Port Neighbourhood House hosts historic film screening

A SMALL slice of history will take place this Sunday when the North Bellarine Film Festival screens a program of experimental and avantgarde films at Portarlington Neighbourhood House.

It believed to be the first time a program dedicated to experimental and avant-garde cinema will have been screened at a film festival outside of a capital city in Australia.

It will also be the only North Bellarine Film Festival program to screen outside Drysdale. Curated by Portarlington’s own international award-winning experimental filmmaker David King, the program will showcase 20 animation, experimental and avant-garde films from Australia and around the world.

King said he wanted to showcase as broad a range of films as possible to overturn people’s misconceptions about these genres.

“Quite simply, a huge range of work falls under these banners and most people have only seen maybe one or two examples,” he said.

International films range from the breathtaking animation of Murat Sayginer’s Dust and Paris Mavroidis’ Divers, to the toe-tapping swing of Stuart Pound’s Boogie Stomp Pink and the nightmarish black-and-white vision of Johnny Clyde’s Noctiflora.

Australian films include the mesmerising music video Author of the Accident by Adelaide’s Alison Chhorn, and The Sea, a Cubist reflection of the ocean by Gold Coast video poet Marie Craven.

King will also premiere his own latest experimental work, Lost in a Borgian Labyrinth, while Clifton Springs artist Tony Convey will open Pandora’s Box in The Box.

The program has drawn interest from filmmakers and film lovers from Melbourne, Adelaide and further afield, including those with films in the program.

“Port Phillip Ferries made this possible by offering half-price return tickets to filmmakers and film lovers coming from Melbourne,” King said.

“We also have Portarlington Neighbourhood House to thank for offering their excellent screening facilities.”

The program is on Sunday November 18 and will start at 2pm and finish at 4pm. Entry to the session is free.

City of Greater Geelong councillor Jim Mason will open the film festival during at a red-carpet reception at the Potato Shed in Drysdale on November 16 at 7pm.

For tickets to the festival visit a City of Greater Geelong Customer Service Centre or the Potato Shed Box Office.

Telephone sales are also available on 5251 1998.

Visit northbellarinefilmfestival.org for more information including session times for all films.