Joy House Film Festival

The Joy House Film Festival is an annual short film festival celebrating stories that uplift, inspire and connect audiences through the power of cinema. With JOY as its central theme and diversity at its heart, the festival proudly supports emerging and up-and-coming filmmakers whose work reflects our shared humanity.

More than a screening event, Joy House is committed to building a happier, more inclusive world through storytelling. The festival is proudly supported by Actors Equity Australia’s Diversity Committee, making it a unique and meaningful platform within the Australian festival landscape.

🎬 Prizes & Awards
Filmmakers compete for up to $1,000 worth of prizes, including cash vouchers, movie tickets, show bags, Haribo lollies and more.
Awards include:
• Best Short Film
• Best Cultural Impact
• Best Changemaker Award (Women)

📅 Festival Date: 13 September 2026 (in-person and online)
📩 Submissions: Open year-round via FilmFreeway

Awards & Prizes

🎬 Prizes & Awards
Filmmakers compete for up to $1,000 worth of prizes, including cash vouchers, movie tickets, show bags and more.
Awards include:
• Best Short Film
• Best Cultural Impact
• Best Changemaker Award (Women)

Rules & Terms

Light entertainment short films. Short films must be made within 5 years and they must have a scene of JOY (happiness) in the short film. Open to drama, comedy, animation, stop animation, music video, action etc.

If selected, the short film must be submitted for exhibition in Mp4 or mov (formatted 25 frames / p.s / or 24 frames /p.s only ) mp4, fast fwd credits.

Early Bird Christmas Special $25

Early Bird Special $30

Regular fee $35

Late fee $40

Tip- we've found that our audiences love short films that are joyful and direct & to the point (around 5 mins & under is the best result). The shorter the better! Finalists must have liked the Joy House Film Festival Facebook page & support the festival, in order to be eligible to receive prizes. If you happen to submit a longer film, if selected we will request you to edit it to 10 mins or under due to strict cinema time requirements for the whole festival.
15 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Madeleine Wighton

    It was such a JOY to be a part of Joy House Film Festival showcasing our film in one of Sydney's finest and largest cinemas. Joy was wonderful at communicating clearly and would always get back to me so quickly. I felt very welcome and would highly recommend to any filmmaker. Such an honour to win the Change Maker Award for Women too. Thank you for having us!

    February 2025
    Helpful
  • Radheya Jang

    It was truly a joy to have been part of the festival - thank you so much for the Coles Best Short Film Award for our short animated film 'Bird Drone'. My team and I are so grateful and honoured!

    A big thank you to Joy Hopwood for all of your hard work in making this amazing festival possible, especially one that's centred around spreading happiness, which I think is really beautiful and so important. Thank you so much!

    November 2023
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Radheya for your kind words. The judges & the audience enjoyed your uplifting film with a great story. You have a great future & we look forward to see your career grow strength to strength & we are honoured to have been a part of your film career’s journey. All the best.

  • Clare Chun

    The Joyhouse Film Festival is a professionally ran high quality film festival. Festival director Joy Hopwood is an excellent communicator and is a pleasure to work with.

    She let me know 6 months in advance that I was on the short list and to verify my film link works. Living far away from Australia, I was so grateful she gave me a heads up especially with the high costs of travel.

    Later when I couldn't be there in person I messaged her and she emailed me a link of the festival and was very transparent about the scheduling and that it wasn't worth spending thousands on travel costs.

    The festival itself has industry judges, there is no favoritism or politics, and all the awards are strictly merit based.

    Even after the festival was over she continued correspondence regarding film opportunities and broader career questions. I feel like I have a new friend down under :)

    If you're thinking about entering then I strongly recommend you do so.

    November 2023
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much for your kind words. We are so happy to have filmmakers who are not only talented but who are grateful too. You have a great future. We look fwd to see you grow & achieve whilst entertaining & making the world a better place 🙌

  • Dan Sanguineti

    It was a really lovely expierence being part of the festival. Joy and her team really made it feel special with some really great press opportunities to accompany the official selection. I'd definitely look to submit future films to be considered for subsequent events!

    November 2023
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Dan for being part of our festival and making positive projects that promote diversity & inclusion. Together we can make a positive impact = social change for the better.

  • Lisa Bishop

    Thank you for selecting Happy Anniversary as the winning film amongst a lovely selection of films that are spreading a message of happiness. A small festival with a big heart.

    September 2022
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you Lisa for making a wonderful uplifting film and being part of our 2022 lineup