Two award-winning short movies selected from the Movil Film Fest will find their way to the big screen.

MADRID - Short films take on a whole new meaning at the Movil Film Fest, a festival of productions that have to follow two strict rules: they must be no more than a minute long and be shot on a cellphone.

The festival, which is sponsored by Nokia, Cuatro television station and El Pais, began in 2007 as a way to underscore the creative possibilities of mobile technology and to emphasise the democratisation of cinema, as anyone with a cellphone can now become a filmmaker.

"User-generated content allows people to tell their own stories and to display a lot of online creativity," said the festival promoter Alberto Tognazzi (photo), who is the nephew of the filmmaker Hugo Tognazzi.

"A year ago, the Movil Film Fest could be seen simply as a shorts festival for cellphones. But now we also see it as a platform for debate about the two-way journey from cellphone to the big screen and from the big screen to the cellphone," said a festival organiser.

According to Tognazzi, around half of the 200 entries received so far have been rejected for using copyrighted material, mostly music. Also, at a time when violent cellphone footage has been regularly in the news in Spain, the participating films must go through "a comprehensive screening process to ensure that no racist or violent material, or material that undermines human dignity, makes it through," Tognazzi explained.

The event also has the backing of the Spanish Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences in Madrid, where the awards will be handed out on 29 May. Over 100 entries will be selected to compete for a prize, and are available for viewing on the festival website (www.movilfilmfest.com).

So far, most entries have been from Spain, although there were also some from the United States, France, Morocco, Germany, Britain and Brazil, said Tognazzi.

A jury made up of professionals from the worlds of film, communications and technology - including José Luis Alcaine, a Goya-winning director of photography - will select the four winning national productions, as well as grant a special award for best foreign film. In addition, there will be an award based on voting by visitors to the website.

As an added feature, the winners of the top two awards will see their work made into a 35mm film and screened at the Golem Cinemas in Madrid and northern Spain.

[El Pais / S. U. / ANP / Expatica]