Spike Lee to Chair Online Film Festival

Spike Lee said Saturday the Internet has provided so many opportunities for young filmmakers to showcase their work, there are no more excuses.

''I was from the prehistoric age. If you have a film and you're talented and someone is not seeing it, it's your fault,'' the director said at a news conference announcing the creation of a new online film festival.

Lee will head the jury of the film festival organized by Babelgum, an Internet company that streams videos online for free. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Venice Film Festival.

Filmmakers who have had their work accepted at other film festivals from January 2007 through next February can begin making their submissions Sept. 15 by uploading their films onto Babelgum's Web site, organizers said. Winners will receive $20,000.

Babelgum users will make the first selection, whittling each category down to 10 films starting in February. The jury will reduce the number to three, with Lee making the final selection. Winners will be announced in April.

Babelgum said it would not accept offensive material — and Lee acknowledged that it would be tricky defining what that meant. Lee said he expected nudity would be ruled out.

''What might be offensive to you might not be offensive to me, and vice versa,'' Lee said. ''Language, I think, is clearer than the visual stuff.''

Otherwise, films must be in English or have English-language subtitles and not exceed 45 minutes.

The festival will have six categories, including one recognizing new talent, short films under 20 minutes, documentary, animation, advertising and films that focus on social and environmental issues. Organizers expect about 2,000 submissions.

Babelgum, which was started by the founder of Italy's second-largest telecommunications company Fastweb, launched its site for the general public last March. It uses peer-to-peer technology and focuses on content from independent producers. Competitors include Joost and VeohTV.

———

On the Net:

http://www.babelgum.com