Film Director Joins Communication Faculty

Kyle Portbury gives directions to actors on the set of “Tell the World,” the film about the beginnings of the Adventist Church, which will be aired at this summer’s GC sessions in San Antonio.

Southwestern Adventist University enthusiastically welcomes Australian film director Kyle Portbury as its new associate professor of communication. His strong background in film production, directing, writing and acting will help Portbury contribute greatly to the communication department program at Southwestern.

A graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design at the University of the Arts London with a master’s degree in performance, Portbury has developed a strong reputation among his peers. He has directed several projects that have gone on to win many awards.

For the past five years, Portbury has served as creative director (Film & TV) for the Adventist Media Network in Australia. It was here that he directed and co-wrote the series, “Beyond the Search,” a television documentary that aimed to resolve viewer’s questions about issues like pain, belief, and the state of the dead. The series won 15 international awards, as well as being officially selected in the United Nations Global Wake Up film festival.

More recently Portbury has worked on a project titled, “Tell the World,” a film that aims to tell the story of the Adventist pioneers who saw their world turned upside down by the Great Disappointment of 1844 and how they turned their tragedy into a new flame for their Lord.

Portbury has also directed the documentary “The Mountain Within” that followed seven disabled climbers up the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This documentary was released in cinemas to coincide with the 2009 Special Olympics in Leicester, England.

“We are very excited about Kyle joining us in the communication department,” says Mike Agee, department chair. “Not only does he bring a wealth of real world experience in filmmaking to the department, he has already built a quick bond and rapport with our students.”

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