Submit your feature films, short films, documentaries, web series, television episodes and your Get Smart! smartphone films now!

In what will be its fourth year, the 2023 WA Made Film Festival will present a curated program of screenings and events which engages the community with the very best of the Western Australian screen industry.

The WA Made Film Festival aims to be bigger and better in 2023 with more films, more events, and WA's only smartphone filmmaking competition, π—šπ—˜π—§ 𝗦𝗠𝗔π—₯𝗧! 𝗣π—₯π—˜π—¦π—˜π—‘π—§π—˜π—— 𝗕𝗬 𝗕𝗨𝗬 π—ͺπ—˜π—¦π—§ π—˜π—”π—§ π—•π—˜π—¦π—§.

WA Made Film Festival is Western Australia’s only independently operated film festival featuring exclusively WA made films, and is WA's biggest celebration of locally-made screen content.

WA Made Film Festival strives to showcase and celebrate talented cast and crew, stunning locations, and unique stories from all over Western Australia.

Held 17-26 February 2023, the WA Made Film Festival will screen at Palace Cinemas Raine Square right in the heart of Perth city.

Attracting audiences from all over Australia, the 2023 WA Made Film Festival will include World Premieres, Perth Premieres, pre-screening networking events, parties with drinks and canapΓ©s, Question and Answer sessions with filmmakers and other post-screening events and educational screenings.

Be part of this exciting new festival by submitting now!

Awards & Prizes

2023 FESTIVAL:

A screening committee will determine which films will be exhibited throughout the film festival. All submissions are unfortunately not guaranteed to be shown.

Successful filmmakers will be notified early January 2023 and will receive an official selection laurel. Depending on the event, some filmmakers will be invited to participate in a Q&A after their screening to discuss the films journey with the audience. Filmmakers will receive 1 free ticket to their screening and if more attendees from the film would like to be on the Q&A panel (actors or other key crew) please contact festival organisers, additional complimentary tickets will be at their discretion.

Unsuccessful submissions will also be notified early January 2023.

Get Smart! submissions will be eligible for a $1000 cash prize for Best Film as selected by the WA Made Film Festival's Smart Jury.

Rules & Terms

2023 FESTIVAL T&CS:

By submitting your content, you agree that WA Made Film Festival can use parts of your film (including trailer/teaser/film poster) for promotional purposes. You also grant permission that your film may be made available online during the festival as part of an online ticketed component to the festival.

To submit a film, you must have created the project yourself, own the rights or have permission from the owner of the content to submit the film to us.

Films must be made in Western Australia with a preference on being post produced here too. Please email festival organisers to inform them of any elements of your film being non-Western Australian (actors, crew members, locations, post production etc).

Your submission will be watched in its entirety and judged fairly. All decisions of the committee are final.

All entries must have been completed after June 2021.

Works in progress/rough cuts are considered (if the final film will be completed well before February 2023).

Non-English films accepted with English subtitles.

You must own or be given all of the rights to anything you submit to the festival including music in the film.

Submissions are NON-refundable. You also acknowledge that the film submission fee does not guarantee acceptance and no refund will be provided if your film is not selected.

Applicants who do not follow the guidelines will not be accepted.

Accepted short films will need to be supplied as a HD Prores 422 file with stereo or 5.1 audio. MP4 will be accepted if no higher resolution is available. Must be minimum 1920x1080.

Accepted feature films will need to be supplied on DCP on a NTFS PC formatted harddrive with a preference of 5.1 audio, if your film is not available on DCP, festival organisers can convert a Prores 422 file with embedded 5.1 or stereo audio.

GET SMART! Presented by BUY WEST EAT BEST rules:

1. The 2023 Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best theme is GHOST.
Your film must contain the Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best theme GHOST to show that your film was specifically made for the WA Made Film Festival.
Examples of the 2023 theme GHOST: A ghost horror. A documentary about ghosts. The word ghost is mentioned. Someone being ghosted on a date. A picture of a ghost in the background etc.The theme GHOST can be as subtle or as direct as you like.

2. To be eligible for the $1000 Best Film cash prize your film MUST be made exclusively for Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best and cannot screen anywhere prior to the festival in February 2023. Your film must not be made public on any online platforms including YouTube before the 2023 festival.

3. Open to Western Australian residents only.

4. Submissions must be set and filmed in Western Australia.

5. Submissions must be shot entirely on a smartphone.

6. Submissions must be no longer than 10 minutes including titles and credits. There is no minimum time limit.

7. You must have the rights to all music and sound contained within the film for usage in cinema and online.

8. All genres accepted.

9. There is no age limit or qualification required.

10. External microphones, smartphone lenses, lighting, tripods etc. are permitted and encouraged.

11. Post-production (editing, colour grading, sound mix, VFX, credits and titles etc.) does not have to be done on a smartphone or tablet and can be done via any editing software or app.

12. Final film must be delivered in minimum HD quality - 1920x1080. Preference: MP4/MOV at 24 or 25 fps. However other frame rates are accepted.

Filmmakers will always retain the copyright on their films!
20 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • H Kushkaki

    This was my first festival experience as a filmmaker and Matthew and Jasmine really outdid themselves! We all felt like we got star treatment, it was overwhelming! Photographers, food, drink, cheese platters, you name it, they had it!
    This year it was held over two weekends with plenty of screenings throughout the week.
    Almost every screening was sold out so the place was buzzing every day!
    Matthew and Jasmine did an outstanding job making sure everything was on point! If you are in WA and are working on current projects, this is the festival you need to submit your work to! It was an absolute pleasure and honour to have been a part of the '23 class of films! I look forward to next year!

    March 2023
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  • Arnold Carter

    Amazing event. Amazing talent and lovely passionate, hard-working people involved to bring support to Western Australian films.
    Thank you WA Made for including my film Sun Moon & Thalia

    March 2023
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  • Cooper Clark

    WAMade provides a crucial platform for Western Australian-residing filmmakers - while also nurturing a diverse range of talent & stories. The event organisers were extremely communicative, supportive, and friendly throughout the entire process. I can't wait to see this festival grow in the years to come.

    March 2023
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  • Bert Goldsmith

    A really well-run festival - an excellent array of events across accessible time frames, great panels, amazing guests and it was all very inclusive, diverse and held a sense of fun.

    March 2023
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  • Ema dos Santos

    Festival you are a β€˜Star’. Thanks for showcasing β€˜Finding Family’ at this year’s screenings.

    March 2023
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