The Wild Earth Oceania Film Festival (WEOFF) is Australia's FIRST-EVER wildlife film festival and convention and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The vision of Wild Earth Oceania is a world that loves wildlife!

The mission of WEO is to connect people with wildlife through storytelling for impact. Our objective is to showcase wildlife, environmental, Indigenous, and natural history films through the provision of a platform within Australia at the highest level. This is a direct call for Australian and International filmmakers at all levels to tell stories - as a call for action - and with ripple effects on conservation efforts around the globe. We cannot wait to see your submissions!

We are incredibly excited to announce that the Inaugural WEOFF will be delivered in Sydney between the 8th and 20th of September 2023 through Palace Cinemas in three locations with the main event taking place between September 8th and 12th. Encore screenings will take place between September 13th and 20th.

Guest sessions and Q&A panels after films will facilitate critical conversations about our wildlife and extinction crisis and our road map to sustainability, regeneration, and global impact.

WEOFF's VIP Gala Event / Award Ceremony will take place at Yallamundi Rooms "The Place Where Stories Are Told" at Sydney Opera House overlooking Australia's most iconic location at Sydney Harbour.

Our wonderful Ambassadors for this first edition of the festival include ethologist and conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, Nikon USA Ambassador and Natgeo photographer Ami Vitale, SONY Artisan and SeaLegacy Co-Founder Cristina Mittermeier, and highly acclaimed actress and environmentalist Elsa Pataky to name a few.

The United Nations General Assembly will host a satellite of Wild Earth Oceania where a world premiere will be showcased. Our film festival partners Pridelands Wildlife Film Festival (PWFF) will also host a satellite event of WEOFF in Nairobi. This is a fantastic opportunity for your films to be viewed by a wide audience!

Categories for this edition of the film festival are:
1. Feature Films: Films must be between 45 and 95 mins
2. Short Films: Films must be between 6 and 45 mins
3. Micro-short Films: Films must be between 1 and 5 mins
4. Youth Films: Films must have been produced by filmmakers who are 21 years old and under. Please email us if you would like to submit to this category and we will provide you with a code to submit your film for free.

See www.wildearthoceania.com for more details.

“Australia has some of the most magnificently diverse and unique wildlife on the planet. Wildlife that exists in fragile ecosystems is threatened in our modern world. Wild Earth Oceania is Australia’s first-ever film festival focused solely on wildlife with the aim of raising funds directly for conservation. I am honored to support such an ambitious and necessary project to protect one of my favorite places on earth.” - Kinga Philipps, WEOFF Champion.

Awards & Prizes

AWARDS (Please submit under one category 1-4):
1. Best Feature Film (45-95 mins)
2, Best Short Film (6-45)
3, Best Microshort Film (1-5 mins)
4, Best Youth Film (21 years and under)

SPECIAL AWARDS (judged across all categories above):
Best Oceans Film
Best Female Director
Best Indigenous Film
Best Cinematography
Best Music Score

Prizes are to be announced shortly so stay tuned for more info!

Rules & Terms

RULES AND TERMS:

We strongly encourage you to review the following carefully. By submitting your film, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to all of the following rules and terms. All films that have been submitted by our final deadline and that adhere to the following terms will be considered for inclusion in the Wild Earth Oceania Film Festival.

If you have any further questions, please contact our Film Manager at julia@wildearthoceania.com.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All films must be uploaded directly to FilmFreeway. We cannot accept screener links via email, they must be attached to your submission. To be eligible, the films must fit the requirement of the category they are being submitted under and fit within one of our categories only.

Films must not have been (or will not be) broadcast on television or publicly screened, distributed or exhibited in a physical location in Sydney between August 31 and September 31, 2023.

The only exceptions to this requirement are for private screenings held for cast, crew or investors, and film-school graduation screenings.

If the film has been available for free or via on-demand services in Australia, submission will be via: negotiation and at the discretion of WEOFF.

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES

Please review all submission categories carefully before submitting your project. If you believe you have submitted your film to the wrong category, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.

Submission of one film into multiple categories is not allowed but we allow the submissions of up to five films in different categories. Note that a maximum of two of your films will be selected so please read our category descriptions carefully to determine where your submission belongs.

COMPLETION DATE

All projects must have been completed on or after 2018 to be considered for the 2023 Wild Earth Oceania Film Festival.

DEADLINES

Please keep track of the deadline closely and note that all films must be submitted by the deadline.

SHORTLISTED FILMS

All works selected must be available by September 1st 2023 for inclusion in the festival.

All shortlisted films will screen during the festival. All scheduling is purely at the discretion of Wild Earth Oceania Film Festival.