Sundance Unveils Global Short Film Project

Sundance Institute announced today a plan to join forces with the GSM Association to create the Sundance Film Festival: Global Short Film Project. The pilot program will develop short films for mobile users worldwide, starting with work from Sundance fest alums who have been tapped to launch the initiative. Five new short films will be created by Sundance vets Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris ("Little Miss Sunshine"), Justin Lin ("Better Luck Tomorrow"), Maria Maggenti ("Puccini For Beginners"), Cory McAbee ("The American Astronaut") and Jody Hill ("The Foot Fist Way"). The shorts will debut at the 3GSM World Congress event in Barcelona in February 2007. In a statement, Sundance Institute president and founder Robert Redford said today:

Cell phones are fast becoming the 'fourth screen' medium, after television, cinema and computers. 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 more excited to see what they will do with it.