Katharine Wootton York is to join a cutting-edge technological revolution as it hosts the very first iPhone Popup Film Festival at the Black Swan Inn on 3 September. Combining innovative and individualistic filmmaking with the latest phone technology, this decidedly lo-fi festival is all about showcasing the hidden home film experimentalists of our region.
Requiring nothing more than your trusty iPhone or iPod touch, the festival will display the handiwork of anyone who has ever made a film on their iOS device on a 50 inch ‘big screen’ for all fellow digital film-lovers to see and enjoy.
The festival will also showcase some of the best iPhone films made in the past two years to inspire the budding iOS filmmakers, including ‘Apple of My Eye’, the film widely reputed to be the first film shot and edited on the iPhone 4.
As well as championing local new filmmakers, the event will also see local band Pop Up Monsters take to the stage to perform an acoustic set in between the film screenings to add that real festival feel. Organisers also hope to curate a photography section for the event to make it a true multimedia event that showcases the multiple technological talents of our city.
iPhone Popup Festival’s organiser Tony Myers, a York-born tech journalist, said: “While London and San Francisco are just two of the cities at the forefront of mobile filmmaking, both packed with incredible talent, I wanted to see what York and the north has to offer. I believe there is a thriving digital arts and media scene in the north of England and hopefully through the iPhone Popup Film Festival we can give home-grown talent exposure on a truly international stage.”
And for this technological pioneer of a festival it seems like the sky is now the limit. It is hoped that the festival can go on to expand into a mobile app as well as live-streaming films across the internet to attract a global audience. One big ambition is also that the festival will be able to extend its boundaries to invite other smartphone users into this recent hype, reeling in mobile filmmakers from across the North who use all kinds of phone film mediums.
To be part of this exciting new festival all for free, sign up to the iPhone filmmakers meetup page here- but be quick as places are limited and allotted by a first come first served basis.
