Mobile cinema debuts

摘要

Barcelona-The stars came out to the 3GSM World Congress this year. Former Miss Universe and Indian film megastar Lara Dutta was in attendance, and although Robert Redford didn't make his expected appearance, the mark of his Sundance Film Festival was everywhere. These celebrities, however, weren't in Barcelona to shill the telecom industry's products. They were here to promote their own. This year, the GSM Association temporarily brushed aside its commercial mission to focus on the art of film for film's sake. It cooperated in two ventures: One with the Sundance Institute to create five short films shot specifically for the mobile phone, and another-likely more profitable experiment-to bring the song and dance of Mumbai's Bollywood cinema to the mobile screen. According to John Cooper, creative director for the Sundance Institute, the film industry until now has seen the handset screen only as a marketing tool-a place to air movie trailers and serve up ads. But the mobile format could have additional possibilities, including the commercial revival of the short film format.