

3GSM World Congress in Barcelona next year (12-15 February 2007). The event

attracts more than 50,000 visitors annually from across the mobile value

chain. The films will be available for cell phone download during the

congress for attendees, and for broader distribution through mobile carriers

immediately following the event -- further details will be announced early

next year.

About the Sundance Institute:

Dedicated year-round to the development of artists of independent vision

and to the exhibition of their new work, Sundance Institute celebrates its

25th anniversary in 2006. Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, the Institute

has grown into an internationally recognised resource for thousands of

independent artists through its Film Festival and artistic development

programs for filmmakers, screenwriters, composers, playwrights and theatre

artists. The original values of independence, creative risk-taking, and

discovery continue to define and guide the work of Sundance Institute, both

with US artists and, increasingly, with artists from other regions of the

world. The Sundance Film Festival has introduced American audiences to some

of the most innovative films and film makers of the past two decades. It is

the premier showcase for American and international independent film, held

annually in Park City, Utah, USA. The 2007 Sundance Film Festival will take

place January 18-28th.

About the GSM Association:

The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing

700 GSM mobile phone operators across 215 countries of the world. In

addition, more than 180 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association’

s initiatives as key partners. The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure

mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible,

enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while

creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The

Association’s members serve more than two billion customers -- 82% of the

world’s mobile phone users. See: http://www.gsmworld.com &

http://www.3gsmworldcongress.com .

Source: The GSM Association; The Sundance Institute
Keywords: Entertainment
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