By Rebecca Whitehead
From over 3,500 entries in the awards across Australia, SmartFone FlickFest – SF3 to the film industry – won the award for best Performing Arts business in front of a packed house of more than 1,000 guests at the Star Event Centre in Sydney on Saturday, 3 September.
The Australian Small Business Champions Awards have been running for over twenty years and are designed to champion excellence in Australian business in the retail, services and manufacturing industries. The awards are open to all businesses in Australia within those industries, under strict guidelines. The retail and service industry categories are open to businesses with fewer than 40 employees, giving SF3 and other small creative businesses the edge when it comes to promoting excellence in the Arts.
The SF3 Film Festival was designed for budding creatives who desire to make a film, and provides several categories for filmmakers to enter, including a specific category for young people. The Festival is open to anyone with a smartphone or tablet, and according to SF3, provides ‘a platform for budding, emerging and professional filmmakers to bring their ideas to life.’
One big drawcard of the Festival, says SF3, is that entrants have the chance to get their film seen by a global audience. The festival is also open to filmmakers worldwide. SF3 is no new kid on the block, either, with 2022 being SF3’s 8th festival season.
Gone are the days when film festivals were only for established filmmakers with big budgets and even bigger cameras. SF3 is attempting to make filmmaking open to all, and was recognised for its efforts at the Business Champion Awards.
The SF3 directorial crew was ecstatic to have won the award, and pleased with the win in the face of strong competition.
“We are so excited to have won this award, and beat out so many incredible Aussie performing arts companies,” says Angela Blake [pictured], Co-Founder & Director SF3.
While the submission deadline for the SF3 2022 season closed in early September, submissions for next year’s Festival should be well-contested. Categories include the SF3 Kids & SF360, SF3 Mini and the Feature Film Category.
The Australian Small Business Champions Awards are held over two nights every year, billed as ‘the Oscars of Small Business.’ More information can be found at businesschampions.com.au.
The 2022 SF3 Film Festival will run both live and online from November 5th to November 20th. Get your tickets and check out the Festival at sf3.com.au.