DOHA: Delegates at the recently concluded Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) said the advances in technology which includes the Internet, have created an unprecedented revolution in the film industry, changing the way key players in the industry approach film production and distribution and the way audiences view films.

“It’s just amazing how small the world has become because of the advance in technology. The Internet now offers many choices for advertisers and marketing specialists to reach audiences around the world,” said Ken Kamins, Executive Producer of Key Creatives behind successful productions of films such as Valkyrie and District 9, adding Internet has made filmmaking easier compared a decade ago.

Advancement in technology in which Internet is a major player has aided in the cinema industry’s continued expansion in a fast-paced mode.

“Movie production nowadays need not be expensive with new technology. There have been movies produced with budgets of less than $20,000 which made it big in Hollywood,” said Lynette Howell, Producer of Silverwood Films.

Howell, who have been into independent film-making, said that film-makers should only have a good story to tell to start.

Around the world, there had been an increased interest in indie film-making and the Arab World is not an exception with a new wave of Arab filmmakers joining the in Arab cinema’s renaissance.

One of them was Young Lebanese filmmaker Ched Zeneddine who said Internet has played a major role in creating a bridge between East and West, demolishing barriers set by differences.

“Now identity is not anymore a problem. As long as film has a universal theme and told in a universal language that can reach people, affecting them profoundly, the film becomes a triumph,” said Zeneddine.

US-based Jordanian filmmaker Amin Matalqa related a short film he posted on YouTube which created some noise, soliciting a lot of reactions from varied audiences prompting him to do a sequel.

“Internet is so powerful. It took me just three hours to make the movie, but the reactions were overwhelming,” Matalqa said.

Mohammed Hubrack, a 16-year-old member of Qatar’s World Schools Debating Team, responding to a query during a Doha Talks debate said he prefers YouTube over theatrical movies since films in YouTube are independent movies in which people can relate more since they capture the reality of human experience.