Third Screen Contest: New Cell Cinema or Same Old Shorts?

Over at the Third Screen Film Festival, which bills itself as the "definitive cell phone film festival for the new millennium," eighteen semifinalists are currently competing for a $10,000 production grant and the chance to see their work broadcast on mobile phones across America.

Sponsored by Chicago's Columbia College, which is home to the largest film school in the nation, and Nano, the first short film channel, the festival affords the opportunity to see whether cell phone cinema is developing into its own medium, distinct from television or celluloid movies. As the festival wonders, "Will the best film shorts on the cell phone be any different than the film shorts that are currently seen on Cable, Pay Per View, or the Internet. Or will they look more like a Doonesbury comic strip?"

After sifting through many of the entries, the answer seems to be the latter. On preliminary viewing, Steven Tsuchida's "Spam-Ku" already a celebrated entry at festivals from Austin to London, and already viewable on iFilm and AtomFilms, appears to be far and away the best film. A funny, smartly photographed story about a young office worker who wins a prize for a Spam haiku content, this latest short from Tsuchida (maker of the award-winning "A Ninja Pays Half My Rent") further solidifies his knack for the artful deadpan.

Then again, voters might think otherwise. Winners of the $10,000 grand prize, along with a jury prize – voted upon by 15 industry professionals (from the likes of MTV Films and Universal Music Group) – will be announced on October 26.