Here’s why iSmart Film Festival is the smartphone fest you need

iSmart Film Festival is perfect for the filmmaker who prefers using their smartphone to another kind of camera. iSmartfilms offers a festival for short films that have been exclusively shot on smartphones. Given how everyone has a smartphone, it could be a great way to step into the world of film festivals.

If you’re hoping to learn more so you can give it a try as we have enough time in quarantine, then here’s everything you need to know about the iSmart Film Festival.

What is iSmart Films?

Per the about page for the iSmart Film Festival, “iSmartfilms, Asia’s first & World’s ninth smartphone film making company was created by Abid Beli in 2015 with the goal to discover, encourage and accompany the talents of the world to share the stories they have captured on mobile devices and to provide smartphone filmmakers with a platform to exhibit these stories to a wider audience.”

The Festival is also “committed to a democratization of cinema, supporting the use of the smartphone as an alternative means for an idea of quality to end on the screen.” It celebrates how smartphones have innovated the way film and video has been made over the years, allowing more people than ever to bring their own stories to the screen.

Does it really need to be a smartphone?

Smartphones, tablets, GoPros are the only cameras allowed to make your film entry. You are allowed to use a boom, lights, sound equipment, etc if necessary. Additionally, you’re allowed to use editing software. According to the rules, any language is accepted, but subtitles in either English or Urdu is a must.

You have to promise it to that effect when you submit your short film. There’s also a rule about no zombies allowed, so be aware of that before submitting your work. Multiple entries for the iSmart Film Festival are allowed.