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Screen Australia provides $3 million to local festivals and events over three years

Screen Australia announced $3 million in funding support for 13 key screen and games industry festivals and events, from 2025 to 2028.

Funding has been allocated to major film festivals in Adelaide, Darwin, Melbourne and Sydney, and also to those serving audiences across the country such as CinéfestOZ, the Flickerfest National Tour and the Travelling Film Festival. 

The recipients include First Nations-led festivals, Birrarangga Film Festival and Winda Film Festival, and industry events that offer commercial opportunities and professional development to local creators, including international games market Play Now Melbourne.

Screen Australia Head of Industry Development Ken Crouch said, “The ambitious and innovative programming these events and festivals have planned over the next three years is truly inspiring. It’s a testament to how screen and games events and festivals are adapting after some challenging years, creating impactful development pathways for Australian screen practitioners and gamemakers, all while connecting local audiences with diverse stories. We’re excited to see how the 13 funded festivals and events reach a wide audience and provide ongoing value to emerging and established practitioners.”  

The funded events and festivals are:

  • AACTA Festival celebrates Australian screen culture and provides opportunities for professionals, emerging filmmakers, and screen enthusiasts to connect, collaborate, learn, and engage with Australian screen content in community. 
  • Adelaide Film Festival is an internationally recognised screen festival event incorporating features, documentaries, shorts, that also offers project funding through the AFF Investment Fund and the Film Lab: New Voices.
  • Birrarangga Film Festival is Australia’s leading First Nations film festival that has grown into a premier cultural and industry event, attracting thousands of attendees, supporting Indigenous filmmakers, and fostering national and international partnerships.  
  • CinéfestOZ celebrates Australian film and storytelling in regional Western Australia and creates opportunities for Australian content and its creators to connect with markets and audiences through its screenings, industry conferences and other events delivered throughout the year.  
  • Darwin International Film Festival is the biggest film event in the Northern Territory with a strong focus on showcasing local, First Nations and South East Asian content.
  • Flickerfest Film Festival is Australia’s only Academy® Award qualifying and BAFTA recognised competitive international short film festival providing local filmmakers with an Australian link to top tier international awards.
  • Flickerfest National Tour provides audiences in every state and territory, across more than 40 venues, the opportunity to engage with international and local screen culture and short films, and the chance to be seen by a much wider audience.
  • Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an internationally recognised festival presenting a curated global program of innovative screen experiences and offering a unique vertical pathway for Australian projects to progress from script to screen. 
  • MIFF 37˚South Market and Accelerator Lab is a film co-financing market and talent development program that runs parallel to MIFF, fostering the growth and development of Australian screen content practitioners and providing pathways to connect with the international marketplace. 
  • Play Now Melbourne is a dedicated business-to-business digital games industry event held during Melbourne International Games Week, providing pre-event training and development to participating gamemakers and the Australian games sector, and connects local developers with international investment.
  • Sydney Film Festival is one of the longest running film festivals in the world presenting 12 days of bold, provocative and inclusive programming alongside talks, panels, parties and industry events. 
  • On the road since 1974, the Travelling Film Festival brings outstanding Australian and international cinema to regional audiences across NSW, NT and Queensland. 
  • Winda Film Festival, in partnership with Placemaking NSW, is a First Nations-led event that brings audiences together to immerse themselves in the stories of emerging and established First Nations filmmakers. 

More information about the Australian Festival and Events fund is available here.