Several years ago, web cinema as a form was defined by the dial-up, 28.8 k Internet network. Today the Internet has morphed into a variety of delivery media, from 14.4 wireless to broadcast quality satellite systems, and a full range of narrowband and broadband in between. Each new medium shapes and changes the way stories are told on the web and as a result, web cinema is constantly evolving.

In these web films, you can see the unfolding of a new language of visual storytelling, a new style of motion pictures: there are films that leverage the computer based technology of the web to produce movies that create multiple versions of themselves. There are films that take advantage of the fluidity and international reach of the Net to allow filmmakers from many countries to create different episodes of a story and then pass them along for the next person to add on. There are films that play with linear narrative by bringing the age old concept of "framing stories" into the 21st century.

These films are laying the foundation for what visual storytelling will look like 10, 20, 100 years from now. Their impact is already being felt: Time Code, Run Lola Run and even The Pillow Book all incorporate elements of web filmmaking. The Golden Age of net films? We think so, which is why Streaming Cinema was created. Streaming Cinema is a traveling festival of net films that celebrates the nerve, vision and artistic audacity of these pioneering filmmakers.

On Friday evening June 1st in Philadelphia, the festival continued with a linear and interactive screening of web films from more than a dozen countries.The 29 web films were selected from an international call for entries. Nine countries were represented in the screening including: France, Canada, South Korea, United States, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Germany, Australia and Italy. In the US, the filmmakers hailed from San Francisco, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia. The screening, which gave audience members the opportunity to work with the interactive and multimedia programs, began at 8:00 p.m. at the Christ Church Community Center on 2nd and Market Streets.

The films were: Nightshift, Pierre Wayser (France); Salome, Jeannette Lambert (Canada); October,Catarina Mota (New York); Reflections, Michael Giuntoli (New York); Golden Boy, Bill Cahalan, (Los Angeles); Shibuya and Endeka, Nina Noor (United Kingdom); Hipnopixel, Carlos Gomez de Llarena (Venezuela); Under The Happiest Dawn, George Aguilar (San Francisco); Life At Night, John O’Brien (Minneapolis); Badcop, Martin Dahlhauser (Germany); Winterlight and Musichat, Peter Eudenbach (New York); The Heist, Dave Jones (Australia); Dream, Al Sacui (Philadelphia); I Cannot Play, Jib Jab Media (New York); A Perfect Artistic Website, Young-hae (South Korea); Brain Girl, Marina Zurkow (New York); Love Bug, Chris Ferrantello (Philadelphia); Kein Film, Michael Bryntrupp (Germany); Tango, Mirek Nisenbaum, (New York); Crankbunny, Norma Toraya (New York); Crack the CIA, Josh Shore (New York); The Reef, Moccu (Germany); The Manhatte Project, Analogik-Indians (France); The Island, 8081 (Italy); My Interactive TV, Violaine Meunier (France); Video Blog, Adrian Miles (Australia); Arctic Circle, Philip Pocock (Germany).

The festival's Main Screening took place that evening in the Olde City/Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia. The screening was curated by David Nielsen of Dogme 95, Phyllis Kauffman, former Artistic Director of the Philly Film Fest, Peter Rose, a well known video artist and professor at University of the Arts, and Nora Barry, creator of the festival and of TheBitScreen.com. Both David and Peter were in attendance as were several of the local filmmakers.

The festival screening will be the subject of an upcoming "Ifilm @IFC", a program about independent film on the Independent Film Channel (www.ifctv.com ).