Leofest Part One! Part One
Monday, 25-Oct-1999 22:50:37

209.245.66.28 writes:

LEOFEST: SHOW US YOUR SHORTS

"This festival strives to offer a level playing field on which anyone who wishes may play."

With his global internet film venture, Leonardo DiCaprio hopes to give short-format pictures their due time in the spotlight.

By Richard Thomas



The future is digital--that much we can be sure of. From answering machines and DAT recorders to souped-up TVs and cell phones, digital technology has created
an immediate, cut-and-paste media environment where anything seems possible, given the right amount of technology and creativity. Couple that with a booming
economy and plunging product prices, and you've got a brand-new entertainment industry, one where the middleman is replaced by the little man.

Leonardo DiCaprio is hardly a small figure in the entertainment industry, and his first International Online Short Film Festival hopes to capitalize on that fact to push
the envelope on two fronts. First, providing a high-speed, high-profile, global forum for unknown artists and their material, and second, helping to rejuvenate the
short film--a format which has long been overshadowed by the blockbuster juggernaut.

The first international venture of its kind, LeoFest is being launched through Birken Interactive Studios, DiCaprio's production company, founded by his mother
Irmelin in 1998.

"I've been around artists my entire life," says DiCaprio. "Breaking through--especially when you're just starting out--can seem impossible. This festival seeks to
change that, to offer a forum--a place to show your talent--a place for your work to be seen and for you to see the work of others."

The festival will run over a nine-month period, with a final awards presentation occurring "sometime after the Oscars," and is currently soliciting films from all over
the world in the following categories: narrative, documentary, animation and alternative. Each category is subdivided into two age groups: youth (17 and under)
and adult (18 and over). As new films are received, they will be screened by the festival staff and those films that qualify--a single film in each of the four categories
and both age groups--will be posted for one week on the website (www.leofest.org). As taken from the LeoFest manifesto: "Each offering will be reviewed by the
staff of the Film Festival for overall quality and appropriateness for inclusion in LeoFest....artistic value and categorical fit will be the sole criteria for inclusion."

Says DiCaprio, "This festival strives to offer a level playing field on which anyone who wishes may play."

Once the selected films have premiered, they'll move to an archive where they will "enjoy extended access and promotion." What kind of audience does LeoFest
hope to attract?

"We're aiming for the universe," says Chuck Smith, Birken Interactive's director of production.

The idea of the festival's short film format grew from the collaboration of Smith and Jonathan Cutler, Birken's editorial director and LeoFest's executive director.
Smith's experience as producer of the cable access program "The Dog and Pony Show"--a short film showcase--coupled with Cutler's experience as writer and
director of an HBO short film starring Demi Moore, insures a high level of integrity and commitment to the format. With DiCaprio's passion for film making and his
continued support of lesser-known artists, the project was given the green light.




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