Mina #Ecosmartphone Films 2021
Authors: Schleser Max , Cammaer Gerda 
Published: May 2022

MINA - Mobile Innovation Network and Association is the longest-running film festival in the Southern Hemisphere dedicated to mobile & smartphone filmmaking with a focus on moving-image arts, documentary, community-engaged film productions, experimental films and emerging film production forms and formats, such as MoJo, drone videos, AR and Mobile Cinematic VR.
The tenth edition of MINA is presenting a special program titled #EcoSmartphoneFilms, a showcase of contemporary mobile film production about environmental protection and ecology in all its aspects. It is an eclectic collection of short international environmentally themed films from all over the world made on smartphones, pocket cameras, laptops and Instagram.
The films show the planet’s beauty as well as the various local, regional and global environmental challenges we are facing. By using a variety of creative solutions that illustrate the power of mobile film, they help to raise awareness about environmental topics from around the globe and make us aware of the role mobile media can play in this.
In the spirit of Margaret Mead’s statement that we should “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world” with this special #EcoSmartphoneFilms program we hope to inspire a deeper critical understanding of ecological issues and strengthen our commitment as both filmmakers and curators to inspire future generations to go mobile and stay sustainable.
Save Me (UK) Michael CoppolaShot on iPhone 11 Pro Max
SAVE ME is an experimental sci-fi drama short film about the fragmentation of the human psyche, manmade planetary destruction and the possible end of the subjective and objective world, told through the experiences of a lost girl stranded on a deserted beach, accompanied by an epic orchestral score and futuristic sound design with the use of CGI.
Iumbar Project - The First One (Australia) Martin K. Koszolko Shot on iPad Pro
This music video documents human intervention into environment. The footage shows the fate of trees and other plants disposed of by human inhabitants of the land. This short film raises questions about our relationship with the natural environment and highlights the beauty of the shapes and forms of trees. This beauty is evident even if the plants have been cut down and are no longer alive.
The Almeda Fire (USA) David Scott LeibowitzShot on iPhone 11 Pro
My Mobile movies took a swift turn from art to ENG when the Almeda fire swept through this part of the Rogue Valley.
After The Flood (USA) Alexandra GuillossouShot on iPhone XR
An observational piece on two seemingly dissimilar St. Louis events that took place in June 2019. Man and nature can be equally explosive and yet only one has the option of choice.
Tree Time (USA) Alexandra Lerman Shot on iPhone 7 & iPhone X
Tree Time imagines a relationship between nature and technology unmediated by human presence. The video was shot in the Amazon rainforest with a drone enacting a disembodied point of view that floats through the densely compressed forest canopy, taking off, hovering above the ground, and occasionally returning to it.
Kaminda (NL) David van DeldenShot on iPhone X & iPhone 11 Pro
A visual poem of a 3-year-old boy's journey of self-discovery. Kaminda revisits David’s childhood adventures narrated by a young voice in spoken words written by Juan- Carlos Goilo. From the dry northern plains to the atmospheric damp caves, Kaminda takes you through the rustic landscapes of Curaçao with stunningly captured scenes. Hear the primitive sounds of Curaçao's "Muzik di Zumbi" accompanied by scenes shot underwater, on land and in the air.
Little Beings (Mexico) DiAminda Ordaz
Shot on iPhone 8
I tended my senses and they were there,I stopped to contemplate and they were there, I opened my eyes and they were there,I woke up and they were there,I paid attention and they were there.So I wanted to take off my sandals,as not to hurt them with my walk.