Based on the idea that everyone has a story to tell (and a mobile phone on them!), Mobile Screenfest has landed in Australia and is looking for your mini mobile epic movies. There are nine categories all up (see full list below), and all you need to do is shoot a short film that is between 30 seconds to four minutes in duration, upload it and see if the public chooses you as a finalist. To find out a little bit more, we recently caught up with festival director, Avi Ratnanesan.

With a multi-faceted background that includes directing, acting, writing and even a medical degree, Avi’s foray into film started after completion of a Film Director’s course in Sydney. His first short film The First Date debuted at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival 2009 and won the ‘Best Directorial Debut for an International Short Film’ award at the festival.

Hi Avi. Firstly, congratulations on getting the Mobile Screenfest up and running! What is it all about?
Simply put, it is Australia’s first mobile phone film and photography festival that gives everyone the opportunity to upload content captured on mobile to win their share of over $10,000 in prizes. Whether you are a professional or just someone who has interesting video or pictures shot on mobile, you can upload the material free of cost at www.mobilescreenfest.com.au and go in the running for the big win and some fame. The festival will take place at the Factory Theatre in Newtown on 21st September. Entries for all submissions close on 22nd August.

We are very excited about Mobile Screenfest as it is an industry first in Australia. The mobile phone market is massive here with more phones than people, so we are looking forward to some interesting entries. We also wanted to do our bit for the community and have partnered with the charity ‘Youth Off The Streets’ who will receive part of the funds raised.

How and why did you come up with the idea?
I have passion for film and technology and wanted to bring innovation into the film industry in Australia and shake things up a bit. People’s relationship with films and their consumption patterns are shifting away from the older traditional models as evidenced by free viewership on the web and other digital media platforms such as mobile. I have wanted to explore the possibilities within these platforms for a while now.

When I went to LA for a film festival, I met with Prof Karl Bardosh, one of the world’s leading experts on mobile phone filmmaking. As we got talking, I realised that I wanted to be the first to bring something new to the film industry here and give new and upcoming talent a platform for growth. And thus, Mobile Screenfest 2010 was conceptualised. Upon returning to Australia, we ran the idea past industry stakeholders in the film, digital media and mobile industries and they were very positive about it and keen to see it materialise.

What is in it for Australians?
Mobile Screenfest is a great opportunity for any Australian over the age of 15 to win cash and prizes and get in to the public domain. The great thing about filming on a mobile is that almost everyone’s got one –there are over 20 million mobile phones in Australia, exceeding the population. Additionally, there is little or no training or funding required to shoot a short film with your mobile. Whatever your talent, whether it be singing, acting, directing, you can easily capture it on your mobile and submit it for FREE. Just shoot, upload and you could win. You could be the next Youtube sensation that everyone’s talking about.

What sort of entries are you after?
Anything people think is interesting, clever, funny, shocking, courageous or relevant, is under four minutes in video or a picture captured on mobile – it is as simple as that. The whole purpose of this festival is to encourage people to share information and showcase talent. So we don’t want to restrict anyone from sending in any content they see fit.

To help people, we’ve split the categories down into:
•                  Best Drama
•                  Best Comedy
•                  Best Horror/Thriller
•                  Best Actor
•                  Best Music Video
•                  Best Phone Journalism
•                  Best Sports Video
•                  Best Mobile Photography
•                  People’s Choice Award

The People’s Choice Award is determined by ranking online visitors to the clips. The Best Sports Video category is pretty interesting as it is a world first and is being judged by John Eales, ex-Wallaby and rugby legend. Additionally, the Phone Journalism category where anyone capturing a piece of news or interesting “real life” moment can submit their video, much like with CNN’s Eye Reporter, is being judged by Today FM’s Geoff Fields.  .

Do you think filming on mobile phones will replace traditional mediums? Is there a contradiction or are there complementary?
Mobile phone and traditional filmmaking have their own distinct and individual identities and are very different but are also complementary. While the common consensus might be that mobile phone filmmaking is just experimental and a fun tool, it has been gaining industry acceptance and recognition. Examples of this are how directors in Italy and South Africa have made feature films using mobile phones as early as 2006 and also how Tropfest 2008’s winning film was shot using a mobile phone.

So, while Mobile Screenfest is an avenue for anyone to submit content, it is also a great opportunity for emerging filmmakers to be heard and seen amongst other organisations like Screen Producers Association of Australia and Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) – to name a few.

If you are looking to emulate success, look no further than the success of movies like The ‘Blair Witch Project’ or ‘Paranormal Activity’. Both were shot on low budget tools but made hundreds of millions in revenue. My company, Araya Pictures, is investing heavily in this niche as we can see significant growth in the future.

Beyond the viral and internet interest factors, is there a future for mobile phone filmmaking or for content captured on mobile?
If we look at the trends with mobile phones, they are advancing tremendously both from viewing and content capture perspectives. The new iPhone4 has got HD capability, which is a significant improvement on the resolution of mobiles. With this level of clarity, content recorded by users could be just as high in definition as any movie produced in studio. So with the right framework and structure and a bit of training, there will be more user generated content being consumed by the public in the near future.

The technology trends definitely support creativity captured on the mobile phone and Mobile Screenfest 2010 is just one of the major outlets that such creativity can be recognised.

Head to the Mobile Screenfest website for more information or to enter your work! Entries close 22nd August.