As part of the third edition of Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), organised by Studio Emad Eddin (SEE), the Mobile Film Festival celebrates the art of filmmaking using the camera of a mobile phone. Continuously working to enhance its impact on the independent art scene in Egypt, D-CAF recognises this new art form and, along with organising training workshops and an open-call to the Arab world, will host its very own festival showcasing the work produced. The smART programme kicked off with the Alexandria workshops on 30 January, running for 10 days, followed by workshops in Assuit, Minya and Cairo, which will be taking place over the course of February and March 2014. These work units will train 90 to 120 young individuals to skillfully produce films using mobile phones, as well as introduce them to other basic knowledge involved in filmmaking. Organisations from each city are partnering up and collaborating with SEE foundation to ensure a successful and enriching experience for the participants. These centres include the International Association for Creation and Training (I-act) and Gudran in Alexandria, Ahmed Bahaa El Din Cultural Centre in Assuit, and in Minya, the Jesuit and Brothers Association for Development (JBA). Members of the theatrical performance company Hala Group, each bearing extensive credentials in the field of filmmaking, will lead the workshops in each city. These instructors will go on to train an individual from within each workshop to maintain the established work units, thus providing future access to that knowledge. As part of the smART project, an open-call has been made to artists of the Arab world, asking them to submit a mobile film of their own. All films are expected to be one minute long. After all submissions have been made and the workshops have come to an end, a jury panel will then compile a shortlist of 50-60 quality mobile films to be screened at D-CAF 2014, set to take place over three weeks starting 20 March. Screenings will also be organised in the cities where the workshops were held. The project was made possible through the support of the British Embassy in Cairo, Mansour Foundation, Tamasi, European Endowment Democracy and Sida.
