The Short+Sweet Film Festival Sydney is back! Showcasing the best local and international short films. What stories can you tell in 10 minutes?

No limits, other than your imagination.

Heats commence on Sunday March 9, 2025 with screenings beginning at 4 pm at Turner Theatre at TAFE NSW Ultimo Campus, Cnr Harris and Mary Anne Sts, Ultimo.

The Short+Sweet Film Festival is unique for three distinct reasons:
1) For just one entry you are in consideration for all our international festivals, opening up your chances to have your screen filmed around the world throughout 2025.
2) We have a strong international network and this network is constantly expanding.
3) We are unique in that we have a very strong connection to theatre. We do not believe the gap between theatre and film should be so wide and we aim to bridge this gap. With our Best Adaptation Award and our close partnership with our sister theatre festival, we encourage theatre and film practitioners to be one and the same.
4) We screen all sorts of films and all sorts of genres and support all sorts of filmmakers from seasoned pros to emerging artists

Short+Sweet Founder Mark Cleary and incoming Festival Director Vivienne Payge Boucher have committed to delivering “a world class festival with an A-List Hollywood finale”.

About the team:

Festival Director - Vivienne Payge Boucher

Vivienne Payge Boucher, the current festival director of Short + Sweet Sydney, moved alone to Sydney when she was 19. She is a current student at UNSW where she studies Media. She is the Supervising Producer for the UNSW Film Production Society, where she oversees the production of all short films produced. Vivienne had previously assisted in directing primary school children in their spring musicals yearly and, since moving to Sydney, has been voted Best Director for her first screen production course at university. She is keen to be a part of bringing this wonderful festival to life as she has a passion for storytelling and has been creating short films, as well as backyard plays, for years.

Assistant Festival Director - Lily Aileen Thomas

After many years of making student films and performing in school theatre, Lily moved to Sydney in 2024 to continue her artistic journey at the University of New South Wales to study a Bachelor of Media/Arts. Now the President of the UNSW Film Production Society, Lily's love for performing and filmmaking has only grown, and is set to perform in the UNSW NUTS production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream: in Drag!' in April this year. They are currently acting in a six week intensive performance production course directed by award-winning performance artist and theatre director Harriet Gillies. 2025 is Lily's first time assistant directing the Short+Sweet Film Festival, and she is so thrilled to be part of this creative community and cannot wait to see what the filmmakers come up with!

The winning films will be screened in Los Angeles at the Short+Sweet Hollywood Film Festival in October/November 2025 and there are many other awesome prizes up for grabs including but not limited to:

Best Film, Best Director, People's Choice, and Best Actors.

In keeping with the Short+Sweet's one enduring rule, all films must be 10 minutes or less and can be shot and edited on any device.

You must have the permission to use any images, storylines, music etc. in your film.

The only limit, other than duration, is your imagination!

By entering your film to S+S you are agreeing to the following:

1.The running time of my Film is 10 minutes or less. Films longer than 10 minutes (10m59s) will not be considered and and the entry fee forfeited.
2. I am the creator of the Film and I give permission for the Film to be presented at any Short+Sweet (S+S) festival or event for which it is eligible. If I am not the (sole) creator of the film I warrant that I have obtained all necessary permissions of writers, originators or contributors.
3. Should my film be selected for a S+S Festival or event I understand I will receive no royalties or other payment for those screenings, live or virtual, but will be eligible for prizes and professional development opportunities.
4. I understand that my Film will be assessed by a selection committee and that no communication will be entered into by S+S regarding this process. The selection decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
5. I give S+S the right to screen/record/photograph my Film for archival, marketing and publicity purposes (inlcuding in unpaid public forums such as YouTube, Vimeo or similar).
6. I understand copyright material cannot be used unless I have documentation to prove legal authorisation from the musician, artist, writer or record label.
7. I may also be required to provide Actor Release Forms to be signed by the people appearing in your film.
8. I understand that Films in any language are eligible, but must be subtitled in English.
9. The festival is open to filmmakers of all ages and levels of experience.
10. All content submitted must be in accordance with the law and any perceived illegal activity will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
12. The judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
13. I understand that if my Film is selected as a finalist I will be required to provide S+S with the highest quality recording of the Film so that it can be screened.
14. Any video submitted had been created within the last 18 months and that any film that is currently uploaded to YouTube or other video platforms be set to private until after the final screening date.

Privacy Statement
The personal information provided by you will only be used by us for S+S Festivals, competitions and related activities, and to communicate with you about those activities. You can opt out of these at any time by responding to any emails received with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or the body of an email.

No restrictions on the Device(s) used to record or create video and audio.
No restrictions on Software used to create, edit or enhance video and audio.
Films in any language are welcome, but must be subtitled in English.
The festival is open to filmmakers of ALL ages and levels of experience.
The cost of entry to S+S Film is $20 / $25.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Rene Smaal

    Thanks a lot Greg, for selecting our short at your wonderful festival!

    September 2019
  • Tim OConnor

    Thanks Greg for your amazing support of the local film industry. It was a pleasure to screen my film amongst an enthusiastic and film loving community. Great effort and highly recommended.

    September 2019
  • Ren Thackham

    Seriously one of the most fun festivals we've been to in Sydney, it's just a great night out - the quality of films is awesome and the format is really cool. Highly recommend.

    September 2019
  • Paul Dawkins

    Wonderful festival. Our film was lucky enough to take our first place from the judges at the final, and it was a truly brilliant night all round. Great team, friendly atmosphere, and the selection of films was top shelf. Recommended!

    September 2019
  • Short+Sweet is an amazing film festival! It was well organised, had some really high quality films and was very inspiring for young filmmakers. Worth submitting your films. Was hoping for slightly more networking opportunities than a 15 minute intermission, maybe something to consider for years to come.

    September 2019