North Bellarine Film Festival - David King advises of the 2019 program of Animation + Experimental + Avant Garde films screening at Portarlington on 17 November

Festival Poster (click to enlarge)

Thought-provoking and intriguing are the terms which best define the Animation + Experimental + Avant Garde film program this year.

Where last year's program presented a eye-popping array of animation and experimental films, this year's focus is on the avant garde. The difference? Experimental films can be purely abstract where avant garde films tend to have a narrative no matter how strange or unusual.

Whether it's the slow-burn weirdness of Chong Ming's A Room (Hong Kong, above)), the delightful romp of Jennida Chase's The Fawn (USA), the black and white mystery of Emanuele Dainotti's Santa Teresa (Italy), or the sci-fi eerieness of Kim Miles' Untitled (Australia), there will be something to tickle the mind.

Ion Cebotari's heart-felt tale of lost dreams, Otilia (France), leads the animation line-up while Ryan Thompson provides the mind-bending signature film IDENTITY (USA). Heather Frise and Mike Hoolboom combine animation with live action in The Bed and The Street (UK), and the maestro of 3D animation Murat Sayginer presents the jaw-dropping Grand Finale film A Safe Place (Turkey).

Experimental works include Bill Bennet's compelling road trip in XCTRY (USA), Sammy Sayed's cosmic Deeply Absurd Lucidity (Egypt), and Marie Craven's esoteric video poem Everything Sleeps But the Night (Australia, below).

Plus the brand new Blast From The Past section showcases Brian Jones' experimental Mandala (Australia/USA) from 1971 and Chris Windmill's avant garde comedy The Cuttock Heads (Australia) from 1990.

And these are just some of the 18 national and international films to screen in this year's program.

So keep Sunday 17 November free for the Animation + Experimental + Avant Garde program screening at the Portarlington Neighborhood House, Brown Street, Portarlington from 2 - 4pm.

Full program will be available at the door.

Click on this link to see the Festival trailer Animation + Experimental + Avant Garde NBFF trailer 2019