The SundanceInstitute today (Dec 17) launched the Third Annual Sundance Online FilmFestival at www.sundance.org. This year's event runs until Feb 5, 2003,and features 31 projects in four categories: Animation, Short Subject, Galleryand New Forms. Participating films will be highlighted during the mainfestival, which runs from Jan 16-26, in the Zenith Theatre at the SundanceDigital Centre on the lower level of Main Street Mall.

Computers willbe located at various festival venues and viewers will be encouraged to submitratings for their favorite entries. The winners will be unveiled on Jan 23 andawards will be handed out to one film from both the Animation and Short Subjectstrands.

'The state of art andmedia on the Internet is maturing rapidly. The 31 projects selected for theOnline Film Festival are entertaining, while being extremely different fromtraditional film,' John Cooper, director of programming at the SundanceFilm Festival, said. 'This year's programme represents the breadthand creativity of artists developing work for exhibition on the internet. TheSundance Online Film Festival is a convenient and accessible showcase for theirprojects.'

The non-competitive Gallery section showcases a diversecollection of websites primarily designed as online galleries, an emergingwebsite art form. The New Forms category points to the future of storytelling.In addition to the regular Sundance Online Film Festival projects, the sitefeatures the return of the Short Film Showcase, a programme of short films thatare screening in the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. The Short Films Showcase willbe announced just before the festival and will run concurrent with the mainevent.