14 DAY TRIAL // The Japanese have always amazed us with their original inventions, cutting edge technology, balanced lifestyle, hybrid cars, even their population number. Now, they have amazed us again, this time for not being the first to come up with the idea of such a thing, a mobile phone film festival. Their idea was "borrowed" from the French who organized the first festival of this type in 2005.
150 films are to be showcased during Japan's first Pocket Film Festival, 48 of which are in the running for the first prize of 500,000 yen. The festival is being organized by the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and is being held in neighboring Yokohama. "The longest entry lasts 45 minutes and the briefest less than 60 seconds. The competition entries come from film-makers in 18 countries, mostly in Asia, and cover a wide range of topics", Miss Mori, spokesman for the organizing committee said.
The accessibility of mobile phones into modern daily life makes it very easy for everyone, in a wide age range, to participate in this festival. However, this doesn't mean that everyone is an artist, as Miss Mori himself declared: "It is really easy to shoot images on a mobile phone, but it's not so easy to make them into a coherent movie". That is the reason why not only the age of the participants varies, but also the quality of the films signed in the competition. The topics chosen for the short films can surprise any conservator, and by that I mean people who are not really into new and exciting things, ranging from fridge movies (I don't know if it is about an empty one or not, we'll just have to see) to the train trip of a pair of sneakers.
This new art form is very appreciated worldwide, as it seems to create a certain level of intimacy between art and its creator, and fulfills people's need for spontaneity.