At the Sydney Film & Screenplay Festival, we are of the opinion that storytelling is diversely serene and cinema is beautiful. We think it's high time that contemporary experimental storytellers and artists got their due recognition.

Through this festival, we want to rekindle a love of movies that have been lost somewhere because of commercialisation.

The festival aims to cross borders in order to foster a sense of friendship and collaboration with international film festivals and filmmakers.

Films that tell the stories of people from all over the world are shown at the Sydney Film & Screenplay Festival. This is a competition for independent films and screenplays with quarterly screenings.

All organizations, agencies, independent producers, and directors can enter the Sydney Film & Screenplay Festival with the goal of motivating, inspiring, and honouring the truly innovative and artistic geniuses of our time.

Every independent artist aspires to one day break out of the geographic barriers and show the world their skills. We sincerely hope that the showcase platform we provide will facilitate that aspiration. We're eager to show a great many works of all kinds that will have industry experts, producers, and filmgoers humming.

Our goal is to support independently created films, help screenplay writers pitch their projects and push the boundaries of commercial distribution, and present their imaginative works that dare to provoke heated debate and defy audience expectations.

The entries shall be judged and awarded in the following categories
Feature (Above 40 minutes)
Short Film (Less than 40 minutes)
Experimental Film (Any length)
Student Film (Any length)
Best Filmmaker (Any length)
Horror Film (Any length)
Thriller Film (Any length)
Science Fiction Film (Any length)
Social Film
Children’s Film
Young Adults Film
Animation Film (Any length)
Best Actor – Male (Any length)
Best Actor – Female (Any length)
Best Actor – Gender Non-conforming individual
Best Producer
Best Editor
Best Cinematographer
Best Directorial Debut
Best Director of Photography
Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) and 360° Video (Any Length)
Drone Film (Any length)
Web and New Media (Any length)
Mobile Film (Any length)
Women's Film (Any length)
Romantic Film (Any length)
Queer Film (Any length)
Educational Films (Any length)
Film on Nature/Environment/Wildlife (Any length)
One Minute Film
Silent Film (Any length)
Black & White Film (Any length)
Documentary on Health (Any length)
Documentary on Art & Culture (Any length)
Documentary on Science (Any length)
Documentary on Wild/Marine Life (Any length)
Documentary on Marvels of Nature (Any length)
Documentary on History/Social Movement (Any length)
Documentary on An Individual (Any length)
Television/Pilot Program or Series (Any length)
Commercial/Advertisement
Music Video (Any length)
Film Poster
Best Trailer
Photography
Short Screenplay (Less than 100 pages)
Feature Screenplay (More than 100 pages)
Thriller Screenplay (Any length)
Horror Screenplay (Any length)
Science Fiction Screenplay (Any length)
Best Screenplay Writer (Any length)
Best Screenwriting Debut
Comedy Screenplay
Romantic Screenplay
Drama Screenplay
Children's Screenplay
Young Adults Screenplay

Kindly read these Guidelines and Terms cautiously before you present your film or screenplay. By entering your film or screenplay to the Sydney Film & Screenplay Festival, you explicitly acknowledge and agree to be bound by these Rules and Terms.

Any film made after January 1, 2000 is eligible to be entered at the Sydney Film & Screenplay Festival, regardless of its content, subject matter, or origin.
Your film's submission to the Sydney Film & Screenplay Festival does not guarantee selection. Each official selection and winner will be recorded on our site forever. A laurel, certificate and a trophy will be presented to each of the winning films.
Please be aware that we do not waive the application fee. Every filmmaker is treated equally by us.

1. Each entry must be accompanied by a completed online entry form and the applicable submission fee. At the time of submission, all films must be in English or have English subtitles.

2. Films must be submitted via a participating submission platform (FilmFreeway).

3. After submitting, if you change your password or link, you must notify the Festival immediately via email so that we can update your record. The submission may be deemed ineligible if the Festival is not informed of the change, the link is found to be inactive, or the password is incorrect.

4. Except as specified in these rules or on our website and on our FilmFreeway profile, the festival is not required to disclose the following information: i) the names of the judges or screeners; ii) notes, feedback, or information about the project that was submitted; and/or iii) specifics about how submissions are evaluated or chosen.

5. Because we have different panels of judges for each season, a film that was submitted to the Sydney Film & Screenplay Festival for a particular season can be resubmitted at any time for a second chance.

6. A director or producer may simultaneously submit multiple films to more than one category.

7. A laurel and certificate will be presented to the selected films in each category. Where it is needed, the judges shall provide feedbacks and share opinion.

8. If a filmmaker decides to withdraw their submission, the fee will not be refunded. The cost of entry is non-refundable.

9. A synopsis, an official trailer or poster, and a link to your movie are all we need. To avoid disqualification, please select the correct category when submitting. We reserve the right to reclassify films in accordance with their appropriateness.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • It was an honour to have entered and won this Award in my home town.
    Patricia Poulos

    March 2024
  • Thank you very much for the motivating award! :)

    March 2024
  • Wonderful team, greats films and proud to be a Winner in this up and coming festival!

    March 2024
  • It was a pleasure participating in your festival, and an honor to have been a winner on the category of Best Short -under 40 minutes-! Thank you for helping us spread all the love OFELIA has to offer, and allowing me to honor my parents posthumously!

    March 2024
  • Lots of encouragement and support from these folks. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and attention to our film: Roswell Revisited 'From wacko to serious to fun'. It won for Best Documentary on History/Social Movement.

    March 2024