by FilmInk Staff
In the Palm of Your Hand! SF3 and Sydney Opera House present the Smartphone Festival’s 11th Year
The SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3) is Open for Entries!
The world’s biggest annual festival for smartphone filmmakers has launched its 11th year. And with the announcement of a venue partnership with the Sydney Opera House, entries are now extended until October 1st.
The hit film fest which regularly draws hundreds of entries from all over Australia and all over the Globe – from filmmakers of all ages – boasts more than $50,000 in prizes, across 5 categories.
This year’s categories are: The SF3 Gala Finals, SF3 Kids, Feature Films, SF3 Mini for films 3 mins or less (with a theme this year of ‘Breath’) and the second year of SF3 AI.
All Gala and SF3 Kids finalist films will screen the weekend Fri- 19 to Sun 22 Feb, 2026 at the Sydney Opera House. It is so exciting to bring films shot on the smallest screens to one of the world’s most iconic venues, the Sydney Opera House.
The Mini and Feature Film Finalists will screen at the Palace Chauvel the same week.
The huge celebration of smartphone cinema will include red-carpet premieres, a film sound masterclass with the team from Major Sponsor Rode, Networking Parties, Screenings and Award Ceremonies. There’s audience voting and the months leading up to the finals also offer free masterclasses on a range of creative and technical areas, including film adaptation, screenwriting and music composition.
There are 36 Awards including the major ‘gongs’: SF3 Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Screenplay, Best Feature Film and SF3 Best Kids Film. Special prizes again include the SF3 & Blackmagic Camera Award, the SF3 & Spineless Wonders Best Adaptation Award, SF3 First Nations Award, the SF3 & WIFT Best Female Creative Award.
This year SF3 has two incredible Major Sponsors: Blackmagic Design and Røde Microphones. Melodie Music is back as Silver Sponsor along with Luma Touch, Try and Byte Group and Melodie are offering the use of their whole music catalogue for all films made for SF3 2025. Bronze Sponsors are Chicken & Chips Casting. Ryan Burke, from Røde said powerful storytelling didn’t require big budgets — just big ideas. “SF3 continues to showcase filmmakers who are pushing creative limits with the gear they already have, and we are proud to support that. Sound is at the heart of great cinema, and we’re excited to help bring these stories to life.”
The slew of rich prize sponsors include StoryBoard Quick, the Australian Cinematographers Society, Ribbet, The Hub Studio, Ink Tip, the Australian Writers’ Guild, iPitch.tv, WIFT NSW, AACTA/AFI, Screen Producers Australia, Backstage, ShotLister, the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, StarNow, FilmLocal, Writer Duet, ACTS, Song Saga, Trenear Printing, the Australian Directors’ Guild, Spineless Wonders, Ironbark Digital and Reeflex.
Featured SF3 Ambassadors this year are Phillip Noyce, Kerry Armstrong, Nicole da Silva, John Batchelor, Anthony Kierann, Pieter de Vries, Jason van Genderen, Emily Prior and Luis Fernandez.
Judges include Louis Nowra, Ros Gentle (from Days of our Lives and Netflix’s The Residence), Fiona Loader, Jack Brislee, Serhat Caradee, Megan Riakos, Anthony Montes, Yolandi Franken, Joe Ochman, Stephanie Pringle, Alison Fowler, Wayne Tunks and Karishma Mathur.
SF3’s newest Ambassador, John Batchelor said he had the best time working on Dinner Expectations, which was shot on Smartphones. “It felt like we were in a new frontier on set. I come from a “the cameras aren’t there” school of acting and that wasn’t hard with smartphones. It was amazing how much space we could use in a small room because the cameras weren’t taking up all the space.”
Returning Ambassador and Aussie filmmaking legend Phillip Noyce said the essence of SF3 lies in “its empowerment of storytellers”.
“The festival exemplifies the fact that you don’t need expensive equipment or a lavish budget to convey a powerful narrative. This democratization of filmmaking resonates with me deeply. I have seen the struggle of many aspiring filmmakers to break into the industry. SF3 offers a solution, a platform where anyone, regardless of their background or resources, can showcase their vision and creativity. SF3 is a significant leap forward in making filmmaking accessible, empowering storytellers, leveraging technology, and supporting independent voices. As a filmmaker, I am immensely inspired by the festival’s impact and its contribution to the evolution of cinema. SF3 is more than just a festival; it is a movement, a testament to the power of storytelling, and a beacon for aspiring filmmakers worldwide. I am honoured to support this incredible platform and excited to see the myriad stories that will be told through its lens in the years to come.”
SF3 Founder and Festival Director, Angela Blake enthused that she was super-excited to share the best smartphone and tablet films from all around the world.
“With the most accessible and affordable tool in their hand, the only thing stopping anyone from making a film, is themselves! Everyone has a story to tell: we want first time filmmakers, student filmmakers and professional filmmakers. We want 5-year-olds all the way through to filmmakers in their 80s. We want diversity of stories, voices and genres. We‘re passionate about film and we are here to help anyone on their filmmaking journey!”
Stephanie Pringle from Chicken & Chips Casting said they were thrilled to be sponsoring SF3 for the ninth consecutive year. “The addition of the Casting Pitch Award gives emerging filmmakers a taste of what it’s like to work with a professional Casting Director and learn the Art of Casting and its importance in storytelling, performance and connecting audiences.”
The Melodie Team added: “From pocket to premiere, SF3 shows creativity has no limits. Melodie is proud to support SF3 and the next generation of inspiring filmmakers for a third consecutive year. We can’t wait to see (and hear) the submissions!”
SF3 takes place the weekend of February 20-22, 2026 at the Sydney Opera House
& the Palace Chauvel Cinema in Paddington, NSW.
Entries and full information info at www.sf3.com.au
