Reel money at next year’s Sydney Film Festival
Image: The beautiful State Theatre, Sydney. Image: supplied
By EVIE MCLOUGHLIN
The 70th Sydney Film Festival will take place in June 2023 and it will have the largest prize pool in the festival’s history. Entries are now open for filmmakers to submit for all categories.
For 70 years, the Sydney Film Festival has presented a diverse range of short films, features, and documentaries at venues across Sydney. The Sydney Film Festival remains the oldest short film competition in Australia, and the increase of prize money for short films and documentaries aims to attract emerging Australian film talent, directors, producers, and actors.
The Sydney Film Festival takes place at the State Theatre as well as cinemas throughout the CBD, Newtown, Cremorne, Randwick, and Western Sydney. Out of the thousands of entries, 12 films are selected for the official competition and go in the running for massive cash prizes.Judges are looking for films that are “audacious, cutting-edge and courageous”.
In combination with the increased prize pool, winners of the Australian short films and the Documentary Australia Award are eligible to submit entries into the Oscars since these competitions are recognised under the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a combination of categories. The opportunities for emerging Australians in The Sydney Film Festival are extensive.
The focus of the Sydney Film Festival’s 70th birthday milestone is the encouragement towards documentary submissions. With the support of Documentary Australia, The Sydney Film Festival have had the opportunity to double their prize money from $10,000 to $20,000 for Best Australian Documentary. Mitzi Goldman, the CEO at Documentary Australia explains:
“By doubling the prize money we hope to send the message that documentary is of great value to our culture and society in so many ways. We have enormous respect for the filmmakers who often struggle over many years to get these important stories told and seen – stories and voices that are too often overlooked by mainstream media.”
