BBC World News called the Mobile Motion Film Festival “one of the most exciting events from around the world.” Launched in 2015 in Zurich, the festival—familiarly known as MoMo—  promotes “the innovative use of low cost digital equipment, such as smartphones, to make thrilling, entertaining and/or thought-provoking content.”

MoMo 2017 is accepting submissions through December 31, 2016. The event dates are May 27-28, 2017,

MoMo was included in a list of the world’s  top 7 mobile film festivals. To learn more about this cutting-edge festival, MMM interviewed its founder Andrea Holle.

MMM: What is your background?

ANDREA: Film and filmmaking has always been my passion. I love going to the movies and some films have had a great impact in my life. I made a couple of short films years ago but rather than making films myself, I prefer to give more talented people a platform to showcase their work. My background is in communication and event management. I love bringing people together and creating events which inspire people to pursue their dreams.

MMM: How did the festival come into existence?

ANDREA: About four years ago I stumbled upon a video of a young Swiss filmmaker. It was shot entirely on his smartphone and was selected for a side competition of the Locarno Film Festival. I immediately became enthusiastic about the idea that nowadays, if you have a strong concept and are backed by passion, you can take whatever you have and make a great film. I decided there needed to be a film festival which gives low-fi talents their own voice and level the playing-field for everyone. Together with Simon Horrocks, an inspiring and very talented filmmaker from London, we established the first Mobile Motion Film Festival. The main difficulty was and still is to find funds for the festival. But we’ve become experienced crowdfunders, funding a big part of the festival with the help of enthusiastic backers. This has worked well for the past two years and we’re planning to run a campaign for MoMo ’17 next February.

MMM: What are the advantages of shooting movies using mobile devices?

ANDREA: The main advantage is, of course, you don’t need costly equipment – really just your phone. You can shoot your film without having to wait for anyone’s permission. Especially in journalism or documentary filmmaking, spontaneity is a great advantage. New kinds of films come into existence thanks to mobile devices. Another advantage – you can shoot in places where you don’t have much space and angles which wouldn’t have been possible with big cameras.

MMM: What, if any, are the disadvantages of mobile moviemaking?

ANDREA: Filming in places with less light is tricky. The quality of the finished image and lack of professional lenses might limit where you can show the film. Also you need an external microphone for a good quality of sound. Battery life can be a downside too, especially when filming in the cold. But all of these disadvantages can be overcome.

MMM: What do you see as the future of mobile moviemaking?

ANDREA: I strongly believe it will have an impact on professional filmmaking. More and more companies are making films on mobile devices when productions need to be fast and affordable. In journalism and in documentary filmmaking, I think mobile devices have already become a major filmmaking tool.

MMM: What is the role of film festivals in supporting moviemaking?

ANDREA: To me, film festivals are a great way for filmmakers to connect to likeminded people. For us it’s very important to give filmmakers the chance to network, to get in touch with the jury, the audience and to have time to talk to other filmmakers. Last year, one of our first-time filmmakers and nominees Aris Tyros met the producer for his next project. At festivals it’s possible to screen films which otherwise would never have seen the light of a cinema screen. Festivals are a place to showcase new talents. One of last year’s MoMo winners was discovered by Zurich Film Festival, where she later became a Jury member.

MMM: What advice would you give to novices who want to get serious about using mobiles to make movies?

ANDREA: I think that one of the main advantages with mobile filmmaking is that it allows you to practice and see the result immediately. You can achieve a lot and gain important experience by just trying things. To me, learning by doing is the best way to learn a craft. Of course also for mobile filmmaking you need to know the basics of filmmaking. But nowadays you can find answers to all your questions on one single platform: Youtube.

MMM: We see that your expanding from Zurich to London. Can you tell us why you made this move?

ANDREA: In the first year, the festival took place in Zurich and London simultaneously. But this was because our crowdfunding campaign was so successful, we added a London screening as a stretch goal. Last year the festival only took place in Zurich. But it’s a goal of ours to expand to other cities and for this we will need more resources and manpower.

MMM: What are the best links for people to follow your work? We will want to include information about your upcoming festival.

ANDREA: Our website is momofilmfest.com. You can also find us here:

https://twitter.com/momofilmfest

https://www.facebook.com/momofilmfest/

https://www.instagram.com/momofilmfest/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQk-WU7eu_f-a-J5v8SrRxg

https://vimeo.com/momofilmfest