Babelgum Online Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Babelgum Online Film Festival is the first web-based film festival
by Internet TV startup Babelgum
. Babelgum's mission in organising the festival is to promote independent filmmaking and provide a global showcase for budding filmmakers
from all over the world.
On announcing the first edition of the festival, on September 1, 2007, Babelgum CEO Valerio Zingarelli
described it as "an exciting project that will heighten awareness for Babelgum, attract quality films for the competition and give the public an important voice in identifying the next great filmmakers of our time.”.
The 2nd edition of the Festival was announced on September 5, 2008 in Toronto
, at the Toronto International Film Festival
.
The Babelgum Online Film Festival is chaired by US film director
Spike Lee
, who has remarked, "Now more than ever before, independent filmmakers need every bit of help to showcase their work. The Babelgum Online Film Festival will accomplish this, as it combines the value of a film festival with the openness of the Internet for those seeking to advance their careers.” .
The festival jury also includes other international figures from the film industry
(see below).
, Documentary
, Animation
, Social/Environment, Spot/Advertising, Music Video
, and the Babelgum Looking for Genius Award for new or emerging talent. The winners in each category were awarded a prize of €20,000 .
The second edition, 2008–2009, has four competition categories: Short Film, Documentary, Animation and Mini Masterpiece. The latter category is for films of up to 5 minutes in length, with a quirky or original style.
Films entered to the first edition were shown on a dedicated channel on Babelgum
and users were asked to rate the entries. The jury then viewed 10 highest-rated entries in each category, and chose the top three in each category to present to Spike Lee. Lee made the final selection and presented the winners with their awards at a ceremony on May 20 2008.
According to the Babelgum website for the first edition the jury members, in addition to Spike Lee, included:
Also announced on the Babelgum blog as a late addition to the jury was acclaimed French director Michel Gondry
, who judged the Music Video category.
restaurant in Cannes
, France
on May 20 2008. The awards ceremony was hosted by presenters Kris & Kris.
As announced on the Babelgum blog, the winners in the 7 categories were:
Each winner won a sculpted glass award and €
20,000 (US$31,000) prize money.
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
by Internet TV startup Babelgum
Babelgum
Babelgum is a free to view Internet television platform supported by advertising. The project was set up in 2005 by Italian media and telecommunications entrepreneur Silvio Scaglia and scientist Erik Lumer, with the aim of developing interactive software for distributing TV shows and other forms...
. Babelgum's mission in organising the festival is to promote independent filmmaking and provide a global showcase for budding filmmakers
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
from all over the world.
On announcing the first edition of the festival, on September 1, 2007, Babelgum CEO Valerio Zingarelli
Valerio Zingarelli
Valerio Zingarelli is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Babelgum. He took up the position in July 2007, taking over from former CEO and co-founder Erik Lumer...
described it as "an exciting project that will heighten awareness for Babelgum, attract quality films for the competition and give the public an important voice in identifying the next great filmmakers of our time.”.
The 2nd edition of the Festival was announced on September 5, 2008 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
.
The Babelgum Online Film Festival is chaired by US film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
, who has remarked, "Now more than ever before, independent filmmakers need every bit of help to showcase their work. The Babelgum Online Film Festival will accomplish this, as it combines the value of a film festival with the openness of the Internet for those seeking to advance their careers.” .
The festival jury also includes other international figures from the film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
(see below).
Competition Categories
The first edition of the festival, in 2007-2008, comprised seven competition categories: Short FilmShort subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
, Documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, Animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, Social/Environment, Spot/Advertising, Music Video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, and the Babelgum Looking for Genius Award for new or emerging talent. The winners in each category were awarded a prize of €20,000 .
The second edition, 2008–2009, has four competition categories: Short Film, Documentary, Animation and Mini Masterpiece. The latter category is for films of up to 5 minutes in length, with a quirky or original style.
Submission and Judging Process
Entries are required to be professionally produced films but the Festival is also open to film students, as specifically requested by Spike Lee.Films entered to the first edition were shown on a dedicated channel on Babelgum
Babelgum
Babelgum is a free to view Internet television platform supported by advertising. The project was set up in 2005 by Italian media and telecommunications entrepreneur Silvio Scaglia and scientist Erik Lumer, with the aim of developing interactive software for distributing TV shows and other forms...
and users were asked to rate the entries. The jury then viewed 10 highest-rated entries in each category, and chose the top three in each category to present to Spike Lee. Lee made the final selection and presented the winners with their awards at a ceremony on May 20 2008.
According to the Babelgum website for the first edition the jury members, in addition to Spike Lee, included:
- Joe Bateman, Director of the RushesRushes (company)Rushes Postproduction is a post-production and visual effects company based in London.It has a world wide reputation for producing commercial and pop-promo projects. The company was formed in 1977 and its staff have spawned many successful spin-offs, including , Main Frame, and...
Soho Shorts Festival (UK) - Ally Derks, Director of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
- Bhuvan Lall, Founder of the Independent Indian Filmmakers Worldwide Association (India)
- Tiziana Loschi, Managing Director of the Annecy International Animated Film FestivalAnnecy International Animated Film FestivalThe Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998...
/Citia (France) - Joe Neulight, Co-founder and President of Withoutabox (US)
- Johannes Newrkla, Founding Member of the Art Directors Club of Europe (Austria)
- Sandra Ruch, Executive Director of the International Documentary AssociationInternational Documentary AssociationInternational Documentary Association , founded in 1982, is a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the...
(US) - Teri Schwartz, Dean of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television (US)
- James Mullighan, Creative Director of Shooting PeopleShooting PeopleShooting People is an international social network for independent filmmakers that was founded in 1998 by Cath Le Couteur and Jess Search. With over 35,000 subscribers in the UK and NY, members share resources and knowledge to get their films made and seen....
(UK) - Carl Spence, Artistic Director of the Seattle International Film FestivalSeattle International Film FestivalThe Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
(US) - Stefano Martina, Director of "Arcipelago", International Festival of Short Films and New Images (Italy)
Also announced on the Babelgum blog as a late addition to the jury was acclaimed French director Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry is an Academy Award winning filmmaker, whose works include being a commercial director, music video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. - Life and career :...
, who judged the Music Video category.
Winners
The winners of the first Babelgum Online Film Festival were chosen from the finalists by Spike Lee, who presented them with their prizes at the awards ceremony at Le BaoliLe Baoli
Le Baoli is a restaurant and nightclub in Cannes, France. It is frequently visited by movie stars and other notable persons, especially during the Cannes Film Festival. It is normally characterized by vehicles parked outside the main entrance, along with wealthy guests buying champagne and bottles...
restaurant in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on May 20 2008. The awards ceremony was hosted by presenters Kris & Kris.
As announced on the Babelgum blog, the winners in the 7 categories were:
- Animation Award: Rémy Schaepman (France) for Quidam Dégomme ("A Sheep on the Roof")
- Documentary Award: Emanuel Exitu (Italy) for Greater - Defeating AIDS
- Looking for Genius Award: Andrea Lodovichetti (Italy) for Sotto il mio giardino ("Under my garden)"
- Music Video Award: Antonin De Bemels (Belgium) for Mouthface
- Short Film Award: Richard Recco (US) for Officer Down
- Social/Environment Award: Briane Deane (Ireland) for Without Words
- Spot/Advertising Award: Ambroise Becchio (France) for The Pocket Crossborder
Each winner won a sculpted glass award and €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
20,000 (US$31,000) prize money.