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

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

NEW YORK, November 8/PRNewswire/ --

- 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 today 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 organisers 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).

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.

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 recognised 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

Source: The GSM Association & Sundance Institute

For More Information Contact: Patrick Hubley, Sundance Institute, patrick_hubley@sundance.org, +1-435-658-3456. Mark Smith, GSM Association, press@gsm.org, +44-7850-229-724. US, Sharron McDevitt, Hill & Knowlton, Sharron.McDevitt@hillandknowlton.com, +1-212-885-0300. International, Richard Fogg/Paul Nolan, Companycare, Richard.fogg@companycare.com/paul.nolan@companycare.com, +44-118-939-5900

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