by FilmInk Staff
Entries Now Open, $150,000 in prizes on offer
Flickerfest, Australia’s leading and only Oscar® Qualifying and BAFTA recognised short film festival has joined forces with leading optical retailer Specsavers for a fourth consecutive year with a dynamic competition that will again further the careers of emerging talent.
Up and coming talented Australian film makers are encouraged to get behind the camera to deliver their very own ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’ film.
Entries are now open, and the brief is simple; filmmakers across the country are invited to deliver a completed 30 second short film in the tone of Specsavers’s iconic ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’ ad.
Following a rigorous judging process, five finalists will be announced and awarded $20,000 in prize money and have their entries shown at Flickerfest’s opening festival at Bondi in January 2027. Then the voting will be opened to the public to decide the major prize winner who will take home an additional $50,000, on top of their $20,000 prize money. The winner who creates a lasting impression will get their talents noticed, both on the Flickerfest big screen and amplified by media around the country across 2027.
Festival Director Bronwyn Kidd said: “This is the fourth year of our partnership, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to work with the team at Specsavers again to be able to support and nurture an Australian creative to develop their skills through this wonderful career initiative.
“At Flickerfest, we are committed to finding pathways to support Australian filmmakers beyond our festival and it’s fantastic to partner with brands such as Specsavers who support us in our vision to discover, reward and further career opportunities for Australian talent in such a meaningful way.”
Anri McHugh, Head of Marketing, Awareness & Consideration at Specsavers, said: “After changing our competition mechanic last year, we were blown away by the level of creativity submitted by Australian filmmakers. We’re excited to bring the competition back to support even more creatives, and we can’t wait to see their interpretation of ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’. We’re looking for work that captures the simple human truth at the heart of every ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’ execution: when people don’t see clearly, everyday moments can go humorously wrong.”
The five finalist films will premiere on the big screen at the 36th Flickerfest 2027 in Bondi, 22nd to 31st January, launching before the festival’s prestigious programmes, before appearing in 40 other venues around the country as part of the Flickerfest national tour from Feb-Oct 2027.
The major prize winner will be announced at the close of Flickerfest 2027 on the 31st of January 2027.
Entries for the Specsavers Flickerfest competition are now open and close on November 18th. The five finalists will be announced in early-December.
