Portable Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Portable Film Festival is an online channel and film festival
offering audiences the chance to download an entire curated international film and video program for free to a portable device, such as an iPod
, Sony PSP, 3G
capable mobile phone
or laptop
. The festival works to liberate the filmmaking and film viewing process, making story accessible to everyone regardless of their experience, location, or technical proficiency. As a cultural movement, the festival represents the growing democratization of filmmaking and viewing processes across the world.
In 2009 the festival has moved into a channel format, presenting new work as well as film and video culture on a daily basis. As of September 2009, the festival have tripled in size. It now has over 15,000 registered members and 50,000 unique visitors per month.
The festival channel features new work as well as film and video culture each day of the year. Each August, the Portable Film Festival hosts it annual competition, which features a curated selection of film and video culture. An international call for entries is open annually between March and June for both professional and amateur filmmakers.
, Australia
, the first Portable Film Festival was launched online in September, 2006. It featured 67 pieces of content from over 250 submissions. Melbournians Andrew Apostola, 30, and Simon Goodrich, 28, founded the festival to explore the art of portable filmmaking and viewing. Apostola and Goodrich were already at the time directors of Portable, a digital studio that is interested in creating projects that merge digital and real world experiences.
One of the films featured in the 2006 festival included Hungarian
director's Geza M Geza and Eva M Toth's short, Maestro, that went on to garner a nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 79th Academy Awards
.
The second festival commenced on August 1, 2007, and included 150 international entries in five categories in 2007. Samuel Tourneux's entry, Even Pigeons Go To Heaven
, went on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 80th Academy Awards. Singapore director Craig Rosenthal's entry The Trainee, premiered at the festival, picking up the "Grand Hopper" for best short film, subsequently going on to be showcased internationally at the New York City Shorts Festival, the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, the Cape Town World Cinema Festival and Cinemanila.
In its third year the 2008 Portable Film Festival showcased over 160 films from 39 different countries, chosen from nearly 550 submissions. Now, with the addition of the Feature Film category, the festivals drawing power expanded.
In 2009 the festival featured over 180 films.
Some notable inclusions were:
The Music Video program includes content from major indie acts such as: TV on the Radio, J Dilla, Gnarls Barkley, Goldfrapp, Modest Mouse, Okkervil River, Deerhoof, Yeasayer, Jamie Lidell, Bomb the Bass, The New Pornographers and Kimya Dawson
New in 2008 was the inclusion of feature films in the program
and Apple. There are seven major prizes for the 2009 Portable Film Festival, including prizes for each of the six categories, decided by audience voting, as well as an overall festival winner, decided by Portable Film Festival themselves.
Each August, the Portable Film Festival hosts its annual competition which features a cross section of film and video culture from around the world. An international call for entries is open between January and May for both professional and amateur filmmakers.
The 2009 Portable Film Festival competition program is available at portablefilmfestival.com from August 1, with films being available for anyone to download and watch anywhere, anytime. Users can take a tour through the submission categories, or pick and choose their own specially tailored program of films from what’s on offer. They have complete control to create a tailored festival experience.
|
Portable will also feature innovative music videos from the likes of Deerhoof,
Royksopp, NASA, REM, Death Cab for Cutie, Animal Collective,
Daedelus, Of Montreal, and many others.
media practitioners to the Australian and Asia Pacific creative communities.
In an intimate and open conversation, these events promote innovation, risk
taking and dialogue between creative communities throughout the region.
Touring all major cities of Australia, as well as Singapore
and New Zealand
,
the Portable Symposium Series attracts an audience of technology minded
professionals, filmmakers and creative industry practitioners interested in trends
and innovation in online video and content.
The festival has toured a range of notable speakers including Miles Beckett,
creator of lonelygirl15
and Ezra Cooperstein, VP of user-Generated Content
from Al Gore
’s Current TV
network.
The next series coincides with the launch of the festival program in August
and will feature Andrew Baron
, creator and producer of Rocketboom
.
and the Portable Film Festival, Inspired Media is a monthly industry event held in Melbourne
, Australia
that showcases the most prolific and innovative professionals working in the creative industries. Featuring speakers from film, advertising, online and mobile industries, Inspired Media provides a space for discussion, collaboration and networking
.
Throughout a tailored two-day workshop, filmmakers, writers and producers have the chance to create an original online video serial that is distributed through the Portable Film Festival and its broadcast partners around the world.
the world in a series of personal screening parties. Held in August every
year to celebrate the launch of the annual Portable Film Festival competition, select
users of portablefilmfestival.com from all around the world are provided by the Festival
with a pack of materials to create their own portable party. In 2007, 20 parties were held by portable users around the world in locations as diverse as Mongolia
, Colorado
, London
, the Northern Territory
, Melbourne
and Double Bay. In 2008, over 100 parties are planned in
locations all over the world.
Finalist's films were shown in Federation Square, Melbourne, during July 15 – 25, on rotation on the big screen several times each day. A regional screening at LaTrobe University Visual Arts Centre, Bendigo, was also held, featuring selected highlights from the program.
The judges for the competition were Ewan McEoin, Artistic Director of the State of Design Festival, and respected Melbourne designer Jeremy Wortsman. They awarded the grand prize to Apoptosis by Takafumi Tsuchiya.
Apoptosis will also feature through on the hugely influential Cool Hunting design and culture blog, which attracts 250,000 readers on its daily feed.
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
offering audiences the chance to download an entire curated international film and video program for free to a portable device, such as an iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, Sony PSP, 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
capable mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
or laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
. The festival works to liberate the filmmaking and film viewing process, making story accessible to everyone regardless of their experience, location, or technical proficiency. As a cultural movement, the festival represents the growing democratization of filmmaking and viewing processes across the world.
In 2009 the festival has moved into a channel format, presenting new work as well as film and video culture on a daily basis. As of September 2009, the festival have tripled in size. It now has over 15,000 registered members and 50,000 unique visitors per month.
The festival channel features new work as well as film and video culture each day of the year. Each August, the Portable Film Festival hosts it annual competition, which features a curated selection of film and video culture. An international call for entries is open annually between March and June for both professional and amateur filmmakers.
History
Based in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the first Portable Film Festival was launched online in September, 2006. It featured 67 pieces of content from over 250 submissions. Melbournians Andrew Apostola, 30, and Simon Goodrich, 28, founded the festival to explore the art of portable filmmaking and viewing. Apostola and Goodrich were already at the time directors of Portable, a digital studio that is interested in creating projects that merge digital and real world experiences.
One of the films featured in the 2006 festival included Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
director's Geza M Geza and Eva M Toth's short, Maestro, that went on to garner a nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 79th Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
.
The second festival commenced on August 1, 2007, and included 150 international entries in five categories in 2007. Samuel Tourneux's entry, Even Pigeons Go To Heaven
Even Pigeons Go To Heaven
Even Pigeons Go To Heaven is a short film directed by Samuel Tourneux and released in 2007. It was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for best animated short film.-Plot:...
, went on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 80th Academy Awards. Singapore director Craig Rosenthal's entry The Trainee, premiered at the festival, picking up the "Grand Hopper" for best short film, subsequently going on to be showcased internationally at the New York City Shorts Festival, the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, the Cape Town World Cinema Festival and Cinemanila.
In its third year the 2008 Portable Film Festival showcased over 160 films from 39 different countries, chosen from nearly 550 submissions. Now, with the addition of the Feature Film category, the festivals drawing power expanded.
In 2009 the festival featured over 180 films.
Some notable inclusions were:
- Fog, chosen for International Critic’s Week at Cannes. Also screened at New Zealand International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and Stockholm International Film Festival
- Kodiak, Nomination for Best Emerging Director, Vancouver International Film Festival.
- My Name is Lisa, Best Short Film, YouTube Awards 2008, Carte Blanche Selection, Short Film Corner and Cannes
- Amnesty International – David Hicks, Marc Fumie received the Young Director’s Award at Cannes
- It Could Happen To You, An outcome of the talent camp at this year’s Berlin Film Festival
- My Brown Friend, Programmed at London International Film Festival
- Death by Scrabble, Programmed at over 25 international film festivals, winning a runner up award at the Royal Television Awards (UK)
The Music Video program includes content from major indie acts such as: TV on the Radio, J Dilla, Gnarls Barkley, Goldfrapp, Modest Mouse, Okkervil River, Deerhoof, Yeasayer, Jamie Lidell, Bomb the Bass, The New Pornographers and Kimya Dawson
Categories
Content is currently divided into six categories;- Short Film
- Music Video
- Get Animated
- Look At Me (online webisodes/video blogging),
- First Hand Capture (captured footage from mobile phones and digital cameras)
- Feature Film
New in 2008 was the inclusion of feature films in the program
Competition
All Portable Film Festival awards are decided by user ratings. Major prizes are supplied by AdobeAdobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
and Apple. There are seven major prizes for the 2009 Portable Film Festival, including prizes for each of the six categories, decided by audience voting, as well as an overall festival winner, decided by Portable Film Festival themselves.
Each August, the Portable Film Festival hosts its annual competition which features a cross section of film and video culture from around the world. An international call for entries is open between January and May for both professional and amateur filmmakers.
The 2009 Portable Film Festival competition program is available at portablefilmfestival.com from August 1, with films being available for anyone to download and watch anywhere, anytime. Users can take a tour through the submission categories, or pick and choose their own specially tailored program of films from what’s on offer. They have complete control to create a tailored festival experience.
2007 winners
| Award | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Look At Me | Lo Fi St. Louis | Bill Streeter (USA) |
| Music Video | Young Girls Hearts | Wess Von Hooton (Australia) |
| Media Achiever | Amnesty International Amnesty International Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's... |
UK |
| First Hand Capture | India Railway Tour | Sherwin Akbarzadeh (Australia) |
| 1985 Award | T.O.M. | Tom Brown Tom Brown Tom Brown may refer to:In sports:*Tom Brown , 19th-century baseball player and manager*Tom Brown , former NFL player and MLB outfielder/first baseman... (UK) |
| Grand Hopper | The Trainee | Craig Rosenthal (Singapore) |
2008 winners
| Award | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Short Film | To Fly or Fall | Kathi Prosser (Canada) |
| Get Animated | The Butcher and the Wolf | Diego Mauricio Alvarez (Colombia) |
| Music Video | What Colour? - The Crowd | Joshua Sokolowski (Australia) |
| Look at Me | Imaginary Bitches, Episode 1 | Andrew Miller Andrew Miller -Sports:* Andrew Miller , pitcher for the Boston Red Sox* Andrew Miller , cricketer for Oxford University and Middlesex* Andrew Miller , Canadian professional ice hockey player... (USA) |
| First Hand Capture | The Coast | Marty O'Hare (Australia) |
| Feature | Emperor | Juliane Block (Malaysia) |
| Portable Choice Award | Kodiak | Andrew MacLeod Andrew MacLeod Andrew MacLeod is the CEO of the Committee for Melbourne, Foundation Chair of the United Nations Global Compact Principles for Social Investment and a member of the United Nations Expert Group on Responsible Business and Investment in High-Risk Areas... (Canada) |
|
2009 Festival
Now in its fourth year, the 2009 Portable Film Festival is showcasing over 170 films from 46 different countries, chosen from nearly 800 submissions. The program will be launched on August 1, 2009 and the voting will close at midnight on August 31. Categories this year are Music Video, Look at Me, Get Animated, First Hand Capture and Feature Film.Notable Inclusions
- I Have Seen the Future- Cam Christansen: previously featured at SundanceSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
s, winner of the Jury Award for best Animated Film at Los Angele International Film Festival as well as in the Top 10. - The Water- Kevin Drew: A Broken Social Scene, starring Cillian Murphy and Feist, which explores the complex and intimate dynamic between loved ones and loss.
- The Archive- Sean Dunne: A touching documentary portrait of a blind man with the world’s biggest record collection, straight from SundanceSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
this year. - 296 Smith St- John Evagora: One of the most acclaimed Australian short films of recent times, and the winner of major awards at Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals.
- Renowned cult animator and Oscar nominee Bill Plympton’s madcap Hot Dog.
- Voodoo"- Joaquin Baldwin: the winner of Cannes Short Film Corner 2009.
Portable will also feature innovative music videos from the likes of Deerhoof,
Royksopp, NASA, REM, Death Cab for Cutie, Animal Collective,
Daedelus, Of Montreal, and many others.
Symposium
The Portable Symposium Series brings ground-breaking international crossmedia practitioners to the Australian and Asia Pacific creative communities.
In an intimate and open conversation, these events promote innovation, risk
taking and dialogue between creative communities throughout the region.
Touring all major cities of Australia, as well as Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
,
the Portable Symposium Series attracts an audience of technology minded
professionals, filmmakers and creative industry practitioners interested in trends
and innovation in online video and content.
The festival has toured a range of notable speakers including Miles Beckett,
creator of lonelygirl15
Lonelygirl15
lonelygirl15 was an interactive web-based video series which began in June 2006 and ran through to August 1, 2008. Developed under the working title The Children of Anchor Cove, the show gained worldwide media attention when it was outed as fictional in September 2006.-Overview:lonelygirl15...
and Ezra Cooperstein, VP of user-Generated Content
from Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
’s Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
network.
The next series coincides with the launch of the festival program in August
and will feature Andrew Baron
Andrew Baron
Andrew Michael Baron is the creator of Rocketboom, Know Your Meme and the video aggregator site, Magma. Baron holds a BA in Philosophy from Bates College and an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design. Baron has taught undergraduate and graduate classes at Parsons and was...
, creator and producer of Rocketboom
Rocketboom
Rocketboom is a daily vlog produced by Andrew Baron that was most recently hosted by Meme Molly until August 25, 2011. Joanne Colan hosted from July 12, 2006 until April 17, 2009. In the intervening time between Colan and Molly, Caitlin Hill hosted a few episodes in April 2009...
.
Inspired Media
Presented by AdobeAdobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
and the Portable Film Festival, Inspired Media is a monthly industry event held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
that showcases the most prolific and innovative professionals working in the creative industries. Featuring speakers from film, advertising, online and mobile industries, Inspired Media provides a space for discussion, collaboration and networking
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
.
Portable Screen Academy
The Portable Screen Academy is a rare opportunity for emerging filmmakers to work alongside recognised industry professionals in an intensive ideas-inspired lab environment.Throughout a tailored two-day workshop, filmmakers, writers and producers have the chance to create an original online video serial that is distributed through the Portable Film Festival and its broadcast partners around the world.
Portable Screening Day
The Portable Screening day brings together audiences across Australia and aroundthe world in a series of personal screening parties. Held in August every
year to celebrate the launch of the annual Portable Film Festival competition, select
users of portablefilmfestival.com from all around the world are provided by the Festival
with a pack of materials to create their own portable party. In 2007, 20 parties were held by portable users around the world in locations as diverse as Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Double Bay. In 2008, over 100 parties are planned in
locations all over the world.
Wide World Encoutners
Partnering up with Lonely Planet, the Portable Film Festival accepted entries from far and wide about places even further and wider! A call for entries was made for films that captured the personality of a place and showed why the film-makers had a special connection for them. Journey as Destination by Dave Achtemichuk took out the grand prize of US$1000 and $100 worth of Lonely Planet books.Film the Future
As a part of the Victoria State of Design Festival 2009, Portable Film Festival held a film the future competition. Budding film makers were challenged to make films that delve deep into the filmmaking crystal ball, past the retro futurist calculator watches, digital speedometers and inevitable Tron remakes to the pure illustrative essence of future times, as a part of the Festival's theme, Sampling the Future.Finalist's films were shown in Federation Square, Melbourne, during July 15 – 25, on rotation on the big screen several times each day. A regional screening at LaTrobe University Visual Arts Centre, Bendigo, was also held, featuring selected highlights from the program.
The judges for the competition were Ewan McEoin, Artistic Director of the State of Design Festival, and respected Melbourne designer Jeremy Wortsman. They awarded the grand prize to Apoptosis by Takafumi Tsuchiya.
Apoptosis will also feature through on the hugely influential Cool Hunting design and culture blog, which attracts 250,000 readers on its daily feed.