HSK - Spike Lee to chair online film festival

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ENTERTAINMENT / Movies






Spike Lee to chair online film festival


(AP)
Updated: 2007-09-02 10:03




Director Spike Lee passes by a statue of a lion symbol of Venice at the
64th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday,
Sept. 1, 2007. [AP]

VENICE, Italy - Spike Lee said Saturday the Internet has provided so many
opportunities for young filmmakers to showcase their work, there are no
more excuses.

"I was from the prehistoric age. If you have a film and you're talented
and someone is not seeing it, it's your fault," the director said at a
news conference announcing the creation of a new online film festival.

Lee will head the jury of the film festival organized by Babelgum, an
Internet company that streams videos online for free. The announcement
was made on the sidelines of the Venice Film Festival.

Filmmakers who have had their work accepted at other film festivals from
January 2007 through next February can begin making their submissions
Sept. 15 by uploading their films onto Babelgum's Web site, organizers
said. Winners will receive $20,000.

Babelgum users will make the first selection, whittling each category
down to 10 films starting in February. The jury will reduce the number to
three, with Lee making the final selection. Winners will be announced in
April.

Babelgum said it would not accept offensive material 鈥� and Lee
acknowledged that it would be tricky defining what that meant. Lee said
he expected nudity would be ruled out.

"What might be offensive to you might not be offensive to me, and vice
versa," Lee said. "Language, I think, is clearer than the visual stuff."

Otherwise, films must be in English or have English-language subtitles
and not exceed 45 minutes.

The festival will have six categories, including one recognizing new
talent, short films under 20 minutes, documentary, animation, advertising
and films that focus on social and environmental issues. Organizers
expect about 2,000 submissions.

Babelgum, which was started by the founder of Italy's second-largest
telecommunications company Fastweb, launched its site for the general
public last March. It uses peer-to-peer technology and focuses on content
from independent producers. Competitors include Joost and VeohTV.








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