The Program

From August 1st – 31st, Portable Film Festival will present its biggest festival program yet of nearly 180 films, from over 800 submissions from 46 countries, across the festival categories of Short Film, Music Video, Look at Me, Get Animated, First Hand Capture, and Feature Film. From widescreen vistas to webcam confessionals, Portable will present the zeitgeist highlights and the under-the-radar prototypes of the big names and future talents of contemporary filmmaking, direct to your laptop, iPod, PSP or 3G mobile phone!

2009 highlights include Cam Christiansen’s I Have Seen the Future, previously featured at Sundance and Toronto International Film Festivals, winner of the Jury Award for Best Animated Film at Los Angeles International Film Festival, as well as Top 10 Canadian Film at Toronto International Film Festival and Canadian Music Awards Video of the Year; The Water, a directorial effort from Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, starring Cillian Murphy and Feist, which explores the complex and intimate dynamic between loved ones and loss; The Archive, Sean Dunne’s touching documentary portrait of a blind man with the world’s biggest record collection, straight from Sundance this year; John Evagora’s 296 Smith St, 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, and Joaquin Baldwin’s Sebastian’s Voodoo, the winner of Cannes Short Film Corner for 2009.

You’ll also be able to take in innovative music videos from the likes of Deerhoof, Royksopp, NASA, REM, Death Cab for Cutie, Animal Collective, Daedelus, Of Montreal, and many others; and the big (big) pictures continue at Portable 2009 as well, as we present a range of long form and full feature films for online viewing and download. Look out for G.J. Echternkamp’s feature documentary about trying to claw back the glory days of glamour and Grammys, Frank and Cindy, recognized via programming at the AFI’s prestigious Silverdocs festival. You’ll be able to take in all of these at the Portable Film Festival 2009, as well as many more stories and surprises…

The Showcases

And if that all sounds a little overwhelming, you might like to take in the Portable ‘Best of the Fest’ Series, screening the festival’s personal highlights, featured filmmakers and top flicks direct from the front page each day of August, or one of the special programs happening from the blog, where you’ll be able to take in themed showcases, such as Ones and Zeroes – Technology in Storytelling, Focus on Schlock, and Character Study – People in Profile, as well as getting the stories behind the stories with interviews and insight from the filmmakers themselves!

The Prizes

Portable Film Festival takes the pulse of storytelling across traditional cinema as well as contemporary new media, from the Red One to the Nokia N95, from a-list Hollywood stars to the new superstars of the blogosphere. All films will be battling it out across six categories for your fandom, and more importantly, your vote - competing for major prizes from Adobe, Tubemogul, Manage Your Film, Crumpler, Inktip, Siren Visual and more…

So, who exactly wants to pay 15 bucks to be herded with the masses into a darkened multiplex, only to spend two hours resisting the urge to neckpunch surly ushers and teenage nogoodniks? Don’t get in line; get online for the Portable Film Festival 2009, and get a film festival on your terms and on the go, as Australia’s most innovative film festival takes to the screens at www.portablefilmfestival.com for year four on August 1st!

The Line-Up

And while we’re counting down, let’s look at what’s in store for this year with the full festival program:

SHORT FILM (visit site)

From Russia to Redfern, Portable's flagship category presents incredible stories and documentaries from around the world.

296 Smith St – John Evagora, Australia
All I Want For Christmas – Yee Yeo Chang, USA/Singapore
Ambassador – Goran Stolevski, Australia
An Creatur – Peter Foott, Ireland
Animal Crackers – Russel Agro, UK
Arbeit Fur Alle (Full Employment) – Thomas Oberlies & Matthias Vogel, Germany
The Archive – Sean Dunne, USA
Betty Banned Sweets – Michelle Savill, New Zealand
Boob – Honest, USABullies – Vesna Cudic, UK
Cartoons – Giselle Llanio, Spain
Caught In A Loop – Sarah Crowest, Australia
Chain – Hyunmi Park, South Korea
Civilian – Seaton Lin, USA
Close Distance – Richard Vilensky, Australia
Coagulate – Grecu Mihai, France
Contained – Mark Wallaard & Tim Treurniert, The Netherlands
Don’t Panic – Luci Temple, Australia
Don’t Shoot – Lucilla Blankenberg, South Africa
E Finite La Commedia – Jean-Julien Collette & Oliver Tollet, Belgium
Ebbe – Arthur Oleszczuk, Germany
EcHo – Catharina Weyers, Belgium
FAL – Hans Van Nuffel, Belgium
Fullstop Hilltop – David Baeumler, USA
Hoor – Heroes Of Zeroes & Prickly Pear, Ireland
I Had A Dream I Went To Coney Island – Sherwin Akbarzadeh, Australia
Illegal – Andrew Oh, USA
Jeffrey And The Dinosaurs – Christopher Steger, UK
Lent Time – David Gonzalez, Spain
Multiple Choice – Michael Goode, Australia
My Shout – Julian Argus, Australia
The New Toy – Anton Beebe, Australia
Numurkah – Ryan Coonan, Australia
Octopus – Sam Bennetts, Australia
On The Line – Jon Garano, Spain/USA
One Year Down – Bill Gullo, USA
The Other Side – Robin Geradts-Gill, Australia
Photograph – Sarah Lambert, Australia
Prison Food – Uwe Flade, Germany
Stort – Joris Hoebe, The Netherlands
Two Times – Michalis Konstantatos, Greece
The Voices – Alexander Newton, USA
The Water – Kevin Drew & Anthony Seck, Canada
The Yellow Smiley Face (Fata Galbena) – Constantn Popescu, Romania

MUSIC VIDEO (visit site)

Big acts, better ideas; Music Video waxes literal about the art of rocking out.

A Thing For Me – Metronomy – Megaforce, France
Acute – Sugar Army – Richard Berney, Australia
All In My Head – Good Shoes – Saam Farahmand, UK
Ambitions – Donkeyboy – Kristofer Borgli, Norway
An Eluardian Existence – Of Montreal – Jessie Ewles, USA
Ankle Injury – Fujiya & Miyagi – Wade Shotter, UK
Apoptosis – Takafumi Tsuchiya, Japan
Autumn Story – Firekites – Lucinda Schreiber, Australia
Battlestar – Harmonic 313 – Matthew Taylor & Mark Simpson, Australia
Beguine (De Kift) – Douwe Dykstra, The Netherlands
The Blue Wraith – I, Monster – John Martin, Australia
The Boxing Lesson – Eric Power, USA
Breaktime – Gangpol & Mit – Gangpol & Mit, France
Bubblegum – Me Laneous And The Family Yah – Sarah-Jane Woulahan, Australia
Buck And Judy – Deerhoof – C Spencer Yeh, USA
Coconut Night – We Are Wolves – Jeremie Saindon, Canada
Comme A La Television – Omnikrom – Jeremie Saindon, Canada
Corporate Lady – Turbotronics – Dumb Bunny, USA
Don’t Cry – Olivia Broadfield – Kurt Nishimura, USA
Grapevine Fires – Death Cab For Cutie – Walter Robot, USA
Guilty – Assassins – Vincent Haycock & Tim Richardson, USA
Happy Up Here – Royksopp – Reuben Sutherland, UK
Hey – Eatliz – Guy Ben Shetrit, Israel
Hitchhiker’s Choice – Minilogue – Kristofer Strom, UK
Hobbies – La Descents Du Coude – David Valiquette, Canada
Hollow Man – REM – Gary Thomas & Stefan Woronko, USA
La Nocturn – Daedelus – Eli Stonberg, USA
Lone Gone – Fat City Reprise – Cesar Kuriyama, USA
The Lighthouse – ASTREETLIGHTSONG – Karolina Glusiec, Australia
The Lighthouse Song – Josh Pyke – Leigh Richards & Greedy Hen, Australia
Manifestations – Giles Timms – UK / USA
Mono No Aware – Hammock – David Altobelli, USA
More And More – Karoly Kormendi, Hungary
Mr Hurricane – Beast – Ben Steiger Levine, Canada
My Girls – Animal Collective – Chad Von Nau/Knowmore Productions, USA
Ohohooh – Nutmeg – Mathias Erixon, Sweden
Oneupdownleftright – Rusconi Music – Zweihundfilm, Norway
The People Tree – NASA – Syd Garon, USA
Rabbit Habits – Man Man – Lex Halaby, USA
Salty Eyes – The Matches – Michael Coleman, USA
Shiva – Austin TV – Alberto Cerriteno, Mexico
Sore Thumb – Fujiya & Miyagi – Wade Shotter, UK
The Sound - Human Highway – Oliver Groulx, Canada
Sparks Collide – Blamma Blamma – Christopher Hewitt, UK
Star Games – Jasmin Jodry, UK
Television – Catgut – Craig Bilham, UK
Tout Est Parfait – Numero – Jeremie Saindon, Canada
Watusii – Cortney Tidwell – Daniel Franke & Martin W. Maier, Germany
Way You Are – Kate Vigo – Kress Broekman-Dattner, Australia
We Got Time – Moray Mclaren – David Wilson, UK

GET ANIMATED (visit site)

Films that takes great ideas back onto the drawing board.

Ain’t Got No Body – Asa Lucander, UK
Arcade Trap – Adam Walker, Australia
Boris – Daniel Lundquist, USA
Bubble – Sehwang Heo, South Korea
The Children – Chia Yu Huang, Taiwan
Chris – Anja Kofmel, Switzerland
Don Senor E Home De Sono (Mr Don And Man’s Dream) – Juan Ignacio Abia Carrera, Spain
Dzien – Piotr Szczepanowicz, Poland
E1even Roses – Pedham Goshtasbpour, Canada/Hong Kong
The Flower Lion – Sehwang Heo, South Korea
Fouding Or Not Fouding – Youlia Rainous, Frnce
The Heart Of Amos Klein – Michal & Uri Kranot, Israel/France/Netherlands
History Of The Internet – Melih Bigil, Germany
The Hollow – Luis Torres, Mexico
Hot Dog – Bill Plympton, USA
Hot Town – Fabian Dores Pais, Belgium
I Have Seen The Future – Cam Christainsen, Canada
In Limbo – Michelle Ettlin, Switzerland
Iran: A Nation Of Bloggers – Aaron Chiesa, Canada
Legolibrium 2 – Keshum Matus, Australia
Little Big Love – Tomas Mankovsky, UK
The Lost Tribes Of New York City – Andy & Carolyn London, USA
Milk Teeth – Tibor Banoczki, UK
Ollo – Marc Hericher, France
Opinion Poem – Suzy Maier, USA
Rabbit Punch – Kristian Andrews, UK
Santa: The Fascist Years – Bill Plympton, USA
Satellite Car Chase – Honest, USA
Scoop Volante Cheriet Axelle, France
Sebastien’s Voodoo – Joaquin Baldwin, USA
Sheep On The Roof – Remy Schaepman, France
Sorry I’m Late – Tomas Mankovsky, UK
Stack ‘Em – Liam Newton, Australia
Star Games – Jasmin Jodry, UK
Subprime – Mike Winkelmann, USA
Taller Than Trees – Jospeh Mann, UK
This Is Not A Fly – Carlos Fraiha Nunes De Almeida Barbosa, UK/Brazil
The Turtle And The Shark – Ryan Woodward, USA
Twilight Circus – Pierre Migeot, France
Waltz Brilliant – Wei Ning, Australia
Wave Theory – Gokhan Okur, Turkey
The Werepig – Sam Orti, Spain

LOOK AT ME (visit site)

Web soapies to serial offenders, bedroom vloggers to the best of causes, Look At Me features the best of people taking their stories, causes and themselves online and to the masses!

4th Estate: This Is Where We Live – Ben Falk & Josiah Newbolt, UK
The Actor Diaries – Kate Van Devender, USA
Black Cab Sessions: Lykke Li – Joany Madderson, UK
Davey Dance Blog – David Fishel, USA
Don’t Let It All Unravel – Sarah Cox, UK
Duder – Katrina Whalen, USA
Face The Music – Ian Gouldstone, UK
Factoids And Slapstick – Doug Bayne, Australia
Flying Kebab – Matheus Siqueira, Brazil
Forlorn Gaze Part 1 - Sarah-Jane Woulahan, Australia
Forlorn Gaze Part 2 – Sarah-Jane Woulahan, Australia
The Great Derangement, Eric Merola, USA
The Inbetweens Of Holly Malone – Matthew G. Rashid, USA
Jumbo – Ismail Acar, Germany
Mario Meltdown – Eric Power, USA
Project Pedal – 64 Days – Michael Ambs, USA
Take Away Show: Fleet Foxes – Vincent Moon, France
True Hip Hop Stories: Homeless Em-Cee – D-Nice, USA

FIRST HAND CAPTURE (visit site)

Cell phone auteurs and on-the-spot eyewitness action - new technology and new ways of telling stories.

30 Days Of Shooting – Kirsten Lepore, USA
Balloon Project: NYC – Ira M Owen & Luca Antonucci, USA
Derive – Ricardo Greene, Chile
Garble Arch – A Day In The Life Of Abbey Rd – Pete Kilroy & Dan Brumm, UK/USA
Hibi No Neiro (Sour) - Masashi Kawamura + Hal Kirkland + Magico Nakamura, Japan
How High – Jonathan Rouslton, USA
Hugo – Paul Lovelace, USA
Inline – Andrew Kornylak, USA
Introducing Fortune Cookies To China – Jenny 8 Lee – USA/China
Memories De Um Celular – Leandro Martins & Marcio Soares, Brazil
Morocco Adventures (Pt 1) – Genevieve Bailey, Australia/Morocco
Polyethylene Bag – Alex Itin, USA
Rat On A Cat On A Dog – Heidi Petty, USA
Scenes From A Rooftop – Paul Johannessen, USA
Sharks Of Bora Bora – Angela Healy, USA/French Polynesia
Shh – Ben Slotover, UK
Steven’s Pass Tilt Shift – Blake Garner, USA
Still Moving – Theodore Tagholm, UK
Wrangling Ice – Christopher Prouse, Canada