// Pocket Picks //

Forget Super8s and handheld DV cameras, the next generation of moviemakers could be cutting their teeth on mobile phone. There’s a real momentum about the mobile video scene right now, with a succession of organisation and awards being set up to reward the best directors.

Arguably the biggest of these is Nokia Shorts, the handset section of which requires competitors to put together a 15 second film using their mobile handset. Last night at the Raindance film festival they unveiled the winner of the 2006 award, a film entitled The Tour of the House which takes the viewer on a routine house tour with an interesting twist.

The film was directed by Andy Kinnear (no relation to Greg apparently) from Kent and Céin McGillicuddy from Bournemouth and despite neither having any film background was deemed good enough to earn the pair an all expenses paid trip to the 2007 Cannes Film Festival together with a Nokia Nseries handset to record their experiences on. Andy was understandably overjoyed stating, “We’re delighted to have won this award for our short, we had a lot of fun coming up with the idea and then filming it and are both really looking forward to our trip to Cannes next year.”

Meanwhile Nokia’s communications manager Anna Shipley (who has we’re told has herself previously been compared to the gorgeous screen siren Maggie Gyllenhal) was equally upbeat, “Our congratulations go to Andy and Céin who have shown just how easy it can be to make a mobile movie. Whether you have a background in film making or not, all you need is a great idea and your camera phone. We hope competitions like Nokia Shorts will encourage more people to experiment with filmmaking using their mobile device.”

The remaining finalists, all of whom received a Nokia N73 for their trouble and got to see their movies screened at Raindance, were:

• Sylvester’s Funeral - Scott Thomas Buckle
• A Good Reason To Wear Sunscreen - Claudiu Voicu
• A Wish - Loftus Hall
• A Londoner’s Day - Olivier Soullard

You can see all the finalists at the Nokia Shorts 06 site along with a selection of the best entries from the last four years (the Anniversary is one of our favourites).

We’ll be covering more mobile news in the future, but if you fancy yourself behind a still mobile lens you could win your very own N73 in our photo competition.