Like any other technology, as mobile media becomes more and more prevalent so do the ways in which consumers interact, customize and drive their evolution past that of which the product was originally designed. Repurposing, leveraging and riding the wave of these consumer driven evolutions is a powerful way to bring cutting edge promotions to market. The Pocket Film Festival in Japan is a shining example of this. How would you leverage this new trend in a promotion?

TOKYO (Hollywood Reporter) - The inaugural Pocket Film Festival in Japan, showing movies made entirely on mobile phone cameras, will kick off Friday in Yokohama.

Forty-eight films, chosen from more than 400 entries from 18 countries -- including Japan, Singapore, China, South Korea and Germany -- will screen in competition at the weekend event, organized by the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.

The competition has two categories, one for films to be shown on regular screens and the other for films to be viewed on phones. The winning film will receive 500,000 yen (US$4,500).

"Being the first time for the festival, we weren't sure what to expect, but we've had a range of films from regular narrative stories to more experimental films," organizer Yuko Mori said.

"Of course, the resolution is comparatively low on phone cameras, so effective use of that is important," Mori said. "People have also made films where only a camera phone could go. One entry, by grade-school children, was even shot inside a fridge."

The festival also will feature symposiums on the possibilities for new content and applications using the medium of camera phones.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Link to the main site:

http://www.pocketfilms.jp/en/