Spike Lee Partners with Nokia on “Social Film” Project

WHITE PLAINS, April 25:
Nokia Productions is teaming with director Spike Lee on a social-media driven
film, with footage shot entirely by everyday people on their mobile devices.

With the central theme of
humanity, specifically the way music tells the story of humanity, the film will
consist of three acts. Each act will include an "assignment" for
participants, which Lee will announce throughout the program. Nokia Productions
is recruiting consumers to submit original content—including text, music,
video or images—through its website, www.nokiaproductions.com.
Submissions will be accepted until August 21. The final collaborative film
containing the winners’ submissions along with other contributed content, will
premiere this fall at the soon-to-open Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

Each act of the production
will last for four weeks. Lee will direct the collaboration digitally from the
website, guiding and critiquing creative submissions throughout the production.
There will also be online assistant directors that will personally help
participants revise their entries and then repost for consideration. After each
act closes, Nokia will choose the top 25 submissions, and users’ votes will
further narrow it to ten finalists. Lee will then choose the winning submission
from each act to be integrated into the final film. Five randomly-selected
contestants from each act will win a Nokia N95 and the opportunity to travel to
the film's premiere in Los Angeles and meet Lee. Furthermore, Nokia merchandise
and other giveaways will be awarded each week.

"The future of
filmmaking is changing and mobile-generated art is fast becoming the next
medium for film,” said Lee. “In five years, I believe we will be watching films
in movie theaters that have been shot on a mobile phone. Today, with
state-of-the-art multimedia devices like what Nokia has to offer, you are
seeing first hand the democratization of film. Aspiring filmmakers no longer
have to go to film school to make great work. With a simple mobile phone, almost
anyone can now become a filmmaker."

"Nokia is excited
about connecting people through this first of its kind social experience,"
said Craig Coffey, the VP of marketing for Nokia North America. "With
Nokia technology now enabling anyone to collaborate, share and explore in order
to participate in something larger than themselves opens up a world of
possibilities. We encourage everyone to join with Nokia and Spike Lee to create
the world's first social film production."

—By Ned Berke