The Capricorn Film Festival is a not for profit organisation that discovers local, national and international cinema gems, and shares them with a diverse audience of film lovers.

The Capricorn film festival was established to encourage production, not just exhibition. Our event is not just about ‘showing’ films – it’s about ‘making’ them. We aim to provide you with the opportunity to showcase your work to as wide an audience as possible, and help you promote your career and film-making endeavours.

The event is held early January, where a crowds from all over Central Queensland enjoy four days of cinema, supporting filmmakers from the region and all corners of the globe.
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Shortlisted films are screened at the event with a total prize pool of $4,000 in cash and prizes awarded between the winners of each category. 
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The festival is open to any level of filmmaker, from amateur to professional and is supported by some of Australia's premiere filmmakers and industry companies.

We appreciate our Festival ALUMNI. Contact us to receive your DISCOUNT coupon code on any upcoming entries.

Awards & Prizes

The Capricorn Film Festival was established to encourage production, not just exhibition.

Our event is not just about ‘showing’ films – it’s about ‘making’ them. We aim to provide you with the opportunity to showcase your work to as wide an audience as possible.

The Capricorn Film Festival is competitive, with over $4,000 in cash and prizes awarded to the winners. The categories include:

Feature Films in competition:
CAPS Feature - $1000 (AUD) World Open 

Documentaries in competition:
CAPS Doco - $1000 (AUD) World Open 

OTHER LONG FORM AWARDS:
CAPS Best Director
CAPS Best Actor

CAPS Short Film Competition:

CAPS Short - $1000 (AUD) World Open 
CQ Shorts - $500 (AUD) Central Queensland only

OTHER SHORT FORM AWARDS:
CAPS EXperimental Winner
CQ Rising Star
Best Short Director
Best Short Actor

Rules & Terms

All Films must be submitted to the Film Festival by 1st Nov 2026.
Only films completed after 1st Jan 2024 will be considered for the sections.
Short Films: Any genre of film under 30 minutes length will be considered for CQ Shorts.
The film must not have appeared on Australian television, Pay TV or be screened on an internet site.
Short Films do not require a premiere screening to be accepted.
Must be subtitled in English if not English language .
Filmmakers must enter the correct category. Festival staff reserve the right to request proof.
Entrants may enter multiple films in multiple categories.
CAPS Short, Open & Junior must NOT contain; nudity, drug use or excessive violence.
Feature Films must be suitable for audiences 15 years and above.
Entrant must have copyright over the film and music and the film submitted.
You must pay the entry fee when you submit and upload your film via this submission site in the correct format to be in the running for any monetary prizes and trophies. Submissions must be received no later than the entry deadline with all required paperwork and releases provided.
Accepted films will be required to sign a finalist agreement.
Accepted films can be removed if it is believed that there are legal issues about producer rights.
Accepted films can only be removed at festivals discretion.
Submitters will be added to organisation digital newsletters and other opportunities.
31 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Quoc Huy Tran

    It was an honor to be able to attend the festival in person. I really appreciate the festival for selecting a niche and experimental short film from a young filmmaker like myself and giving it a platform. The staff were friendly, and the programming was good. I really like the Q&A sessions and the networking night. Overall, I recommend the festival to all filmmakers.

    March 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Quoc, it was lovely to have you up for the festival. All the best for your upcoming projects.

  • Sofian Chouaib

    Thank you to all the team of the festival for the selection of our shortfilm, it truly means a lot to me!

    February 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Sofian — we’re thrilled to have selected your short film for CFF 2026. It truly means a lot to us too.

  • Anna Canton

    We were so honoured to be selected for Capricorn Festival for 2026, and for our actress Awa Puna to win BEST ACTOR SHORT FILM. Wonderful communication and leadership from Luke and the team, with a respectful vibe and networking focus. Whilst we couldn't attend in person as we are NZ-based, we loved seeing the social media updates and all the fun of the screenings and events going on. Highly recommended festival that clearly has support from its own beautiful community and town too!

    January 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much for these incredibly kind words — it truly means a lot to us.
    We were honoured to have your film in the program, and a huge congratulations again to Awa Puna on the Best Short Actor award — such a deserved win. Even though you couldn’t be with us in person, we’re really glad the festival experience still travelled across the Tasman through the screenings and updates.
    Thanks for being part of Capricorn and for taking the time to share this — we’d love to welcome you back in the future.

  • Soren Jocumsen

    I not only had the privilege of my film being selected in the 2025 Capricorn Film Festival but also being able to attend the event in person. A huge thank you to all those involved as this was my first serious go at a film, and first ever film festival and I felt like a star! Being able to talk to industry professionals casually and gain their knowledge on all things film and life was an experience I will carry with me forever. Thank you again and I will definitely be entering future projects to this festival!

    February 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Soren, we look forward to seeing you next January!

  • Freeman Lau

    Thank you for including my film. I never take it for granted.
    Since I am far away from Australia, I asked about arranging a pass for my team representative who was in Australia, but received no reply.

    January 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Hi Freeman, thank you for the review and great to have your short in the festival, congrats again! You are always welcome at the festival.