Canada's Mobile Film Festival - Call for Submissions

Canada’s Original Mobile Film Festival Returns to the Small Screen;

Mobifest Toronto 2007 Presented on Treo Smartphones Now Open for Entries at http://www.mobifest.net

Finalists Screening and Awards Event to Take Place on Nov. 20, 2007
at Toronto’s Isabel Bader Theater
Submission Deadline: October 31, 2007

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2007 – Mobifest Toronto, presented on Treo™ smartphones, today announced a call for entries and shared event details surrounding the second annual mobile film festival. Created to recognize excellence and innovation in made-for-mobile films, Mobifest Toronto is an international competition committed to the development and promotion of mobile filmmaking.

Unlike traditional film festivals, Mobifest submissions are kept under 60 seconds and created specifically for the “small screen” – either for mobile phones, smartphones or other handheld devices.  Films may be shot on any format including cell phones as long as they are made with the mobile audience in mind.

“Mobifest is proud to be a part of the growing made-for-mobile film industry,” said Duncan Kennedy, executive director of Mobifest. “By focusing on helping filmmakers enter and exploit this new medium, we hope to provide a new venue for modern storytelling and Canadian filmmakers.”

“On-the-go Canadians are consumers of wireless entertainment, grabbing bite-sized pieces throughout their work day and into their play time,” said Michael Moskowitz, vice president, Americas International, Palm, Inc. “We thoroughly enjoy our involvement with Mobifest and the opportunity to connect film enthusiasts with the intuitive features of the Treo smartphone experience.”

Mobifest is the largest worldwide festival of films made for mobile and is now accepting submissions at http://www.mobifest.net. All finalists will have their movies showcased at the Isabel Bader Theatre awards event in Toronto on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007.

Judged by leading industry experts representing key segments of the Canadian entertainment industry, the awards honor the highest achievements in mobile film production based on mobile aesthetics, audience impact and degree of creativity. Awards for Mobifest Toronto 2007 will be given in the following categories:

· Best Animation – Films will be judged for originality and unique use of the medium.

· Best Canadian – Entrants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

· Best “Caught on Treo” Short Shorts – Quick nibbles of bite-sized entertainment (under 30 seconds), captured in the real world and shot exclusively on a Treo smartphone during those in between minutes throughout the day.

· EyeWeekly Best Toronto Filmmaker – Entrants must be from Greater Toronto Area.

· Best of Festival – Best of show, overall.

Last year, 60 finalists were chosen from a pool of more than 200 entries from Columbia, Argentina, Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, the United States and Canada. A total of 65,000 online film viewings were recorded. Film submissions – also available for screening at http://www.mobifest.net – received more that 65,000 online viewings in the competition’s inaugural year.

Mobifest Toronto 2007 judges include the following:

· Jennifer Weiss
Producer Jennifer Weiss formed Film Farm in 1998 with partner Simone Urdle. Among their many award-winning films are: “Away From Her,” “In Between Days” and “Soul Cages.” “Shorts In Motion,” produced with Foundry Films for the NFB and Bravo!FACT, is a series of short films directed by Sook-Yin Lee, Don McKellar, Sudz Sutherland and Mark McKinney. Weiss recently returned from the Venice Film Festival where Brian de Palma, the director of Film Farm’s “Redacted,” was awarded the prestigious Silver Lion. Weiss is currently in production on “Adoration,” written and directed by Atom Egoyan. Weiss also is developing “Imaginary Lovers,” a multimedia project with Don McKellar.

· Fred Siebert
In 1998, former Hanna-Barbera Cartoons President Fred Seibert formed Frederator Studios, an independent production company. He is the executive producer on six animated series on Nickelodeon’s networks and the founder of Channel Frederator, the world’s first cartoon podcast network. In 2005, Frederator Studios created the first cartoon network especially for portable digital devices, such as the Apple iPod and Sony PlayStation Portable. Channel Frederator (http://www.channelfrederator.com) debuted as the No. 1 arts and entertainment podcast in the world and has emerged as a leader in the digital brand revolution.

· Harley Hay
Winner of last year’s “Best of Festival Award” at Mobifest Toronto 2006 for “Regurgitation.” Harley Hay has worked as a professional drummer, a paralegal, an English teacher, a TV news videographer and a portrait photographer. He was associate producer and camera operator on the feature films “Naked Frailties” and “Pizney’s Occupation.”

Entries to Mobifest Toronto 2007 will be accepted through Oct. 31, 2007 and must be no longer than one minute. There is no fee for entering or for multiple submissions. The competition is open to filmmakers worldwide over the age of 16. Winners will be announced at the Isabel Bader Theatre on Nov. 20, 2007 in Toronto, Canada.

About Mobifest

Mobifest is a leader in providing exhibition and distribution opportunities for mobile filmmakers. Other Mobifest events include Mobifest Barcelona and Mobifest LA, a joint production with the Animation Show. Mobifest is a production of Mobigardens Corporation. For more information on voting, judging criteria, sponsorship opportunities, rules and regulations, or to enter online, please visit http://www.mobifest.net.

About Treo™ Smartphones

Today the Treo smartphone is available with the Palm OS® and Windows Mobile® operating systems, providing a great range of choices to help consumers, mobile professionals and businesses stay competitive in a continually changing market. But mobile computing isn’t all about work, and Treo provides just the right mix of work/life balance to fit any lifestyle.

With carrier activation Treo smartphones seamlessly combine a full-featured mobile phone with email, an organizer, messaging and web access capabilities in a compact yet easy-to-use device. In addition, Treo smartphones feature a built-in QWERTY keyboard for fast and efficient data input. The keyboard, five-way navigation button and other design features make it possible for you to get more done-in fewer steps and with just one hand. Treo smartphones are lightweight and small enough to fit in your pocket.

Treo smartphones are compatible with GSM and CDMA networks, giving customers a choice in mobile operators worldwide.

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