by FilmInk Staff
The award-winning Blacktown Shorts Film Festival is back and is calling for short film proposals from western Sydney filmmakers.
For the second year in a row, Blacktown Arts are partnering with Sydney Opera House to premiere 3 new short film commissions under their iconic sails.
Blacktown Shorts Film Festival offers filmmakers funding to make new work, industry mentorship, professional development and screening opportunities. The program provides a platform for creatives to share their voices, develop their skills and advance their practice in the film industry.
Successful filmmaking teams will receive up to $7,000 to produce their proposed short film.
This year Festival Curator, Vonne Patiag, alongside a newly established Associate Curator will work collaboratively with Blacktown Arts to oversee the curatorial and selection process. They will also brief and liaise with the successful filmmaking teams and provide logistical and producing support.
Blacktown City Mayor, Brad Bunting said ‘Blacktown Shorts Film Festival is a celebration of creativity, talent and bold storytelling from the heart of western Sydney. We’re proud to support a program that not only gives emerging filmmakers the chance to develop their craft but also connect them with audiences on major national stages, from the Sydney Opera House to various film festivals. Western Sydney stories matter. They resonate, they connect, and they continue to shape the cultural voice of our city. This festival reflects our city’s creativity and Council’s commitment to supporting local voices in film’.
Blacktown Shorts Film Festival is a recurring screen program running since 2019. In 2024 the program was presented at the iconic Sydney Opera House to a sold-out audience, and later that year also won the 2024 fbi.radio SMAC award, for best arts program.
A number of previously commissioned Blacktown Shorts Film Festival filmmakers have gone on to have their works screened at Sydney Film Festival, Pasifika Film Fest and Made in the West Film Festival.
Applications close Monday 30 June, 11.59 pm
For more information visit: https://blacktownarts.com.au/seasons/winter-2025/
Image: Behind the scenes of ‘This Town Talks’. Photography by Nicole Cadelina, 2024 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival filmmaker.
