Central Coast filmmaker Jason van Genderen will fly to New York this week after being chosen as one of 15 finalists in the Moment Invitational Film Festival.
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This global smartphone film festival has attracted almost 1000 entries from all over the world, largely due to the $100,000 prize pool.
Entrants had to make a short film (on a smartphone) that was three minutes or shorter, and would fit within one of five nominated categories: Documentary, Narrative, How To, Experimental, or Travel.
Festival organisers selected three finalists for each category. The local's film was selected for the Documentary section.
His very personal film, entitled Beholder, is about his late father's forgotten artwork. The film is not only a testament to his dad but a representation of the work that can be created using an iPhone.
The short film was made in under a week and cost less than $90.
"People are still in disbelief with what's possible filming on their smartphones," van Genderen said.
"What we're experiencing is a golden age in storytelling. Never before in our living history have we had more cameras in the world, and more people able to tell their story without spending hundreds of thousands doing it.
"The Moment Invitational is proof that incredibly talented storytellers can make movies with the most rudimentary tools."
This self-taught filmmaker also runs a local agency called Treehouse Creative, which recently became Australia's first video production studio to switch entirely to iPhones as their broadcast-capture cameras.
Never before in history have we had more cameras in the world, and more people able to tell their story without spending hundreds of thousands.
- - Jason van Genderen
No stranger to agitating the storytelling space, van Genderen's first international festival win was also in New York.
In 2008, he won Tropfest NY with a film captured on a Nokia N95.
He's also enjoyed screenings and awards at Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs, San Francisco Short Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Sundance London.
The winners of the Moment Invitational will be announced this Saturday.
