Portable Film Festival 2007 Winners

Well folks, it was fast, competitive, gruelling and not without its dirty tricks and truly humbling moments. But the 2007 Portable Film Festival competition has drawn to a close and a handful of victors have emerged from the mass of online hopefuls.

Top Hoppers

Like drunk red-neck parents that name their children after one night stands and obscure brands of tequila only found south of the border, we too named our gong of gongs in such a fashion and promptly forgot where the inspiration came from. It could have been Denis Hopper's cameo on Entourage a little while back, but more likely it was an inspiring piece of Russian technology that really set our minds on fire and made it all happen. We'll never know and we're not losing sleep over it.

All historical amnesia aside, the Hoppers have become the Portable Film Festival's grand accolade to its most talented film and video producers. There's something to be said for those who are brave enough to put their work online for the whole world to see and critique.

The following winners deserve our respect and applause for putting it all on the line and extending their careers that little bit further.

Hopper Award - Look At Me

Lo Fi St. Louis by Bill Streeter, United States

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Bill Streeter's weekly foray into St Louis underground culture has awarded him this year's Look At Me Hopper Award. Handicapped by a range of problems at the start of the festival brought on by Nikkho, the Portable Film Festival video engine, Bill's patented online serial surged ahead in the final weeks of the festival competition to pick up the inaugural Hopper.

Congratulations Bill, we've got an Adobe Creative Suit Collection and a hundred dollar Threadless voucher cushioned within a Crumpler bag sitting in the Portable headquarters with your name on it.

Hopper Award - Music Video

Young Girls Hearts by Wess Von Hooton, Australia

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This year's Music Video Hopper has been claimed by Wess Von Hooton's video clip for "Young Girls Hearts" by The Wilderness. Wess' excellent cinematography and measured timing conveys the age old tale of date raping drunk chicks at terrace house parties with visceral finesse. It has picked him up a brand new Crumpler bag, a hundred bucks for a new Threadless wardrobe and a free AFTRS production course. See you at our Portable Film Festival party in Sydney next month Wess - bring your camera, not your Roofies.

Hopper Award - Media Acheiver

Amnesty International, UK

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Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. Now, they are also the winner of the 2007 Portable Film Festival Media Achiever Hopper. Amnesty's short animation piece receives kudos from the Portable Film Festival and the Crumpler-Threadless combo. Well done.

Hopper Award - First Hand Capture

India Railway Tour, Sherwin Akbarzadeh, Australia

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When the First Hand Capture category was first conceived we were unsure as to how it would really go. There's just so much crap that people capture on their mobile phones and digital video cameras that we thought the category could quickly turn into a mini YouTube filled with cats falling into toilet bowls and beauty contest winners expounding their thoughts on US foreign policy. But we went with it anyway and we received reels of well-filmed scenes from around the world.

The winner of the 2007 First Hand Capture Hopper is Sherwin Akbarzadeh for his film India Railway Tour. His film captured a train ride through India with all the typical "creature comforts" you'd expect from spending a day in a crowded cabin.

Sherwin picks up a round the world trip courtesy of STA Travel, a production workshop delivered by Current TV in San Francisco, a Crumpler bag and a $100 Threadless voucher.

But that's not all - Sherwin also receives a bonus prize. After coming into the Portable Office last week to hear the good news, we all liked him so much that we've offered him a job here as well, which he starts this week. All that from capturing a bit of footage on a portable camera? Not bad at all.

Hopper - 1985 Award

T.O.M. by Tom Brown, UK

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Growing up having to listen to baby boomers crap on about how hard life was when free education, clean air and full employment were all reeking havoc on their generation, we've decided to make the world a better place by completely excluding those shit heads from an award category within the Portable Film Festival. The 1985 Hopper Award goes to the most popular video created by a filmmaker born on or after 1985. This year, the inaugural 1985 Award goes to Tom Brown from the UK for his film T.O.M. His beautifully crafted animation has picked him up a free Crumpler bag

Inaugural Grand Hopper

The Trainee by Craig Rosenthal, Singapore

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This year's Grand Hopper for short film is awarded to Craig Rosenthal for his short film The Trainee. A young man's thwarted attempt to rob a local grocery store is brought to life by Craig's excellent writing, comic timing and well executed cinematography. Congratulations Craig, we're sending Simon Goodrich, the Portable Film Festival's CEO, to Singapore next week with an Adobe Creative Suite package, Crumpler bag and Threadless vouchers just for you.