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

Sundance Institute announces pilot project in collaboration with the GSM Association, to create short films for viewing on mobile phones.

 

Sundance Institute, a champion for independent filmmakers for over 25 years, announced 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 organizers 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).

PDFDownload Directors' Biographies

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.
 

PDFView The Sundance Institute Leadership

Press Conference FootageView Press Conference Video with Robert Redford

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 recognized 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: www.gsmworld.com & www.3gsmworldcongress.com