Cell, origin Old English, from Old French celle or Latin cella meaning ‘storeroom or chamber.’

We often lock ourselves up in our cell phones. Earlier this evening after going for a solo run I was walking to the neighborhood taqueria when I bumped into a friend and neighbor. We both had our headphones on, plugged into our cell phones, lost in our separate worlds. It took a couple seconds to readjust, to get back to the real world, the ‘hood.

But here is a video that has been making the rounds lately which shows how cell phones can also inspire creativity and connectedness.

The film, shot entirely on a cell phone by Australian Jason Van Genderen, won the $20,000 top prize at Tropfest NY. Even better, Tropfest inspired thousands of New Yorkers to put down their laptops and watch the films together. You can see other submissions – almost all of them professionally produced – on the Tropfest YouTube Page.