The Darwin International Film Festival (DIFF) is a vibrant celebration of cinema that brings together filmmakers, audiences, and industry professionals from around Australia! Set against Darwin's stunning tropical backdrop, DIFF showcases a diverse array of films, including thought-provoking documentaries, captivating shorts, and inspiring feature-length narratives.

In 2024 we presented a lineup of award-winning films and emerging talents, offering audiences a chance to experience storytelling that reflects the richness of our world.

In addition to the films, DIFF features a series of industry events in the NT Screen Summit, designed to foster collaboration and inspiration. Participate in networking sessions that connect you with fellow filmmakers and industry professionals. Join panel discussions that delve into the creative process and explore current trends in cinema. Whether you’re a passionate cinephile or an aspiring filmmaker, DIFF is the perfect platform to connect, learn, and share your love for film.

Submissions to DIFF will automatically be considered for DIFF Down the Road, held in Katherine, and the Mparntwe Alice Springs International Film Festival (MASIFF). Both will be held in October 2025.

DIFF is a non-competitive festival.

Selected films receive:
Festival invitation for the creative team,
"Official Selection" certificates and laurels.

An audience award is granted at the conclusion of the festival.

All submissions must:
- be the NT premiere at a minimum,
- be works completed on or after July 2024

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Jeremiah Magoncia

    It was an honor to have my film part of the Best of Southeast Asian Shorts! DIFF is legit professional and positively overwhelming film festival. Publicity/PR is top notch too! Thank you DIFF!

    September 2019
  • Diego Mandelman

    We had the great experience of having participated in the Festival with one of our films. Excellent communication and information of activities. We hope to participate again in the future and share another experience with the people of Diff

    September 2019
  • A very good festival with a diverse range of movies, panels and workshops. The staff were very helpful. Great venues too.

    September 2019
  • My partner and I were really excited to have our short film Francis and Laika as part of the Best of South East Asia Shorts programme this year. We're really glad we had the chance to attend the festival, it was such a wonderful and rewarding experience!

    DIFF provided plenty of opportunities to promote our film and meet other filmmakers. The venues were great too, our short film screened at BCC Cinemas Casuarina which was an excellent cinema. We also loved the other screening venue, Deckchair Cinema, a beautiful outdoor cinema by the sea. All screenings that we attended had good turnouts with a solid and close-knit community of film lovers in Darwin. The programmes were diverse, innovative and thoughtful and we caught some incredible Australian and international films during our time there.

    Really grateful to Blandine, Neil and the rest of the festival team, they are a very passionate, kind and dedicated team and their commitment to uplifting and supporting filmmakers was hugely inspiring to us.

    We would definitely recommend submitting to DIFF!

    September 2019