Amerasia Smart Phone Film Challenge details annuounced
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Independent Filmmaker Christos Sourligas to mentor Smartphone Film Challenge (Montreal, February 19, 2012) ± The AmérAsia Film Festival, presented by Ciné- Asie, is launching the Smartphone Film Challenge this year, with mentorship by independen t Canadian filmmaker Christos Sourligas. Amateur and professional filmmakers will be given 72 hours to produce and shoot the four-minute film, and the final cuts will be screened during the festival on March 9, 6:30 pm to midnight, at the Société des arts technologiques (SAT). The winning filmmaker will receive a cash prize of $1,000, as well as nationwide exposure through AmérAsia¶s media partner Vidéographe. To kick off the inaugural competition, AmérAsia has invited filmmaker Christos Sourligas to offer mentorship to participants. Last year Sourligas, whose credits include the award-winning Elephant Shoes, shot controversial feature film HappySlapping entirely on a smartphone, a breakthrough for the medium (funding was provided by Telefilm Canada). Participants can visit www.amerasiafestival.com to download the application form. The theme will be announced by Sourligas at the opening gala on March 1 at CinéRobothè que (NFB). As well as the finalists¶ films, the evening will feature a screening ofArirang by renowned Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk. Kim produced the autobiographical film, a tale of personal crisis, alone using only digital technology. It won the ³Un Certain Regard´ category at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. Quebec video artist Patrick Bergeron, renowned for his special effects artistry in TheLord of the Rings and The Matrix, will present a video installation for Loop Loop, a collage of photos he shot portraying life in Vietnam. The gala evening will end with the 4 th National Video Portrait Competition, in partnership with Vidéographe. The winner will receive a worldwide distribution deal and over $1,500 vouchers in production and post-production equipment hire. Participants are invited to explore the unique relationship between Canada and Asia by creating video portraits ± this year¶s theme is ³family´. Festival Director, and Ciné-Asie founder, Mi Jeong Lee says, ³Chris Sourligas is the first person to make an award-winning feature-length film on a smartphone in
