Press Release from Bitfilm Festival

Thanks to the Internet, filmmakers from all over the world can work together on one feature film; the Internet audience's votes will determine the film's content. The Bitfilm Festival 2010 will be more than a festival - it will be a worldwide "crowd production". Its result will be a full-length feature film on one topic: Money & Me. Filmmakers are asked to share their personal views on financial affairs.

"Everybody has an interesting story to tell about money", claims Bitfilm‘s director Aaron Koenig. "We are looking forward to portraits of millionaires and investment gurus, as well as fictional rags-to-riches stories and animations, which explain the complexities of the financial market in an entertaining way."

Via an online vote, the audience will decide which short films will be chosen for the final film in the following categories: documentary, fiction and animation. The most popular film in every category will receive prize money donated by the Cultural Authority of the Federal State of Hamburg. All selected films will receive a share in the film's profits.

"Money & Me will not be a standard episodical film," emphasises Mr. Koenig. "We will combine all of the short films and turn them into one work of art, with one unifying soundtrack. The filmmakers maintain all rights to their original works; they only give us the right to transform them into something new. The entire project follows 'open-source philosophy' as you might know from software such as Linux or the online encyclopedia Wikipedia."

Most of the film's budget will come from a "crowd-funding" system. For as little as EUR 300 one may purchase a FILMBIT which gives the owner a share in the film's profits and a higher say in the voting process.

Films may be submitted until July 31, 2010 at http://www.bitfilm.com/festival. The award ceremony will take place in late November in Hamburg, Germany.

For additional information and pictures in printable resolution, please visit: www.bitfilm.com/press.