kagablog

06.11.08
Palais des Beaux-Arts | Paleis voor Schone Kunsten | Centre for Fine Arts

FR Cine Pocket Festival 06.11.08 – 15:30 > 22:30 Burlesques, militants, expérimentaux ou communautaires, les “Pocket films”, tournés avec la caméra miniature d’un téléphone portable font fleurir tout autour du globe un cinéma de poche, inventif et spontané. Après le cinéma, la télévision et l’ordinateur, le téléphone mobile a fait naître un 4e écran couplé à une caméra volontiers clandestine, propice à toutes les expérimentations pour des cinéastes, artistes et blogueurs-citoyens du monde entier. Un espace de création et d’expression démocratique où l’une des tendances de ces mini films est de permettre une expression citoyenne, sociale et politique. Venez découvrir les “best of” de divers festivals (Paris, Barcelone, Groningen), des Cartes blanches d’artistes comme Jan Fabre, Bouli Lanners, Chantal Ackerman, Stéphanie Crayencour et bien d’autres encore! Sans oublier le concours Cine Pocket lancé pour l’occasion! Il y aura en outre des animations Nokia Trends Lab et des projections en continu entre 15h30 et 20h45! Aperçu du programme 15:30 > 18:00 - sélection des meilleurs films de festivals comme Barcelone, Groningen,… 18:00 > 18:40 – « Nouveaux objets filmeurs, nouveaux sujets filmés » conférence de Alain Fleischer et Benoît Labourdette (en FR) 19:00 > 19:40 - « Films on the run : Y a-t-il une esthétique du film mobile? Qu’est-ce que le Pocket Film ? Où situer le Pocket cinéma ? » Conférence de Jan Simons (en NL) 20:45 > 22:30 – soirée de clôture En continu entre 15:30 > 20:45 - animations interactives dans le Hall Horta ! Une coproduction Pocket Media, Bozar Cinema, AT-Production Plus d’informations www.bozar.be www.cinepocket.be NL CINE POCKET FESTIVAL 06.11.08 – 15:30 > 22:30 “Pocket films”, die met miniatuurcamera’s van GSM’s gedraaid worden, leiden vaak tot burleske, experimentele of militante filmpjes en doen een nieuwe soort “pocket cinema” ontstaan die spontaan en creatief is! Na cinema, televisie en computer leidt de telefoon tot de geboorte van een 4de scherm! Deze kan benut worden voor allerlei experimenten van regisseurs, artiesten maar ook neofieten! Op het programma in Bozar zijn er verschillende aspecten: een ‘best of’ van allerlei festivals die hun beste “Pocket films” vertonen, een Carte Blanche waar verscheidene artiesten zoals onder andere Jan Fabre, Stéphanie Crayencour, Chantal Ackerman, Bouli Lanners en Rip Hopkins hun “Pocket film” maken, zonder de Cine Pocket wedstrijd te vergeten die de beste inzendingen zal belonen! Er zullen eveneens doorlopend animaties plaatsvinden tussen 15u30 en 20u45 in de Horta Hall! Dit dankzij talrijke interactieve stands waar “Pocket Films” op een andere manier ontdekt kunnen worden! Overzicht van het programma 15:30 > 18:00 – vertoning van de beste films uit verscheidene festivals zoals Barcelona, Groningen,… 18:00 > 18:40 – « Nouveaux objets filmeurs, nouveaux sujets filmés » lezing door Alain Fleischer en Benoît Labourdette (in FR) 19:00 > 19:40 - « Films on the run : is er een esthetiek van de mobiele film? En wat is ‘pocket film’ eigenlijk? Waar bevindt zich de Pocket Cinema? » Lezing door Jan Simons (in NL) 20:45 > 22:30 – slotavond Doorlopend tussen 15:30 > 20:45 – interactieve animaties te ontdekken in de Horta Hall ! Coproductie: Pocket Media, Bozar Cinema, AT-Production Meer informatie op www.bozar.be www.cinepocket.be

25.09.08

South Africa faces the challenge of boosting a book–reading culture, but because new books are expensive, access to libraries in rural areas is limited and internet penetration is low, the task at times seems overwhelming. However, 80% of South Africans own a mobile phone, and an innovative concept launched in July looks set to bring short fiction to the masses via their handsets.

Novel Idea is an initiative of a company called MOBfest, which commissions short fiction written for a mobile phone platform. The stories consist of 28 episodes of a maximum of 900 characters, which are delivered to a mobile phone for 28 days. To receive the stories, the user simply sends a text message to the provider and registers on the WAP site via their phone.

The writers who have been commissioned have already been published in print. For the recently-completed first round of stories, the writers included Lauren Beukes, Sam Wilson, Sarah Lotz and this year’s Caine Prize for African Writing winner, Henrietta Rose-Innes.

Readers are encouraged to vote for their favourite story and Wilson was the winning “mobilist” of the first round, netting a R8,000 prize sponsored by mobile service provider Vodacom. The second round will be launched by the end of the year.

As with any new concept, it hasn’t been without teething problems. Commissioning editor Michelle Matthews, formerly of Oshun Books, admits there were a few technical hiccups. But, she says, it was mainly about educating people about the capabilities of their mobile phones. The phone has to be WAP-enabled and some people who had this capability were not aware that they could access the internet via their phone. “I sat with people who had no idea their phones were WAP-enabled and helped them to register, and they were thrilled,” Matthews says.

She agrees that the concept could help to boost book reading in South Africa. “However,” says Matthews, “I think that for now, fiction on mobile phones is a different experience to your traditional 300-page novel. Writers tend to write differently for the platform and readers don’t want to read long texts on a small screen—at least not yet. I think it appeals to an overlapping market. It is always possible that someone will seek out a book by an author they’ve read and enjoyed on their mobile phone, so Novel Idea is a good marketing tool for established authors.”

It can also be a good way to spot new talent. According to MOBfest’s website, in Japan last year, five out of the top ten selling hardcopy novels were originally written for mobile phones.

Some might consider Novel Idea a gimmick, but it has potential—particularly in South Africa—to develop new readers, and this is not something to be dismissed.

this article first appeared on the bookseller.com