First film festival made with cell phones in Mexico

On Friday, November 4th, Mexico hosted the fifth edition of the film festival recorded with cell phones SmartFilms, which advocates for the democratization of the audiovisual industry and in which conferences, workshops and exclusive screenings will be shared.

The festival “is a set of democratization, of new narratives, of inclusion, of cinema, technology, and advertising,” said Yesenia Valencia, general director of SmartFilms, at the inaugural conference.

“EWea wat to tell all the kids (young people) in Mexico that they can tell their stories. This gives us memory, it makes us documentarians of our own reality,” she said in Mexico City.

One of the most notable screenings will be that of the film “Va por Diego” (2021), by Mexican Miguel Flatow, considered the best piece recorded with a cell phone at the Cannes Film Festival 2022.

“There are no limits or excuses anymore. The budget (of his film) was tiny, a soap opera episode is much more expensive,” said the filmmaker, who encouraged young people to film with cell phones.

TYT Newsroom