.MOV MOVED TO MARCH 2005

[November 16, 2004/ CEBU] The second .MOV International Digital Film Festival will be moved to March 2 to 8, 2005 at the SM Cinemas in Cebu City, organizers revealed at a press conference here today.

The change in schedule from the original December 1 to 7 is primarily due to a strong clamor from filmmakers and enthusiasts to have a simultaneous staging in Manila after the final line-up of entries made by local and foreign filmmakers was completed and the facilitators on the digital filmmaking workshop were confirmed. Thus, .MOV will also screen selected film entries and conduct similar workshops in SM Megamall on March 9 to 15, 2005.

However, the deadlines for SMART CUTS, the newly launched 60- second short film competition sponsored by leading wireless services provider Smart Communications Inc., and SILVERSHORTS, a competition for Best Philippine Short Film and Best SouthEast Asian Short Film, were not extended. Selection of the ten most outstanding works for both categories will still push through on November 20.

The other featured categories in .MOV are Philippine Digital Features, Southeast Asian Digital Features, World Documentaries, and a selection of seminal digital works from around the globe.

.MOV, which aims to promote and advance digital filmmaking in the country and to establish it as the future of Philippine cinema, intends to reach out to more students, professors, film practitioners, filmmakers, and cineastes in the most effective way and in the largest possible venue.

Organized by independent production company Filmless Films, the festival showcases innovative films from independent filmmakers, empowered by new digital production tools such as digital video cameras, non-linear editing systems, digital audio and visual effects software and hardware.

"This is the Filipino's response to the call of the Digital Revolution, which has been continuously altering the terrain of World Cinema during the past few years." said Festival Director Khavn De La Cruz.

To encourage more participation from student filmmakers, .MOV conducted campus tours in more than 75 colleges and universities in Metro Manila, Baguio, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, La Union, Laguna, Legaspi, Lucena, Naga, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao.

In line with the March festival, Filmless Films will conduct more seminars on Digital Filmmaking in the Philippines and film screenings of Silvershorts 2002 Top Ten Finalists in the following colleges and universities in Cebu: University of the Philippines, Cebu Normal University, Southwestern University, University of San Jose-Recoletos, St. Theresa's College, University of San Carlos, University of the Visayas and University of Cebu.