Montage Film Festival (MFF) is an annual event in Wollongong, that brings people together to discover the latest harvest of films and peer into the minds of diverse storytellers.

Our Festival offers a meeting ground and artistic platform for all creative practitioners to explore diverse representations in the film and media landscape, exchange information, showcase their work and engage with industry, media and audiences.

Everyone has an equal chance to take part in our festival, from emerging to established filmmakers and artists who explore elements of diversity, these identities include, but are not limited to, ability, age, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, immigration status, intellectual differences, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation.

MFF celebrates the creativity, diversity and impact of the independent artists and connects emerging talent and industry professionals with audiences.

The festival embraces all genres, including:
Action, Adventure, Alternative, Animation, Art, Avantgarde, Biography, Classics, Comedy, Comedy Drama, Crime, Culture, Dance, Dark Comedy, Documentary, Family, Fantastic, Fantasy, Film Noir, Flash, Health, History, Horror, Human Rights, Independent, Kids, LGBTI, Live Action, Medical, Melodrama, Mockumentary, Music Video’s, Mystery, Nature, News, Parody, Postmodern, Realism, Reality, Religion, Road Trip, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Satire, Science Fiction, Silent movie, Social Issues, Spiritual, Surreal, Thriller, Transgender, Underground, Urban, Veterans, War, Western… and more.

We are always open to discovering something outside of the box, as well.

Montage Film Festival acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, learn and work, and pays respect to their Elders past and present, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. MFF celebrates the history and contemporary creativity of the world’s oldest living culture

Awards & Prizes

The Montage Film Festival is held in Wollongong, a beautiful seaside city, which lies along the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 90 minutes south of Sydney. The name 'Wollongong' is believed to mean 'Seas of the South' in the local Aboriginal language, and has been lovingly shortened to the 'Gong'.

All films submitted to the Montage official competition will be eligible to compete for the coveted Golden Gong Awards.

Golden Gong Award for:
⁃ Best Feature Film
⁃ Best Leading Performance in a Feature Film, by a female or male actor

Golden Gong Award for:
⁃ Best Australian Short Film Award
⁃ Best International Short Film Award
⁃ Best Leading Performance in a Short Film, by a female or male actor
⁃ Best Animation Short Film Award
⁃ Best Documentary Short Film Award
⁃ Best Web Series Award

Golden Gong Honorary Award

Ethnically Diverse Artists (EDA) Award - Sponsored by Ethnically Diverse Artists (EDA) Foundation

Mozaik Bridging the Borders Award

Golden Gong Short Film Award Best Student Film

Rules & Terms

1. Submissions to the Montage Film Festival (hereafter known as ‘Montage’, ‘We’, ‘Us” and ‘Our’) constitutes an agreement with all of Our terms and conditions.

2. The person submitting the film to Montage is ‘You’ or ‘Your’.

3. You agree that Your submission may be screened at a Montage event, if it is selected.

4. Montage will only accept submissions via an online platform

5. Submissions that are not predominantly in English are required where appropriate to contain English subtitles.

6. We only accept films that have been concluded production on or after 1 January 2019.

7. For purposes of categorisation, We are considering feature films to be 40 minutes or longer, and short films to be less than 40 minutes.

8. If You are submitting a film in the Student category, You must be registered in a recognised film school, university, college, high school, middle school or elementary school with proof of ID from the from your institution.

9. All submission fees are non-refundable.

10. By submitting to Montage, You agree to have Your submission reviewed for consideration by Us or by an official programmer organized by Us

11. If the Your submission is selected as an ‘Official Selection’ to screen at a Montage event, You must provide a minimum of five (5) images from your film (minimum specification of images as 300dpi JPGs or JPEGs only). Electronic Press Kits (EPKs), digital posters, Director headshots, trailer of your film, and social media handles and hashtags may also be supplied to Montage, but are not mandatory.

12. You agree to supply digitally or deliver via post to Us a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) file in a timely manner in order to be screened at Montage. All incoming freight charges will be covered by the Festival.

13. By submitting a film, You grant us the right to screen Your film, copy and/or reproduce, modify, adapt and any part thereof, up to one (1) minute of the film submission for promotional purposes. We may also use Your submission and any other promotional material/photos and/or information submitted by You to communicate it to the public in all media, including via our website and publicity materials, or to advertise and promote Montage, events, its products and services, or all, and to showcase Your film.

14. Screenings and all other related activities are scheduled at the discretion of Montage. We undertake to make every effort to adhere to the published schedule program, however, Montage reserves the right to alter this schedule or preclude your film from any Montage event at any time for any reason. Montage does not accept any liability for any costs claimed to arise as a result of any change in the scheduling program.

15. Awards will be presented during Montage at the discretion of the organisers and the assigned Jury Panel, organized by Montage. All awards will be listed on the Montage website. It is at the discretion of Montage to change or remove categories or prize offerings at any time. Judging duties will be allocated by the organisers and we reserve the right to change the format or composition of the judging panel or persons at any time.

16. By submitting your film to Montage you undertake that You own the copyright to Your submission as its author and represent and warrant that You have (and will continue to have during the duration of Montage and thereafter) all necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions we need to use Your submission and You will provide evidence of such on our reasonable request. Persons with permission to submit a film on behalf of a filmmaker may do so – it is Your responsibility to gain these permissions.

17. By submitting Your film You are undertaking that neither Your film nor it’s entrance in this Festival infringes on the laws of Australia.

18. Montage reserves the right the verify the eligibility of Your submission including confirming the identity of You.

19. We accept no responsibility for any damage, loss, liabilities, injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by any person as a result of submitting a film to Montage, its curation and all related events.

20. You indemnify and hold harmless Montage from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, Festival or screening cancellation or postponement for any reason and loss of or damage to the screening materials entered.

21. For further information contact, info@montagefilmfestival.com.