by FilmInk Staff
The Smart Fone Flick Fest (SF3) enters its big 10th year after a stellar rise.
Australia’s own international short film festival for movies shot entirely on phones has again drawn hundreds of entries from around the world. And the best of the best – in six categories – will be screened live at the Palace Chauvel Cinema, Paddington in Sydney on the weekend of 16-17 November, as well as online until 2 December.
Plus – in partnership with the annual MINA Festival in Melbourne – SF3 hosts a joint festival on Friday 8th November at ACMI in Federation Square, featuring the best of local and international smartphone films.
The 2024 SF3 Gala Finals take place Saturday 16th November from 6:30pm after a red-carpet pre-screening party from 5pm with photo wall and a cash bar – with great networking opportunities.
Then, on Sunday 17th November at 11am is the SF3 Kids Screening & Awards Ceremony, followed by a masterclass at 3pm and the Feature Film and Mini Screening from 5pm.
The Gala Finals – the biggest truest celebration of the world’s best in smartphone cinema – feature 18 stories from 18 of the best filmmakers from across the world. There are eight local films – from stories of a demon-possessed dog to two brothers heading to a funeral with some randoms, to reflections on life in Hong Kong. Plus, some very moving – and some very funny – documentaries. A slew of awards are up for grabs and more than $50,000 worth of prizes are on offer.
The SF3 Kids program is a powerhouse of talent, with the youngest filmmaker this year just 4 years old – plus a 6yo and a 7yo too! With young teen talent also on show, this is the group to look out for in the coming years. As Festival Director Angela Blake says: “They’ll blow audiences away with their technical prowess, sheer heart and authenticity!”
For the first time SF3 will screen two feature films by teenage filmmakers!
Voices Unheard is by Aaron Scully and his teenage acting class from the Hills Drama School in Glenhaven. LIAR is by 19-year-old first-time filmmaker, Tay Barrientos, from Endeavour Hills in Melbourne, who wrote, directed, edited and stars in this terrific movie.
Some superb international feature films from the USA, Canada, Poland, India and China that push the boundaries of story-telling and the craft of filmmaking will play at SF3 Online.
One of these features, Pine Cone, is by a Bollywood director, Onir, who could not get funding for this Queer love story in conservative India. So, he filmed it on his iPhone!
Your Roots Are Showing (pictured right), from the USA, is a doco on the joy of proudly going grey. And Forget What You Know by a local First Nations filmmaker, is a powerful short documentary about anorexia. Plus, Circumcision, by Yuri Zeltser, friend and colleague of Phillip Noyce.
The SF3 Mini films come from across Australia as well as Kazakhstan, Argentina, Iran, the USA, Portugal, the UK and New Zealand.
SF3 is proud that is has representation for all and will screen 6 films from filmmakers with a disability. These include Mini screenings of Sarah Armstrong’s Stacey and her Toy Duck, Michael Harris’ Tale of Two Cameras, and Nina Bedford’s and Craig Vance’s (support worker) The Girl Who Sang for Their Supper. All three are products of national SF3 touring workshops.
Others include Steve Grace and Jason Brown’s Doctor Time. (Highly-commended); previous SF3 Kids winner Connor Tattersall – who has autism – with After Adam; plus, SF3 Kids film Charlie’s Crusade, A Tale of Courage and Cleanliness by Megan West and students of Callaghan College Jesmond Senior Campus Support Unit – all of whom have a range of disabilities and some of whom identify as First Nations.
This year also had the highest number of entries from First Nations filmmakers and among those screening are:
- A Novel Week by Erskineville’s Waiaria (Aria) Macedone-Hunt in SF3 Kids;
- Durangen by Jenny Fraser from Mount Barney, QLD, in the Highly-Commended screening (online); and
- 14yo Charli Fletcher of Randwick who was also a Gala Finalist in 2023 with her movie
Don’t Ignore Me – a social media horror film!
There are some spectacularly creative entries in the brand new AI category, including one from an Aussie teen and another from a regional NSW filmmaker about brumbies in the Snowy Mountains. These will screen as part of SF3 Online, together with Social Video Finalists.
SF3 Online will be live from November 18th to December 2nd. Tickets on sale soon through Sight Vault. Tickets to all live events on sale here – https://events.humanitix.com/the-10th-annual-smartfone-flick-fest-sf3 Plus: early bird 20% discount until October 15th with the code SF3EARLYBIRD.
Major Sponsor, Blackmagic Design’s CEO Grant Petty said his company was proud to support SF3 2024 and emerging creatives bringing their visions to life through smartphone filmmaking. “The best creative tools shouldn’t be limited to Hollywood. Apps like ours remove traditional barriers by providing professional digital film camera controls and image processing capabilities to the camera everyone has available: the one in your pocket.”
SF3’s 2024 Ambassadors are celebrated Hollywood/Australian Director Phillip Noyce, Australia’s top actresses Kerry Armstrong and Nicole da Silva, National Geographic & NASA
Cinematographer Pieter de Vries, Producer Anthony Kierann, Red Dog filmmaker Kriv Stenders, disability advocate Emily Prior, film journalist Garry Maddox, actor and award winning writer Christopher Stollery, the world’s best smartphone filmmaker Jason van Genderen and Venezuelan Star Luis Fernandez.
SF3 Judges are the best of the best in the film industry and include some of the top working writers, filmmakers, directors, cinematographers, producers, casting directors, composers and educators from across Australia, America and Africa including: Louis Nowra, Megan Riakos, Stephanie Pringle, Alison Fowler, Alan Nurthen, Pieter de Vries, Jack Brislee, Anthony Kierann, Katharine Rogers, Ros Gentle, Anthony Montes, Joe Ochman, Sophia Christopher, Sue Smithers, Talin Agon, Roxanne Prophet, Yolandi Franken, Karishma Mathur, Wayne Tunks, Oladipo O’Fresh, Danni Spenxer, Michele Jedlicka, Jordon Briggs, Adrian Jeffs and Thomas Duncan-Watt.
The festival also boasts the generous support of some of the leaders and best companies working in the filmmaking and smartphone filmmaking worlds. These include:
2024 Major Sponsors – Blackmagic Design and Luma Touch
2024 Silver Sponsors – Melodie and Accounting Heart
2024 Bronze Sponsor – Chicken & Chips Casting and Rubber Monkey
2024 Prize Sponsors include: Screen Actors Workshop, StoryBoard Quick, the ACS, Ribbet, iPitch,tv, Ink Tip, the AWG, WIFT NSW, AACTA/AFI, SPA, the ADG, Backstage, Shot Lister, the AGSC, Star Now, FilmLocal, DreamGrip, Song Saga, Trenear Printing, Zacuto, Reeflex, NIDA, The Hub Studio, WriterDuet and Spineless Wonders.
Festival Director Angela Blake said it was fitting that in its 10 year, SF3 had been inundated with the most incredible stories and films from far across Australia and the world. “It’s honestly been the hardest year yet to pick our finalists and I’m so deeply proud of all our SF3 films. We had over 360 films entered including a record 45 feature films! All shot on phones! Our youngest filmmaker is just 6 years old and our eldest is in their 60s. We have a film for everyone; from a game of truth or dare gone wrong to a gang of New Zealand nursing home residents outsmarting a spammer! SF3 is one of the funnest film festivals, full of inclusive, accessible and affordable filmmaking. We hope to see you there walking our red-carpet and being inspired to pick up your phone and shoot a film too!”
Smart Fone Flick Fest (SF3) 2024
Gala Finals Sat 16 Nov 6.30pm (red carpet party from 5pm)
SF3 Kids and Awards Ceremony Sun 17 Nov 11am
Masterclass 3pm | Feature Films & Mini Screening 5pm
Palace Chauvel Cinema, 249 Oxford St, Paddington
Tickets $18-40 plus booking fee
Plus, MINA (Live in Melbourne 8 Nov) and SF3 Online (18 Nov to 2 Dec)
All tickets, more info, trailers and SF3 online details: www.sf3.com.au
