by FIlmInk Staff
Sydney Opera House and Chauvel Paddington 23-25 January 2026
Australia’s own hit international film fest the Smart Fone Flick Fest (SF3), reached its glittering climax last weekend when its 11th annual festival screened a world of films – all made on smart phones – at the Sydney Opera House and Palace Chauvel in Paddington!
SF3 – the biggest festival of its kind on the globe – received around 450 entries this year from all over Australia and internationally, from filmmakers of all ages. The best of them faced off in front of a full house of industry A-listers, festival ambassadors and celebrity and industry judges for a share of more than $50,000 in prizes. They competed across 5 categories: SF3 Gala Finals, SF3 Kids, Feature Films, SF3 Mini (for films 3 mins or less – this year with a theme of ‘Breath’) and SF3 AI.
The premiere event, the Gala Finals, took place on Friday 23 January at The Playhouse Theatre at the Sydney Opera House and SF3 Kids the next afternoon – both starting with a pre-show red-carpet reception.
The SF3 Mini & Feature Films followed on Sunday at the final event of iconic Palace Chauvel Cinema in Paddington, Sydney.
Five Top awards – including Best Film, Best Film and Best Score – were scooped up by South African documentary Squashbox by SJ van Breda (pictures attached).
Three more – including Best Director – went to French film Umami by Aida Bahrami.
Australian films from Randwick, Bondi, Caringbah, Crestmeadow, Kyle Bay, Georges Hall, Unanderra (NSW) Braybrook and South Yarra (VIC) won another 11 awards in the Gala Finals section – and full details are in the attached list of winners! Photos for all (awards plus screen stills) are available.
In the SF3 Kids section, Best Primary School Film went to Aria, Frankie and Pina Macedone of Alexandria, NSW for Cooking with Frankie and Pina with Best High School Film to Dylan Quick of Caulfield, VIC for Colo(u)rful 3D Square. Best Director was Indianna Thompson of Ashbury, NSW for Communication. Special SF3 Kids Feature Film winner was Unholy Union by Aaron Scully and his students from Hills Drama (Rouse Hill, NSW).
Another 8 SF3 Kids awards went to young filmmakers from Frenchs Forest, Earlwood, Rosemeadow, Port Kembla, Jesmond (NSW), Waurn Ponds and Melbourne (VIC).
Best Feature Film went to James Demitri of Lewisham/Coogee for Fire Alive, a found footage horror film. A slew of special awards including Best Mini, Best Adaptation, Best Australian Mini and the Community Award – among others – went to filmmakers from Denham Court, Wollongong, Erskineville, (NSW), Korumburra (VIC) and Coomera (QLD).
Founder and festival director Angela Blake said the filmmakers aged 4-80 were thrilled to screen their work at the Sydney Opera House in front of sell-out audiences. “The quality in both story-telling and cinematic use of smartphones blew us away.” Hollywood director and festival ambassador Phillip Noyce said he was “immensely proud of the festival’s impact and its contribution to the evolution of cinema”.
SF3 Gala Finals Winners
SF3 Best Film, SF3 & Blackmagic Cam Award, SF3 Best Documentary & SF3 & ACS Best Cinematography Award Winner – Squashbox by SJ van Breda & the SF3 Best Original Score Award -by David ‘Qadasi’ Jenkins & Maqhinga Radebe SOUTH AFRICA
SF3 Best Director Award and SF3 & Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award– Umami by Aida Bahrami & the SF3 & ACS Best Cinematography Award Runner-Up – Umami by René Burleigh FRANCE
SF3 Best Original Score Award & SF3 #FILMBREAKER Award (for first time filmmakers)– My Wife Made Me Talk by Philippe Klaus RANDWICK
SF3 #FILMBREAKER Award – SUPERBOYFRIEND by Kristy McDonnell & Nehir Hatipoglu BONDI JUNCTION
SF3 & WIFT NSW Best Female Creative -Viol8te by Narelle Nash CARINGBAH
SF3 Best AI Film – The 5-Minute Empire by Tez Frost BRAYBROOK, VIC
SF3 First Nations Award – Brandon Geoffrey Fairly for Cactus UNANDERRA, NSW
SF3 and Chicken & Chips Pitch Award Winner – The Devil You Don’t Know by Tyrone Bruinsma CRESTMEADOW, QLD
SF3 & AWG Best Screenplay Award – My Wife Made Me Talk by Philippe Klaus, RANDWICK
SF3 & AWG Best Screenplay Award – Sundown Syndrome by Livia Hendricks KYLE BAY, NSW
SF3 Best Editing Award – UNSAVED by Ali Wells SOUTH YARRA, VIC
SF3 Best Actor Award – Rhys Sherlock for DRIFTER – BONDI
SF3 Best Actress Award – Kathy Luu for My Wife Made Me Talk GEORGES HALL
SF3 Kids Winners
SF3 Best Primary School Film Award, SF3 & Blackmagic Cam Award Primary School & SF3 Best Actress Award – Cooking with Frankie and Pina by Aria, Frankie & Pina Macedone ALEXANDRIA, NSW
SF3 Best High School Film Award and SF3 & ACS Best Cinematography Award Winner – Colo(u)rful 3D SQUARE by Dylan Quick CAULFIELD, VIC
SF3 Best Director Award – Communication by Indianna Thompson ASHBURY, NSW
SF3 & AWG Best Screenplay Award – Someone Like Me – An Allegory About Belonging by Ashley Black, Malachi Butler, Tyler Letcher, Chahlisah Wongsa, Lacey Mowbray, Dominic Beeton, Jack Wheeler & Chelsea Rowley-Sissions CALLAGHAN COLLEGE (DISABILITY) JESMOND, NSW
SF3 Best Editing Award – The Brother Duel by Andy Tang FRENCHS FOREST
SF3 Best Actor Award – Matthew Pieri for Communication EARLWOOD
SF3 Best Actress Award – Polina Kryvokyyzha, Sofiya Karmalita & Elina Myshanych for The City UKRAINE
SF3 Best Original Score Award – Paradise by Ella Grace Helton MELBOURNE
SF3 & Blackmagic Cam Award High School – They Call Me BART by Zac Deren WAURN PONDS, VIC
SF3 Community Award – The Heist by Jonathan Shaw & Josh and Joyce ROSEMEADOW, NSW
SF3 & ACS Best Cinematography Runner-Up Award – Aston Di Donato for NAÏVE PORT KEMBLA, NSW
SF3 Mini & Feature Film Award Winners
SF3 Kids Feature Film Award – Unholy Union by Aaron Scully and the Hills Drama School Advanced Teen Class – Leisel Hussey, Sierra Turner, Danielle Attard, Arwen Phillips, Fintan Hogan, Jared Elliott, Riley Fletcher, Riley Taylor & Aarushi Singla BAULKHAM HILLS, NSW
SF3 Feature Film Award – Fire Alive by James Demitri LEWISHAM/COOGEE
SF3 Founders’ Flick Pick – Not Born Yesterday by Michèle Jedlicka DELUNGRA, NSW
SF3 & Spineless Wonders Best Adaptation Award – The Park by Aaron Scully and the Hills Drama School Adult Class – Fintan Hogan, Fred Khan, Patrick Kucharski, Claire Peng & Emily Rankin (ROUSE HILL)
SF3 & Spineless Wonders Best Adaptation Award Author – CARPARK by Tanya Vavilova
SF3 Community Award – Kung Fu Debut by Bevan Garozzo DENHAM COURT
SF3 Best Australian Mini Award – NAMASTE by Vladimir Zokitch WOLLONGONG, NSW
SF3 Best Australian Mini Runner-Up Award – Over the Hill in Clackerville by Nathan Baldassero & Steven Caldwell COOMERA, QLD
SF3 Best Australian Mini Runner-Up Award – Auditum by Natasha Reynolds ERSKINEVILLE, NSW
SF3 Best International Mini Award – Signal by Hari Varma INDIA
SF3 Best International Mini Runner-Up Award – Sombras by Julia Papa & Olivia Cogorno
SF3 Best International Mini Runner-Up Award – Adam v Ammo by Kevin, Otis & Rose Jones USA
