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. In addition to the festival's net proceeds going to his Environmental Fund, DiCaprio recently contributed a multimedia wing to the new Los Feliz Public Library, constructed on the site of his childhood home in East Hollywood. "We're trying to make this as selfless as we possibly can and still survive," says Smith. No doubt DiCaprio's name will attract huge interest, but the site is well-prepared. Apple Computer has joined forces with LeoFest to provide complete on-site technical support, including use of their global network of 900 servers.

"This is all about ease of access," says Smith. "By working with Apple, we know we can guarantee the convenience of worldwide local downloads, smooth high-speed connections and an overall experience for both the film maker and visitor alike that is both pleasant and uninterruped." After all the films have been previewed and sorted, a "select, celebrated committee of great and renowned film makers" will choose 50 to 60 of the best films for consideration in the final running. And when this year's festival concludes, the ball will get rolling on 2000. But the showcase is only part of the plan. Potential marketing and distribution deals could also be in the works for the winning films, leaving a middleman out of the loop. "We want these film makers to make money," informs Smith. "The artist is the one who deserves to be rewarded. Not the people who schlep (the film) around to the stores. And traditionally, the schleppers are all taking major bucks out of the center of it." Though all roads point to a global, downloadable society, the fact remains that Internet's capabilities are still overshadowed by television's immediacy.

But Smith recognizes this. "We'll just be there early," he states. "Because of Leo's involvement, we can afford to be in early and keep it running and just be in place when the technology gets there." Cutler shares the same sentiment. "The revolution got here before anyone was quite prepared for it. Well, we're prepared. We want to take a leadership position in the evolution of how entertainment content is distributed and exhibited to the public." In time, everyone involved hopes that LeoFest will proceed to the next level: the online broadcasting of feature films.

But for now, they're going to have their hands full with the shorts. Smith says the fledgling project has already established alliances and affiliations with such venerable organizations as the American Film Institute, American Cinemateque and the Independent Feature Project/West. "We know we're in the right place at the right time. We hope that with Leo's visibility and our relationship with Apple, the AFI and IFP/West, we'll be able to attract a level of attention that other online (festivals) may not be capable of. But most of all, we want the film makers--regardless of their experience--to have a place to come where they *know* their films will be seen." For full submission guidelines, visit www.leofest.org

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