Videos shot using mobile phone cameras have become a new genre of the cinema. They already appear at many film festivals, such as the ‘Pacific Meridian’ event underway in the Russian city of Vladivostok.

The ‘Pacific Meridian’  though does not include mobile movies in the main contest. Here, they appear as part of a special programme, and are branded “The Cinema of the Future”. The art critics call them “Pocket Films”.

Filmmakers from all over the world have sent their videos to the show. The most active participants are the French and Canadians. But while French mobile filmmakers are mainly amateurs, in Canada even well-known directors do not look down on mobile phone cameras.

“We sometimes see two-hour-long movies which are not really very good. The duration does not actually matter,” notes Natalya Timofeeva, the Pocket Films Programme Director.

“These films are fairly bright. They are just a couple of minutes long but shot by well-known Canadian directors,” says Colleen Pigeon, from the Embassy of Canada.

Meanwhile, the Russian city of Anapa is hosting the 16th “Kinoshock” event. This festival traditionally attracts filmmakers from all over Russia and the CIS.

The first day of the festival saw the screening of the Ukrainian movie “By the River” and the Russian film “Nothing Personal”.

The programme includes animated films, children's movies and a special short picture category.

More than 50 films will be shown at the event altogether.