2006年VOA标准英语-Sundance Festival's Latest: Dial Up a Movie

By Amanda Cassandra
New York
09 November 2006

Movie star Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival is teaming up with global cell phone operators to bring short films to cell phones to give people around the world access to independent films.

Robert Redford

Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute to help independent filmmakers 25 years ago. Since then, the Sundance Film Festival has become the premiere showcase for independent films from all over the globe.

Redford says the mission of the Sundance Institute extends far beyond the festival.

"A lot of people when they hear the name Sundance in terms of identification think of the festival," he said. "The festival seems to be the shining part of Sundance that attracts most of the attention, but for us it is not the main event. The main event is in development and discovery and support for new voices in independent film."

GSM Association is a global trade group representing 700 cell phone companies.

Marketing¹ Director for GSM Association Bill Gajda says the Sundance Institute is taking advantage of the mobile technology available to further its aim of supporting independent filmmakers.

"Today with more than 2.6 billion users and adding more than 1,000 per minute, mobile phones represent by far the largest communications medium in the world," he said. "So as technology has developed from voice on mobile to today where mobile represents a rich multimedia² platform, the mobile industry is starting to change the way people are educated and entertained."

Gadja says the collaboration³ will be an opportunity for millions of subscribers to receive innovative⁴ content on their phones.

"With the Sundance Institute short film program, we're going to demonstrate that mobile is a compelling medium in its own right and able to distribute thoughtful, creative and original content on a scale that has never before seen," he said.

The Sundance Institute selected six filmmakers to make short films to debut⁵ on phones, including Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the team behind successful independent film Little Miss Sunshine.

The films will be three to five minutes in length. The Sundance Institute will premiere the films at the 3GSM World Congress, the largest annual mobile event in the world, in February 2007 in Barcelona, Spain. Broader distribution through mobile carriers will follow later in the year.

Redford says cell phones are the "fourth screen" medium after television, cinema and computers.

1 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

2 multimedia   

adj.多种手段的，多媒体的；n.多媒体

参考例句：

• Multimedia is the combination of computer and video technology.多媒体是计算机和视频技术的结合。
• Adam raised the issue of multimedia applications and much useful discussion ensued.亚当提出了多媒体应用的问题，从而引发了许多有益的讨论。

3 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

4 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

5 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。