Can you tell a story with one photo, shot with your smartphone’s camera? The idea for our photo contest is to tell a story with one frame. We’ve been screening films that tell stories since our inaugural film festival in 2012. On our 12th annual edition, we thought it fitting to challenge our community to tell a story with one single frame.
We selected two contestants, Zdenka Mihelic’s “Moment in Frames” and Ian Leer’s “One Frame Stories.”
We then edited a video with their photos featuring each photographer and screened it during the film festival in its own session on Saturday, April 29 at 4PM PST, in San Diego’s International Mobile Film Festival.
Zdenka Mihelic lives in Kranj, Slovenia and used an iPhone 13 Pro. Ian Leer lives in London, United Kingdom and used an iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Congratulations to Ian Leer for winning the Best Smartphone Photo Story Award in our inaugural contest IMFF 2023.
Frame A Story (One story in one frame): BEST SMARTPHONE PHOTO STORY AWARD: Ian Leer, One Frame Stories: War with the Drobe | iPhone 12 Pro Max | London, United Kingdom.
"Fully embracing the vast filmmaking capabilities of the smartphone I always have with me has enhanced the way I approach storytelling, making creativity more immediately accessible and rewarding. The smartphone filmmaking community comes as an added bonus mixed with professionals and hobbyists alike as well as supportive film festivals like the International Mobile Film Festival, a pioneer in the field." Ian Leer, IMFF 2023 Best Smartphone Photo Story Awardee
We look forward to running this contest again next year. Open to everyone with a smartphone and an eye for storytelling and photography. Are you up for the challenge?
Inaugural Smartphone Photo Contest