Your story in 180 seconds of cinema

In the digital age, the space for expression is infinite. Yet we choose to limit ourselves to a few lines, dealing with the reality that competition is tough and most people only have the attention span to digest 140 characters or less. But this doesn't necessarily mean quality needs to be sacrificed. For instance, a story can be told in just 180 seconds - just ask the folks over at the 180 Microcinema Festival. "We believe that many things can happen in 180 seconds. In just three minutes, we can share videos, we can tell fictional and real-life stories, we can extend creative commercials to 180 seconds instead of the traditional 15 to 30 seconds. No doubt we can bring a lot out in 180 seconds," said 180 Communications Director Rocky Camus at a press conference last Oct. 13. Launched in 2009 as the Film Development Council of the Philippines' flagship digital-platform project, the festival is the first national online short film competition. It encourages filmmakers to "Spin the System" by using unusual methods, making the most of mobile devices and emerging digital platforms. Unlike the traditional method of filmmaking, 180 Microcinema highlights the use of transmedia, where filmmakers begin by creating an audience for their film. "This came about a few years ago. First you build awareness, then you raise financing after seeing that it's viable. You do crowdsourcing, after that you make the film and exhibit it," says Festival Director Vinci Roxas. Contestants submit their entries through Withoutabox.com, an online database of film festivals that provides access to more than 300,000 filmmakers. The festival accepts entries from filmmakers 18 years old and above. The general rules prohibit gratuitous sex, violence, nudity, obscenity, racism, and libel. The criteria is simple: "Each narrative film must not exceed 180 seconds in length, and should strive to effectively communicate a story through an inventive, imaginative fusion of form and content." For last year's winner, the festival served as a venue for him to relive a touching memory of his grandfather. "I was really close with my lolo and that was one of the best experiences that happened with him. I wanted to share it with others," says Steven Flor, whose entry "Breakfast with Lolo" was the Jury Award Winner in 2010. The short film also won the Platinum Remi Award at the WorldFest Houston Film Festival, and was a finalist at the Cinemalaya FIlm Festival 2010. Following the success of the first competition, where they received several hundred thousand hits, 180 Microcinema is ready to relaunch the festival. "We've decided to relaunch it now that the infrastructure has caught up. The audience participation is now the driving force. We used to consume things passively, nowadays it's all about audience participation. Google, Facebook, Twitter, all of this is shaped by and shapes the content we both partake in, absorb and mold. That's what this year's fest is about," says Camus. The festival itself takes place online, with the festival entries uploaded on the site for viewers to place their votes. Two awards are given in each category, the Audience Choice award and the Jury's Selection. "Each accepted filmmaker will have a screening room for their film. So the film will be featured here, and there's an integrated commenting system using Disqus, to consolidate all the comments across the web, so the filmmaker can see his campaign efforts," says Roxas. In the 2009 festival, 87 film entries were received in the Narrative, Experimental and Documentary Categories. This year's Jury Panel is headed by 2011 Academy Award-winning producer Stefanie Walmsley, and includes producers and key people behind other productions, among them films like Valkyrie and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Winners will be awarded production funds amounting to 30,000 dollars to collaborate on more 180-second films, which will be pitches for a Transmedia Development Deal. "We give funds to produce more 180-second films which allows them to put more of their work out there and to gain more experience without having to produce the films themselves. That leads to creating a full-length feature film. Say you do 30 three-minute films, that's already 90 minutes. So you can compile that as a movie, and using all the different distribution channels will generate more revenue and exposure for the filmmaker," says Roxas. "It's all about helping the filmmakers. empowering them, giving them a way to show their work, make a name for themselves, and hopefully make a career out of what they love," he says. - YA, GMA News The 180 Microcinema Festival is accepting entries from October 15 to December 15, 2011. For more information, visit http://180cinema.net/