'Twilight' short films to release on Facebook

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Los Angeles: 'Twilight' author Stephenie Meyer and Lions Gate have announced plans to select five aspiring female directors to make short films based on the vampire romance saga that they will release on Facebook next year.

The short film series, called 'The Storytellers: New Creative Voices of 'The Twilight Saga'" has the backing of Women in Film, an organization devoted in part to ending a shortage of female directors, reportedly.

Actress Kristen Stewart, Meyer, Kate Winslet, Octavia Spencer, Julie Bowen, Catherine Hardwicke Cathy Schulman will select the winning shorts and mentor participants, Lions Gate said.

"We think Facebook is a great way for us to introduce the world of 'Twilight' to a whole new audience while re-energizing existing fans," Michael Burns, Lions Gate's vice chairman told the newspaper.

"This is the just the beginning ? a template, if you will. You can probably guess what might be coming next." Meyer indicated that the project was a way to bridge the gender gap in the industry.

"The female voice is something that has become more and more important to me as I've worked in the film industry," she said.