This list features many of the best film festivals for young people and emerging filmmakers in Australia.
Film festivals are an important part of the film industry ecosystem, showcasing diverse and fresh content that cannot be easily accessed elsewhere, building a community of film-lovers and supporting their local film industry. They often feature interesting industry development activities (talent labs, panel discussions, masterclasses etc) and networking opportunities, where key relationships can be formed. They are an excellent platform for launching a career in film, providing marketing opportunities and potential distribution deals, and highly engaged audiences.
If you are looking to submit your film to any of the below festivals, please note this list is not exhaustive, and timings and prices are indicative. We highly recommended you visit each festival’s own website and submissions pages directly for details and any special entry requirements.
It is also helpful to visit sites such as FilmFreeway.com and Festhome.com and filter by relevant categories to your content such as genre, length, or even cultural and diversity considerations. There are also many international film festivals listed on these sites that have strands specifically for student or emerging filmmakers, and many that offer free submission for those categories.
Some general advice:
- Be sure to research festivals prior to submitting to them, to see if their previous programming includes films that are similar to yours in tone, genre and length, and how many films are programmed. Some of the largest international festivals don’t program many short films, while others only showcase shorts or have a specific genre they are seeking.
- Some festivals also require a certain premiere status, for example their festival must be the first time the film is screened to the public (world premiere) or the first time it has screened outside of its own home country (international premiere). A strong film may have the premiere status waived if the programming team really want it in the festival.
- You will increase your chances of selection if you can leverage any connections you might have to the festival, such as ties to its geographical location, connections to previous films or filmmakers showcased, or relationships with the programming team.
- Additional materials requested by festivals at submission stage or shortly after might include a selection of high quality film stills, poster, press kit and short trailer, to help market the film. Ideally you should have these materials ready to go ahead of your submission.