In-flight movies are now as much a part of the flying experience as airplane food. But I remember the first time I boarded a flight with a personal seatback screen - it felt almost as good as a night at the Odeon, for novelty factor if nothing else.

If we have films in the sky, why not film festivals? The National Film and Television School has teamed up with Virgin Atlantic and over the next four months, passengers will be able to watch and vote on 14 short films while they jet through the clouds.

The shorts will showcase new film-making talent and a shortlist of six films will be shown onboard for a further three months. During this time the six finalists will be assessed by a panel of judges and a winner and two runners-up will be chosen to have their films screened onboard for a further three months. The winner bags some plane tickets and gets their next film shown onboard to a potential audience of 5 million passengers.

Nik Powell, Director of the NFTS, called it "an inspired way to bring new filmmakers and their future audience together", saying: "It's often hard for new filmmaking talent to get in front of the public - or for the public to get to see the film and TV makers of tomorrow before they become "names".

Cannes it isn't, but could this be a valid way of showcasing new talent, or is it just another clever publicity gimmick?