[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 21 (Friday, February 17, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING MIKE POTTER FOR WINNING THE CELLFLIX FESTIVAL GRAND 
                                 PRIZE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 16, 2006

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a 
young constituent of mine who recently demonstrated his creativity and 
technological prowess on a very large stage. Mike Potter of Broomfield, 
Colorado, now a junior at Ithaca College, recently won the Grand Prize 
in the ``Cellflix Festival,'' a prize that included $5,000 and a 
tremendous amount of respect for individual ingenuity and creativity.
  The ``Cellflix Festival'' is a competition that asks participants to 
submit a short film shot entirely on a cellular telephone camera. 
Within these constraints, Mike Potter submitted a film called Cheat, a 
charming and short exhibition that celebrates his grandparent's loving 
relationship. In it, Mike's grandfather quizzes his grandmother on 
newspaper headlines, offering her a kiss as a prize for each time she 
correctly guesses whether a headline is true or false. Sometimes, 
Mike's grandfather confesses at the end, he cheats. Described by one 
contest judge as ``contagious,'' Mike Potter's creative short shows how 
much can be accomplished artistically with a limited medium, and one in 
which most of us are only vaguely aware.
  I don't know about all my colleagues, but I have only barely mastered 
the use of a blackberry and my cell phone is still just a convenient 
technology for communicating. It never occurred to me until I saw the 
story about Mike Potter that the device I take for granted could be 
used as a means of artistic expression.
  What's really intriguing about Mike's work is that it shows how young 
people, better versed in the ways of technology than any previous 
generation, may be blazing new trails of innovation and creative 
expression that will have implications for our economy and the 
entertainment industry.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mike Potter on his 
recent award and in wishing him well in his future endeavors. I 
certainly look forward to seeing what else he can produce, and I am 
proud to represent such a creative young person in Congress.

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