by FilmInk Staff
Adelaide’s bold and boundary-pushing film festival returns 20-31 October 2027 and announces new annual investment funding call
The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) has officially announced the dates for its 2027 festival, with the event set to take place from Wednesday 20 October to Sunday 31 October 2027.
The announcement follows a record-breaking 2026 festival, which delivered the highest audience engagement in AFF’s history, including its strongest ticketing performance to date and an unprecedented number of sold-out sessions across the 12-day event.
Building on this momentum, AFF is now calling for submissions from filmmakers and distributors worldwide for feature films, documentaries and shorts seeking selection for AFF 2027 and, in a significant development for Australian filmmakers, AFF has also announced a new annual call for Expressions of Interest through the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF).
For more than two decades, Adelaide Film Festival has built a reputation as one of Australia’s most adventurous and influential film festivals, championing new voices, celebrating world cinema and launching groundbreaking Australian stories onto the international stage.
Since 2003, and with the support of the South Australian Government, AFFIF has invested in more than 170 screen projects, helping create some of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary films and documentaries.
The 2027 investment round is seeking feature fiction and feature documentary projects from Australian producers that will complete production in time to premiere at either AFF 2027 or AFF 2028. Projects due to deliver in 2029 are also encouraged to engage with AFF for preliminary consideration.
To be eligible, projects must demonstrate creative, cultural and/or economic benefit to South Australia.
AFFIF-supported titles continue to attract national and international acclaim ranging from Wolfram, directed by Warwick Thornton; Lesbian Space Princess, winner of the prestigious Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival to the global horror phenomenon Talk to Me, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou.
The AFFIF-supported feature directorial debut of acclaimed actor and filmmaker Tilda Cobham-Hervey It’s All Going Very Well… starring Jonathan Pryce alongside Cobham-Hervey will receive its Australian Premiere in partnership with Adelaide Festival on 13 March 2027.
The fund has supported significant First Nations stories including Kumarangk: Sacred Women’s Business, directed by Tracey Rigney, which sold out five sessions at AFF 2026 and won the Festival’s Audience Award. An encore presentation will be presented Sunday 14 March.
AFF is also inviting young South Australian filmmakers and schools to participate in AFF Youth, the festival’s statewide filmmaking initiative for school students.
Shortlisted films will screen at the annual AFF Youth Gala, one of the festival’s most anticipated community events, to be held on Thursday 28 October 2027.
School students are additionally invited to join the AFF Youth Jury, providing a unique opportunity to help shape the program and celebrate the work of emerging filmmakers from across South Australia. AFF encourages teachers to incorporate the filmmaking competition and AFF Youth program as part of their teaching plan for 2027.
Adelaide Film Festival CEO & Creative Director Mat Kesting said:
“The Adelaide Film Festival exists to discover, support and celebrate bold screen storytelling. Following the extraordinary response to our 2026 festival, we’re excited to open the doors to a new generation of filmmakers and projects.
“Through our Investment Fund and our festival platform, AFF continues to play a unique role in Australia’s screen ecology, backing ambitious work from development through to premiere and connecting audiences with some of the most exciting cinema from Australia and around the world. We’re looking forward to seeing the stories that will shape AFF 2027 and beyond.”
Key Dates
Adelaide Film Festival dates 20-31 October 2027
Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund – Expressions of Interest Close 10 February 2027. Submit here: adelaidefilmfestival.org/investment-fund
Adelaide Film Festival 2027 Submissions: adelaidefilmfestival.org
Early Bird Deadline: 27 April 2027
General Deadline: 27 May 2027
Last Chance Deadline: 8 June 2027
