The Sydney Indie Film Festival has been created to showcase both local and international, new and creative works by emerging and established artists who are passionate about story telling via the art of film making.
2015: 1st year of the Sydney Indie Film Festival's events:
8 days, 62 films from 20 countries!
2016: 90 films! 13 days of events, including our very first “Outdoor Cinema Day” as part of the Gladesville Eats&Flicks massive open air Family Event!
2017: The Biggest Indie Films Show in Australia! 137 Films, 11 days, 2 locations including Event Cinemas George Street inaugural Festival Space & the newly renovated gorgeous ubber modern Woollahra Library at Double Bay!
2018: Continues as The Biggest Indie Films Show in Australia! 146 Films, 11 days, 2 locations including Event Cinemas George Street inaugural Festival Space & the beautiful Lane Cove Library’s Screening Room!
We aim to share great stories with the audience, while supporting independent filmmakers. Whether you made a film with $100 or $100K budget, what will really captivate the audience is the story!
Together with various communities supporting the event, we aim to bring entertainment, inspiration and culture to the communities by showing stories from around the world and utilizing the impact great cinema can have upon an audience or issue.
Follow @sydneyindiefest
AWARDS
In 2015 we gave away 42 Awards between Feature Films and Short Films.
In 2016 we gave away 50 Awards between Feature Films and Short Films.
In 2017 we gave away 50 Awards between Feature Films and Short Films.
In 2018 we gave away 48 Awards between Feature Films and Short Films.
Awards included Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Support Actor, Best Support Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Music Score, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Special Effects, Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Thriller, Best Science Fiction, Best Romantic Comedy, Best Animation, Best Documentary, Best Feel Good Film, Best Family Film, Best True Story Film, Indie Spirit Award, Extra Mile Award, Best Australian Film, Best Made in Sydney Film,
Made in Sydney Extra Mile, Made in Sydney Indie Spirit.
We also launched the “Best Trailer Award” for Short Films and Feature Films, to encourage filmmakers to have one of their best marketing tools ready and fierce out there in the world!
MISSION
The Mission of the Sydney Indie Film Festival is to bring opportunities for independent filmmakers and great cultural entertainment to the community by showing stories from around the world, uniting the power of great cinema and the joy of fantastic food, to bring friends and families together in an inspiring experience, to celebrate life, stimulate great talks with old friends, and make new ones.
DIVERSITY
The Sydney Indie Film Festival accepts all genres to be included in the festival program:
Drama, Comedy, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror, Documentaries, Animation, Student Films.
The Festival accepts entries from around the world.
All films must be in English or have subtitles in English.
PUBLICITY
We know that Film Festivals are great marketing vehicle, and with our incredible media team, we aim to give maximum publicity to all selected films, online and offline.
The festival is very passionate about promoting the work of all officially selected films before, during and after the festival. With continuous posts sharing to its thousands of followers around the world where their next screenings are, so more people know about the films, continuing to build up a large audience worldwide for everybody involved even after the events.
We also just launched the “Now Showing” session on our website, to continue to support the official selections, by sharing with our audience via Social Media and Newsletters the news when the filmmakers release the films online after completing their festival's season.
Check out our “Now Showing” session at our official website and start enjoying some great indie films from our past Official Selections Programs!
NETWOKING
People in the industry had the chance to network with active professionals, who are making some of the best independent films.
The festival events included upcoming filmmakers with some great first films which makes us wonder how amazing things will keep going for them, to more established filmmakers who have lots of experience in the most commercial side of the film industry, while producing their indie films telling the stories they really want to tell, and literally conquering the film festival circuits worldwide.
SUBMISSIONS:
Online Submissions accepted exclusively via FilmFreeway.
SCREENERS:
We only accept “Secure Online Screener” via FilmFreeway.
Additional tips:
Usually Screeners streaming via FilmFreeway play better than the ones streaming via Vimeo.
**ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT NOTES:**
TRAILERS:
Mandatory for Features in the Official Selection Program.
Highly recommended for Shorts in the Official Selection Program.
SUBTITLES:
Please make sure subtitles are legible.
For all films in the Official Selection Program, please remember that the entire audience from all seats positions must be able to read the subtitles.
MAKE SURE YOU RECEIVE IMPORTANT NOTIFICATIONS:
Please make sure you check your email and spam mail folder for the FilmFreeway notifications emails during the notifications period.
If your film is “Accepted” as Official Selection, please search your mailbox for emails from “filmsubmissions@sydneyindiefilmfestival.com” or “mail@sydneyindiefilmfestival.com” so you can follow up on all instructions for deliverables.
Please make sure you have your best Contact Number in your FilmFreeway Film Page.
Once our judges complete the official selections, we really like to stick with the program that we carefully selected. We had cases in which filmmakers never received ours or the FilmFreeway notification emails, so we just called them to make sure they received the exciting news, then after the phone call they finally found the notifications in the spam folder.
If your film gets selected, it is very important that we can reach you.
Please read “Rules & Terms” for more information.
Follow @sydneyindiefest
Best Film - Feature Film
Best Screenplay - Feature Film
Best Director - Feature Film
Best Lead Male Actor - Feature Film
Best Lead Female Actor - Feature Film
Best Cinematography - Feature Film
Best Music Score - Feature Film
Best Editing - Feature Film
Best Production Design - Feature Film
Best Special Effects - Feature Film
Best Film - Short Film
Best Screenplay - Short Film
Best Director - Short Film
Best Lead Male Actor - Short Film
Best Lead Female Actor - Short Film
Best Cinematography - Short Film
Best Music Score - Short Film
Best Editing - Short Film
Best Production Design - Short Film
Best Special Effects - Short Film
Additional awards categories to be announced every year.
In 2015 we gave away 42 Awards between Feature Films and Short Films.
In 2016 we gave away 50 Awards between Feature Films and Short Films.
In 2017 we gave away 50 Awards between Feature Films and Short Films.
In 2018 we gave away 48 Awards between Feature Films and Short Films.
Awards included Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Support Actor, Best Support Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Music Score, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Special Effects, Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Thriller, Best Science Fiction, Best Romantic Comedy, Best Animation, Best Documentary, Best Feel Good Film, Best Family Film, Best True Story Film, Indie Spirit Award, Extra Mile Award, Best Australian Film, Best Made in Sydney Film,
Made in Sydney Extra Mile, Made in Sydney Indie Spirit.
BEST TRAILER AWARD
We also launched the “Best Trailer Award” for Short Films and Feature Films, to encourage filmmakers to have one of their best marketing tools ready and fierce out there in the world!
Please check list of all awards nominations and winners at our official website.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
From 2017, it will be mandatory for all Official Selections Feature Films to have a teaser trailer.
Trailers are not mandatory for Official Selections Short Films, but short films selections with trailers are also competing for the Best Trailer Award in the Short Films category.