Oct 20, 1009
AFI FEST 2009 presented by Audi today announced that AFI
DigiFest will take place at the Mann Chinese 1 Theatre in Hollywood on November
4 and 5.
Now in its third year, AFI DigiFest provides a unique,
behind-the-scenes look at how storytelling is adapting to an ever-widening
array of new screens and platforms. The event is open to the public and
admission is free.
“This has been a banner year for new media innovation,”
says AFI Digital Content Lab Director Suzanne Stefanac. “We’re seeing
forward-thinking writers, directors and producers learn to tell stories across
a spectrum of screens, engaging new audiences and inventing new markets along
the way. AFI DigiFest is our opportunity to shine a light on the inspiring
works created during the past year.”
Projects premiering at AFI DigiFest 2009 on November 4
were incubated in the AFI Digital Content Lab in coordination with MTV, NBC,
Method Design, D20, EQAL, Digital Domain, Avatar Labs, TwinArt and many others.
Together, the teams:
• created an engaging social network and viral marketing
plan for the web series INTERVIEW PROJECT PRESENTED BY DAVIDLYNCH.COM;
• proposed an online strategy for engaging youth in a
series of relevant environmental action challenges for the Leonardo DiCaprio
Foundation;
• developed a mobile application that provides an
interactive past-to-future timeline for an ITVS cross-platform micro-series;
• conceived an interactive mentoring environment for One
Economy that encourages students from low-income families to learn more about
science as a career; and
• presented MOBILE STORY MAKER, a hands-on session with
filmmaker L.M. Kit Carson (PARIS, TEXAS; BOTTLE ROCKET), who shot the
micro-series AFRICA DIARY using a Nokia mobile phone as his camera. The series
is scheduled to air on the Sundance Channel.
On November 5, the AFI Digital Content Lab has invited
the creators of cutting-edge recently released or soon-to-be-released digital
media productions to present their projects. The productions featured this year
include:
• DISTRICT 9, a behind-the scenes look at games and an
augmented reality application created by production house Trigger;
• LIVE MUSIC, 3D animation pieced together from
contributions by thousands of animators from around the world, masterminded by
Mass Animation's Yair Landau, former vice-chair of Sony Pictures;
• URBAN WOLF, a surveillance camera-based micro-series
drama by Parisian director Laurent Touil Tartour;
• MANOBI, a mobile phone application that has helped
raise the standard of living for Senegalese farmers and fishermen;
• FIRST THINGS LAST, a visual storytelling application
for the iPhone created by ScrollMotion;
• ESCAPE FROM CITY 17, a meld of machinima and live
action created by the Purchase Brothers for less than $500;
• NAKED SKY, a look at augmented reality.
A reception at the historic Roosevelt Hotel Ballroom will
follow both day-long programs. On November 4, the reception will be followed by
poolside screenings of several digital micro-series. On November 5, the
reception will celebrate the market launch of Planet Illogica, an AFI Digital
Content Lab 2008 project.
To register for AFI DigiFest 2009, visit afi.com or call
1.866.AFI.FEST.
This year’s AFI FEST presented by Audi is
offering free tickets to all Festival screenings. Free tickets are
available online at AFI.com/AFIFEST or by phone at 866-AFI-FEST, at the Mann Chinese 6 Theatre (6925 Hollywood Blvd.) in
the Hollywood and Highland Center beginning October 26, and on the day of
scheduled screenings via Rush Lines. Early entry to all screenings can
be secured by becoming a patron of the Festival and purchasing an AFI FEST
Patron Pass. For more details, visit AFI.com.
About AFI Digital Content Lab
The AFI Digital Content Lab is a research and development
hub at the intersection of art and technology. The AFI Lab brings together
media content and cutting edge technology companies to design future
applications for the digital world.
About AFI FEST
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in
screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art
of film, television and digital media. Celebrating its 23rd year as a program
of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST 2009 presented by Audi will take place
October 30-November 7. Kicking off the awards season each year, AFI FEST offers
a crucial avenue of exposure to the entertainment community, while providing
appreciative audiences with a festive atmosphere and the very best of world
film, right in the center of the film capital of the world.
The American Film
Market (AFM), November 4-11, 2009, is the market partner of AFI FEST. Together,
AFI FEST and AFM provide the only concurrent festival/market event in North
America. AFI
FEST is the only FIAPF-accredited film festival in the United States. The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying
festival for the Short Films category for the annual Academy Awards®.
Additional
information about AFI FEST is available at AFI.com.
AFI PROJECT:
20/20 is an American Film Institute international initiative designed to
enhance cultural exchange, understanding and collaboration through filmmakers
and their films from the US and abroad. It is an unprecedented cultural
diplomacy effort that is the only international filmmaker exchange supported by
all of America’s cultural agencies—National Endowment for the Arts (NEA),
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute of Museum and Library
Services (IMLS)—and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
AFI FEST 2009 presented by Audi is sponsored in part by
American Airlines; Absolut Vodka; Little Black Dress Wines; Stella Artois;
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; Mann Theatres; RR Donnelly; the Los Angeles Times;
American Film Market (AFM); the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through
the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; the Department of Cultural Affairs; and
the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency. AFI FEST is made possible in
part by a grant from the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences and is proud to continue its collaborative partnership with
the Skirball Cultural Center. Entertainment Weekly is the Presenting
Media Sponsor.
About the AFM
During AFM, the business of independent motion picture production and
distribution—a truly collaborative process—reaches its peak every year, when more
than 8,000 industry leaders converge in Santa Monica for eight days of
deal-making, screenings, seminars, red carpet premieres, networking and
parties. Participants come from over 70 countries and include acquisition
and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors,
festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the
world’s press and all those who provide services to the motion picture
industry.
Founded in 1981,
the AFM has become the premier global marketplace where Hollywood’s decision
makers and trendsetters all gather under one roof. Unlike a film
festival, the AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are
closed. In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be
sealed — on both completed films and those that haven’t started shooting yet —
making AFM the must-attend industry event.
The AFM is produced by the Independent Film &
Television Alliance (IFTA), the trade association representing the world’s
producers and distributors of independent motion pictures and television
programs. More information can be found at http://www.ifta-online.org/afm
<http://www.ifta-online.org/afm>.
About Audi of America, Inc.
Audi of America Inc. and its 270 dealers
offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. The Audi lineup is one
of the freshest in the industry with 23 models, including 12 models launched
during model years 2008 and 2009. Audi is among the most successful brands
globally. Last year AUDI AG recorded its 12th consecutive record year for sales
and profit growth. Visit audiusa.com or audiusanews.com for
more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.
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