The revamped Edinburgh International Film Festival has struck a new partnership with mobile phone company Nokia which will include staging a three-day festival event, The Nokia Shorts Weekend.
The initiative, running June 23-25, will be Scotland’s largest short film event, with the shorts programmed by the EIFF team.
The Nokia Shorts Weekend will also include a competition for eight filmmakers. Directors can submit an idea for a short film to www.vimeo.com/nokia and then eight submissions will get a budget of $5,000 and two Nokia N8 smartphones on which to shoot each film. The eight final shorts will be shown at EIFF and then one will win a $10,000 prize.
The festival also announced that it will have two training workshops this year – with BAFTA and Shooting People, as well as Nokia masterclasses with guest directors.
“We are privileged to welcome Nokia on board for the 65th year of EIFF, to be part of what promises to be a pioneering and exciting time for the festival. Nokia’s connection with film makes it a really natural partnership, and the Nokia Shorts Weekender will add a dynamic, exciting element for local people, enthusiasts and international visitors alike,” said Graeme Davies [pictured], EIFF’s new head of commercial development.
Davies was just appointed to the post of Head of Commercial Development at EIFF parent Centre for the Moving Image, after leaving consultancy Sponsorship Consulting.
Steven Overman, VP for Marketing Creation at Nokia added: “Nokia Shorts is an international competition that will provide talented film-makers with an opportunity to share their creativity with the world. We want to help nurture undiscovered artists and increase their opportunities within the film industry. We’re very excited to see how the boundaries of filmmaking will be pushed using the Nokia N8 smartphone technology.”
The full Edinburgh line-up will be announced in mid-May; the festival runs June 15-26.
2 Readers' comments