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Micro-movie wins Judges' hearts

A 60 second movie, filmed entirely on a mobile phone, has scooped the pool at the Sydney Film Festival ‘Telstra MobileMovie Awards’ in late June.

The film was crafted using only ‘found words’ filmed from Gosford CBD signage. The graphical tapestry revealed a story of desperation as the city’s business district struggles to keep retailers from fleeing to the bigger shopping complexes – yet also unfolds a message of hope by asking viewers to bring people back into Gosford’s heart in a kind of geographical resuscitation.

Created by Central Coast film maker Jason van Genderen, ‘My Town is broken’ received a rousing applause at it’s screening in front of a packed house at Sydney’s State Theatre as part of the Sydney Film Festival’s closing night celebrations.

Telstra Group Managing Director, Dr Phil Burgess, handed Jason a trophy and prize package; a trip for two to Canada including Toronto Film Festival passes, a Nokia N95 mobile phone plus industry memberships worth $15,000 in total.

“To be honest I really expected a comedy to win” Jason commented. “For a 60 second drama to take the top gong was a great personal milestone, and also a great stage for drawing attention to Gosford’s need for rejuvenation. It goes to show that even without flashy camera gear (in this case just a mobile phone) story is king.”

The three time ‘Shoot Out Film Festival’ winner certainly isn’t resting on his laurels. After directing last year’s controversial political documentary ‘Lockout’ (shedding light on the bloody Rothbury Mine riots in 1929), van Genderen has already commenced production of a new feature documentary aimed at casting a global eye on the struggles of the Tasmanian Devil.

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