International Mobile Film Festival

We’re in our third year. Submissions doubled from our first year to last year, when we received almost 500 films from over 70 countries. However, a significant percentage weren’t filmed on mobile devices, and, unfortunately, had to be disqualified. Watching through 500 films was very time-consuming for our small team, so this year we decided to charge a small submission fee. We hoped to avoid receiving non-qualifying films, and, so far, it’s paid off. Even so, the quality of the films this year is incredible – nearly every film would be worth screening. So, its a case of less quantity, more quality.

How many films do you review during the review stage?

We review every single film we receive. So far we received around 100 really great submissions and we’ve watched them all with excitement.

The festival team reviews every film individually, and pre-selects about 25. Our panel of judges then reviews and rates them. We use the platform Film Freeway which helps the judging process immensely. After the jury process, we then choose the winners of each category and decide which films will be screened at the Award Night on May 27th. We usually screen around 15 films.

What are the most submissions you receive: GoPro or smartphone?

Most films are shot on smartphones, but the submissions filmed on GoPros are increasing.

Have you made any changes since the last festival?

We’re one of the first festivals in the world to add a Snapchat Short category. This allows us to reach a younger target group and gives aspiring filmmakers a tool of immense creativity. The Snapchat submissions we received, so far, are brimming with energy and creativity, and we can’t wait to show some of them on the big screen – we’ll be one of the first to do so!

Are their any categories you’re considering adding to a future festival?

We always try to be at the forefront of technology, so we’re thinking of adding a VR or 360° category next year. But we have a lot of ideas for unique categories we could add. We don’t want to reveal too much yet, though.

What are your long-term goals for the film festival?

We want to keep seeking out new filmmaking talent, encouraging innovative use of low cost digital equipment (like smartphones) to make thrilling, entertaining, thought-provoking content. MoMo should become a stepping stone for aspiring filmmakers, which wouldn’t have been discovered without a platform like ours. Just to mention two examples of the last two years: First-time filmmaker Aris Tyros was able to find a producer for his next film. Daphna Awadish was discovered by the Zurich Film Festival, where she ended up being in the jury: “A few months after being awarded at MoMo, I returned to Zurich as a Jury member in the ZFF72 competition. After receiving the awards at the MoMo festival, Journey Birds was exposed to and watched by many different people. Furthermore, I was contacted from other festivals around the globe, wishing to include Journey Birds in their festival. MoMo is like a wonderful family who gives you the opportunity to grow and fly beyond your expectations.”

Are their any upcoming projects you would like to share?

We’re a film festival by film-lovers for film-lovers. Therefore, it’s important to involve our audience and filmmakers in the creation process of the festival. Our next project will be another crowdfunding campaign, to help us finance the festival, plus make it possible for our community to become a part of MoMo. The crowdfunding will happen on Kickstarter again, in February/March in 2017. It would be great to see you all there!

What would you like to say to aspiring filmmakers?