The Irish Film Board and AtomFilms are set to unveil a joint initiative - "Irish Flash" - for the production and distribution of short films on the Internet. The move is the first step taken by the board since it made a policy decision late last year to direct some production funding towards new talent working with digital technology.

The initiative is to be unveiled at this weekend's Darklight 2000 Digital Film Festival in Dublin. The festival was conceived last year as an outlet for short format digital films, animations and art from Europe and around the globe.

Events at this year's event include a seminar on the BBC's computer generated series Walking With Dinosaurs; a first screening in Ireland of Harmony Korine's Julien Donkey Boy; and a presentation by Sony of the new DW-F900 24p high definition camera. In addition, AtomFilms head of European acquisitions, Pamela Casey, will speak on the future of digital distribution and on-line broadcasting.

The Darklight 2000 Festival runs at the Irish Film Centre and other nearby venues in Dublin from May 25-27.