Proudly presented and produced by the City of Port Phillip, the St Kilda Film Festival supports the Australian film industry by turning the spotlight on a wide range of fascinating works that may not otherwise see the light of day. Exceptional short films by both emerging talent and accomplished industry professionals are shown on the big screen, where they look their shiny best.

Accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the St Kilda Film Festival is now an Academy Awards® qualifying event, with award-winning films from the Festival eligible for consideration in the Short Film Awards AND Documentary Short sections of the Oscars®.

St Kilda Film Festival provides the most comprehensive overview of the national short film industry, screening the top short film entries received each year alongside a rich program of international screenings, special events plus a free Filmmaker Development Program.

Awards & Prizes

The Short Film Competition prize pool totals over $50,000 in cash and in-kind craft awards, including a $10,000 prize for Best Short Film. Other awards include Best Director, Best Achievement in Screenplay, Best Documentary and Best Achievement in Cinematography.

Rules & Terms

St Kilda Film Festival Terms and Conditions

1. The St Kilda Film Festival screens Australian-made short films. The Festival also accepts Australian co-productions where:
- a significant proportion of key crew are Australian
- significant pre and post production occurred in Australia
- the film received significant funding from Australia.
Australian co-production eligibility details must be detailed at the time of submission and the Festival has final decisions on eligibility. If you are unsure of eligibility, please contact the Festival office at filmfest@portphillip.vic.gov.au.

2. St Kilda Film Festival accepts all fiction and non-fiction film genres.

3. Films submitted must be no longer than 30 minutes, inclusive of credits.

4. If selected for screening, the Festival insists the film is not publicly available on the internet.

5. The producer grants St Kilda Film Festival the rights to:
(a) Exhibit the film in the St Kilda Film Festival and to be considered as part of the festival regional tour.
(b) Include a section of the production for promotional purposes.

6. The producer warrants to the St Kilda Film Festival that they have obtained all the necessary permissions to enter this film and that the film does not infringe the rights, including copyright, of any third party. This includes use of music and literary material.

7. All productions screened at 2020 St Kilda Film Festival must have been completed within 2 years of the entry closing date.

8. Entries cannot be withdrawn after Friday 20 March 2020. By submitting your film to the St Kilda Film Festival for consideration, you acknowledge this condition of entry and waive your right to withdraw your film from the Festival after this date.

9. If your film is selected for the Festival, you will be sent an email confirmation by April 2020.

10. The St Kilda Film Festival will tour a selection of films featured in the Festival around Victoria from July through to September 2020. All films entered in the St Kilda Film Festival will be considered for touring.

11. The St Kilda Film Festival only screens productions finished on QuickTime Video Codecs: Apple Pro Res 422/4444 or H.264. We do NOT screen from Beta SP, HDCam or DVD. To ensure your entry is screened correctly, you must include screening gauge and ratio details as requested on the entry form.
6 Reviews
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  • Oscar Axel Thorborg

    St Kilda Film Festival is a fantastic festival! It is well organised and always has an incredible collection of short films. We were proud to have our short 'Meet Cute' screen on at their comedy night.

    July 2019
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  • Harriet McKern

    Enjoyed seeing many short films and had wonderful screening of Smile. St Kilda Film Festival is a wonderful and inspiring institution as a festival and had some interesting guests and workshops

    July 2019
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  • Mel Poole

    Exceptional festival. Well managed and worth the trip to Melbourne

    July 2019
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  • Belinda Dean

    Really fabulous festival with an amazing selection of films. It’s always great to be in their company. Lots of opportunities for networking too.

    July 2019
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  • Ashley Perry

    The St Kilda Film Festival is Australia’s premier short film event. It is showcases a wide variety of films, holds insightful industry workshops, and is exceptionally well organised. Long may it continue in the centre of Melbourne’s screen life, beside the bay, in mighty St Kilda.

    July 2019
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