Proudly presented and produced by the City of Port Phillip, the 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 films by both emerging talent and short works by 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, Best Animation, Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking, Best Comedy and Best Achievement in Sound Post.

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 (e.g. private or public investment including state or federal funding, crowdfunding and private donors)
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. As the St Kilda Film Festival is Academy accredited, all films submitted must be no longer than 40 minutes, inclusive of credits.

4. If selected for screening the Festival requires the film to not be 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 any subsequent tour
(b) Reproduce the film for inclusion as part of a compilation
(c) Exhibit the production either in part or in total 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 (i.e. if your film is based on a novel or poem).

7. All productions screened at 2019 St Kilda Film Festival must have been completed within 2 years of the entry closing date.

8. Entries cannot be withdrawn after Thursday 14 March 2019. 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 Friday 19 April 2019.

10. The St Kilda Film Festival will tour a selection of films featured in the Festival around Victoria from July through to September 2019. All films entered in the St Kilda Film Festival must be available 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 or HDCam. Please see the Screening Formats & Audio Specifications page for more information. To ensure your entry is screened correctly, you must include screening gauge and ratio details as requested on the entry form.