The is year’s Portable Film Festival went live on August 1, and offers ‘no queues, no tickets and no timetables’. The Melbourne-born festival celebrates new media and technology and is geared towards people who find it hard to go a day without their mobiles, MP3 players, laptops and the internet.

The young festival, now in its third year, was the brainchild of local duo Andrew Apostola and Simon Goodrich. Inspiration struck one afternoon, shortly after the release of the video capable iPod, which initially led the guys to take to the streets with a “travelling film cart”. Wandering around the footpaths of Melbourne, they encouraged passersby to plug in their portable media and download films. With a desire to democratise film viewing and a global mindset, the two go-getters founded the Portable Film Festival website in 2006.

During August film lovers are able to visit the site to programme their own personal film festival from the 150 pieces that will be available to download and watch free of charge. The idea is to conduct your own screening when you want it, where you want it. There is no official screening event day for the masses, though users are encouraged to set up mini festivals with friends in bizarre and creative places on August 3rd – Portable Screening Day. Last year screening parties took place in far flung locations such as on the top of a bridge in Portugal and in the middle of Mongolia.

Most of the films come from Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, but there are also gems from Russia and the Ukraine, with over 42 countries entering last year.

Among this year’s local entrants is Melbourne filmmaker Kasimir Burgess. He collaborated with Melbourne painter Julia Ciccarone on 67, a film about one woman’s journey with a curious and unusual burden. His second entry, Lone Rider, co-written and co-directed by Edwin McGill, is a short but humourous look at an independent filmmaker and the dramatic lengths he will go to to fulfil his dream.

While Lone Rider is far from autobiographical and Kasimir maintains that the Melbourne community is very supportive of independent films, he can empathise with the main character as there were times when he had to “beg, borrow or steal” to get his films made.

“The irony was that we were quite well funded and backed by the industry to make Lone Rider,” Kasimir says, as the pair’s previous film, Booth, won the best film at the Raindance Film Festival 06, giving them the opportunity to create Lone Rider as the trailer for the 2007 festival.

The trailer features a scene shot at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria, in which a man is shown scuba diving for loose change in the moat outside.

“I was actually our actor’s body double in the NGV scene,” Kasimir says, “and when I started scooping all the coins from the bottom of the pool, people walking by started going nuts.”

Despite being berated by strangers who mistook him for a curiously decked out penny pincher, Kasimir values the supportive and nurturing environment that Melbourne offers for independent filmmakers. While Sydney may be more commercially minded, he says, Melbourne’s arts community provides inspiring opportunities such as MIFF, the St Kilda Film Festival and of course, the Portable Film Festival.

“In Melbourne, you hear filmmakers saying ‘What short are you doing next? What script are you working on?” Kasimir says.

“In Sydney, they ask ‘What ad are you working on?’ In Melbourne it’s more about creating stories and getting them made.”

Kasimir believes the Portable Film Festival is a great way for people to have an intimate experience with the films, using new media to access them when and where they want. He welcomes the new audiences that the festival will bring.

“Film festivals such as Portable allow films to be tested, enjoyed, rejected, accepted and experienced by a wider audience,” he says.

Research coming out the UK suggests people are more comfortable with watching episodic material on their phones and other portable media. The film festival is pushing it one step further this year by including two new sections – one dedicated to feature films and the other for animation. The original four sections include Music Video, Short Film, Look at Me – featuring bedroom bloggers and the like – and First Hand Capture, examples of on-the-spot memorable media captured by mobile phones and digital cameras.

Program Director Al Cossar believes that utilising the growing trend of portable media will see the festival reach out to a larger audience, which is great news for fans and filmmakers alike.

“We want the festival to allow new audiences the chance to curate and create their own festivals,” he said. “It’s particularly great for regional centres, for people who traditionally can’t get to the big festivals.”

“We’re just adapting to the new and different ways that people are telling stories. Traditional forms of media are becoming secondary, people will have the TV on in the background while they surf the net. By embracing new media we can provide a festival for people on their own terms.”

Voting is open during August and winners will be announced in early September.

To download and vote for the films visit the Portable Film Festival website here.

The Chaser’s Age of Terror Variety Hour
Athenaeum Theatre

As a huge fan of The Chaser’s War on Everything, I was a bit reluctant to see the group live in the Age of Terror Variety Hour. Would their cheeky, smartarse antics translate well onto the stage? Would they still surprise me with material they had been using for weeks? Would it just be stand up comedy without frustrated politicians to ambush?

I have to admit, it did take me a while to warm up to the satirical quintet when I saw them at the Athenaeum Theatre, but that may have been from the fact I was sitting in a section tastefully called the ‘Upper Circle’ which I’d like to rename ‘the Attic’. It gave me a great view of the stage, albeit a birds-eye one.

After an introductory song and dance routine that seemed a little too rehearsed and a little too tired, the boys started to really fire up. One of the highlights was a segue competition, Anna Coren style. Chas Licciardello and Andrew Hansen proved just how clever and quick witted they were when, after asking for topics from the audience, they managed to link rising petrol prices to Pauline Hanson, and child porn offenders to gangland ex-wife Roberta Williams, in true Today Tonight fashion.

There was the expected Al Qaeda skit, which proved to be quite funny regardless of how many times you’ve seen Chas dressed up as Osama bin Laden. Craig Reucassel performed a toe-tapping country tune about incest, which stopped just short of crossing the line but still had audiences groaning in delighted disgust. Julian Morrow sang about his girlfriend Lara, the automated Vodafone voice operator – only a Chaser could make the seemingly innocent “hold one second while I put you through” sound so dirty. The pre-recorded message gained a round of belly laughs from the crowded theatre.

The performance was a mash up of singing, dancing and sketches as well as a few ‘here’s some we’ve prepared earlier’ segments. The large powerpoint screen that was a constant backdrop to the performance enhanced the show rather than distracted from it – Julian even devoted a section to singing the praises of the humble slide show application.

The sixty minute show was over all too quickly when the audience realised that standing patriotically for the national anthem had turned into a standing ovation as the boys farewelled us as the worst audience they had ever seen.

It was clever, quick-witted, politically incorrect and totally lapped up by fans who were left to wonder when they’ll be able to see their favourite satirical crew again.