Film festivals in NSW listed here cover Sydney and regional destinations, including Flickerfest at Bondi, Newcastle International Short Film Festival and Byron Bay International Film Festival. Compare the programmes and accepted formats before choosing where to submit. Check location or production requirements as well as premiere rules: a festival being held in NSW does not by itself make your film eligible.
Submission calendar (22)
├─┤ Submissions▬ Festival┄ Approximate / recurring dates│ Today: 2026-11-09
Next festival edition and its preceding submission window; closed windows stay visible. Dashed boxes show possible months, not confirmed days. Scroll for all festivals and months; hover a row for dates.
Submission windows and festival dates for the current filters
Festival
Dates by month
FOASubmissions: opens Feb 2026 (approx.); closes Jul 2026 (approx.). Opens Feb · Closes Jul. Festival: Oct 2026 – Nov 2026 (approx.).
Made in the West Film FestivalSubmissions: opens Mar 2026 (approx.); closes 9 Oct 2026 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens Mar · Closes early Oct. Festival: Nov 2026 (approx.).
SF3Submissions: opens Nov 2025 (approx.); closes 1 Sep 2026 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens Nov · Closes early Sep. Festival: Oct 2026 – Nov 2026 (approx.).
CCFFSubmissions: opens Mar 2026 (approx.); closes 1 Sep 2026. Opens Mar · Closes early Sept. Festival: 14 Nov 2026 – 21 Nov 2026.
NiSFFSubmissions: opens Dec 2025 (approx.); closes 10 Nov 2026. Opens Dec · Closes early Nov. Festival: 20 Nov 2026 – 21 Nov 2026.
FLiCKERFESTSubmissions: opens Jun 2026 (approx.); closes 14 Oct 2026. Opens Jun · Closes mid-Oct. Festival: 22 Jan 2027 – 31 Jan 2027.
AntennaSubmissions: opens Apr 2026 (approx.); closes 31 Oct 2026. Opens Apr · Closes late Oct. Festival: 4 Feb 2027 – 14 Feb 2027.
TropfestSubmissions: opens Dec 2026 (approx.); closes 5 Jan 2027. Opens Dec · Closes early Jan. Festival: 13 Feb 2027 – 13 Feb 2027.
MGFFSubmissions: opens Sep 2026 (approx.); closes 8 Dec 2026. Opens mid-Sep · Closes early Dec. Festival: 18 Feb 2027 – 4 Mar 2027.
NIFFASubmissions: opens Oct 2026 (approx.); closes 10 Jan 2027. Opens Oct · Closes Jan. Festival: 17 Mar 2027 – 27 Jun 2027.
SWIFF / NextwaveSubmissions: opens Jun 2026 (approx.); closes 25 Oct 2026 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens mid-year · Closes late Oct. Festival: Apr 2027 (approx.).
SWIFFSubmissions: opens Jan 2026 (approx.); closes 30 Nov 2026. Opens Jan · Closes Nov. Festival: 11 Apr 2027 – 17 Apr 2027.
FFFASubmissions: opens Sep 2026 (approx.); closes 31 Jan 2027. Opens late Sep · Closes late Jan. Festival: 23 Apr 2027 – 16 May 2027.
SFFSubmissions: opens Oct 2026 (approx.); closes 26 Feb 2027. Opens Oct · Closes late Feb. Festival: 9 Jun 2027 – 20 Jun 2027.
SUFFSubmissions: opens Feb 2027 (approx.); closes 15 Jul 2027 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens Feb · Closes mid-Jul. Festival: Sep 2027 (approx.).
Dark Nights Film FestSubmissions: opening TBC; closing TBC. Opening TBC · Closes Aug. Festival: Oct 2027 (approx.).
SSFFFSubmissions: opens Oct 2026 (approx.); closes 27 Aug 2027. Opens mid-Oct · Closes late Aug. Festival: 15 Oct 2027 – 17 Oct 2027.
BBFFSubmissions: opens Nov 2026 (approx.); closes 31 Aug 2027. Opens Nov · Closes late Aug. Festival: 22 Oct 2027 – 31 Oct 2027.
Includes festival dates for all current matches. Approximate dates cover the possible months and are marked tentative. This is a one-time import; changes here will not sync automatically.
International short film festival organised by NOVA Employment celebrating the achievements and abilities of people with disability. Free to enter for films up to 5 minutes across school, open, and international short film and documentary categories, competing for substantial cash and mentoring prizes alongside online public voting.
Liverpool, NSW · Event Cinemas Liverpool This month
Entries open Mar 2027
Festival
November
Entries
Opens Mar · Closes early Oct
Fees
$35–$50 AUD (early bird to late round)
Submit via
Direct portal (festival website)
Western Sydney's flagship short film festival, screening finalists at Event Cinemas Liverpool. Films must be under 30 minutes and have cast, crew or locations from Western Sydney.
Australia's international smartphone film festival dedicated to films shot entirely on mobile phones and tablets. Features competitions for Gala Shorts (under 20 mins), Feature Films, SF3 Kids, and SF3 Mini.
Ettalong Beach, NSW · Cinema Paradiso Next: 14 Nov 2026 (in 5 days)
Entries open Mar 2027
Festival
14–21 Nov 2026
Entries
Opens Mar · Closes early Sept
Fees
$10–$115 AUD across categories · Student and local rates available
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Australian and international features, mid-length films and shorts, with documentary, animation, music video and experimental categories. Dedicated categories recognise Central Coast productions, students, under-18 filmmakers and First Nations work.
Newcastle, NSW · The Royal Exchange Hybrid Performance Space & Cinema Next: 20 Nov 2026 (in 11 days)
Closing soon · entries close 10 Nov
Festival
November
Entries
Opens Dec · Closes early Nov
Fees
~$7–$24 AUD ($6–$22 student)
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Short film festival held at The Royal Exchange in Newcastle celebrating Australian, regional NSW, and international short films up to 20 minutes across drama, comedy, horror, sci-fi, documentary, animation, and phone films. Newcastle premiere status strictly required.
Bondi Beach, Sydney, NSW · Bondi Pavilion Next: 22 Jan 2027 (in 2 months)
Entries open Jun 2027
Festival
January
Entries
Opens Jun · Closes mid-Oct
Fees
~$17–$60 AUD (Specsavers TVC ad competition free)
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Australia's leading Academy Award® and BAFTA qualifying international short film festival, staged at Bondi Pavilion on Bondi Beach. Requires Australian premieres for competitive shorts up to 35 minutes.
Creative non-fiction from Australia and around the world. Feature documentaries (60 min or longer) compete for a $10,000 cash prize; Australian short documentaries (30 min or less) compete for $5,000. Sydney premiere required.
Sydney, NSW · The Domain Next: 13 Feb 2027 (in 3 months)
Entries open Dec
Festival
13 Feb 2027
Entries
Opens Dec · Closes early Jan
Fees
$65 early bird · $95 standard; currency unconfirmed
Submit via
Direct portal (festival website)
Short films including titles and credits, incorporating the 2027 signature item NECKLACE. Competition directors must be Australian citizens or permanent residents; international filmmakers may screen out of competition. World premiere required, with finalist exclusivity until 31 March 2027.
Sydney, NSW · Event Cinemas George St & Dendy Newtown Next: 18 Feb 2027 (in 3 months)
Closing soon · entries close 8 Dec
Festival
February / March
Entries
Opens mid-Sep · Closes early Dec
Fees
Shorts $30–$40 AUD · Features $50–$60 AUD
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Organised by Queer Screen, MGFF is one of the world's largest LGBTQIA+ film festivals. Home of the 'My Queer Career' Australian short film competition with over $16,000 AUD in prizes and no Sydney premiere requirement.
National festival accepting features, documentaries and shorts connected to India, the Indian diaspora or Indo-Australian culture. Australian premiere required, and competition films must not be publicly available online. The 2027 circuit includes Sydney, regional NSW and other Australian capitals and regional centres.
Presented by SWIFF (Screenwave International Film Festival), Nextwave is Australia's largest regional youth short film festival open to filmmakers aged 10-25 with films up to 5 minutes.
Sydney, NSW · Palace Cinemas Moore Park Next: 11 Apr 2027 (in 5 months)
Closing soon · entries close 30 Nov
Festival
11–17 Apr 2027
Entries
Opens Jan · Closes Nov
Fees
Shorts/music videos $37–$105 · Features $100–$200 · Other categories vary; currency unconfirmed
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Features, shorts, documentaries, animation, music videos, web series and screenplays supporting women and non-binary filmmakers. Film entries require both an eligible key creative and protagonist. NSW cinematic release and online availability restrictions apply, with exceptions for web series and music videos.
Genre festival for sci-fi, horror, fantasy and boundary-pushing cinema, screening at Lido Cinemas (Melbourne) and Ritz Cinemas (Sydney). Australian features compete for the $10,000 Fantastic Film Prize, presented with Umbrella Entertainment. VIC and NSW premieres required for features.
Sydney, NSW · State Theatre & Dendy Newtown Next: 9 Jun 2027 (in 7 months)
Open for entries · closes 26 Feb 2027
Festival
June
Entries
Opens Oct · Closes late Feb
Fees
~$45 AUD flat fee (free for First Nations & Screenability)
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Features, documentaries and shorts (under 40 min). NSW premiere strictly required for features. Home of the Academy-qualifying Dendy Awards, Sustainable Future Award, and the $20,000 Documentary Australia Award.
Accepts shorts, documentaries, animation and music videos from Australia-based filmmakers aged 15–24, including students and non-students of any nationality. Entries must have been completed within two years of the deadline; previously published films are accepted.
Merimbula, NSW · The Twyford Next: Aug 2027 (in 9 months)
Entries open Mar 2027
Festival
August
Entries
Opens Mar · Closes late May
Fees
~$25–$45 AUD
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Regional NSW festival showcasing films by regional and remote Australian filmmakers (at least two key creatives must reside in regional/remote Australia). Features short films under 40 minutes and features up to 90 minutes.
Sydney, NSW · Event Cinemas George Street Next: Aug 2027 (in 9 months)
Submission dates TBC
Festival
Aug / Sept
Entries
Next submission window TBC
Fees
Next fee schedule not confirmed
Submit via
FilmFreeway
LGBTQIA+ features and shorts with significant queer characters or themes. Includes an emerging narrative feature competition for first or second features. Australian shorts are encouraged to consider the organiser's separate Mardi Gras festival for My Queer Career eligibility.
Sydney, NSW · Event Cinemas George Street Next: Sep 2027 (in 10 months)
Submission dates TBC
Festival
September
Entries
Opening TBC · Closes July
Fees
$36–$45 USD · Previous-cycle rates
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Short films with at least three female key creatives. Fiction must pass the Bechdel Test, with discretion for documentaries and other forms that cannot technically meet it. Films must not have been broadcast on Australian television or widely distributed online before the festival.
Marrickville, Sydney, NSW · The Factory Theatre Next: Sep 2027 (in 10 months)
Entries open Feb 2027
Festival
September
Entries
Opens Feb · Closes mid-Jul
Fees
Shorts $30–$55 AUD · Features $45–$75 AUD
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Dedicated to provocative, independent, counter-culture, and boundary-pushing cinema. Staged at The Factory Theatre in Marrickville across features, shorts, documentaries, and animation.
Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW · The Reservoir Cinema Next: Oct 2027 (in 11 months)
Submission dates TBC
Festival
October
Entries
Opening TBC · Closes Aug
Fees
Fee schedule not confirmed
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Horror and dark-genre short films, webisodes, narrative music videos and unproduced screenplays. Film submissions must be under 30 minutes, retain NSW premiere status and meet public-availability restrictions. The festival reserves most short-film slots for its open call.
Sydney, NSW · Event Cinemas George St Next: 15 Oct 2027 (in 11 months)
Open for entries · closes 27 Aug 2027
Festival
October
Entries
Opens mid-Oct · Closes late Aug
Fees
Shorts $20–$40 AUD · Features $40–$65 AUD
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Australia's premier dedicated science-fiction, fantasy, and speculative cinema festival. Showcases local and international speculative features, shorts, animations, and student works.
Byron Bay, NSW · Palace Byron Bay Next: 22 Oct 2027 (in 11 months)
Open for entries · closes 31 Aug 2027
Festival
October
Entries
Opens Nov · Closes late Aug
Fees
$30–$75 AUD depending on category and tier
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Celebrates independent cinema across dramatic features, documentaries, shorts, animations, surf/environmental films, and VR/XR. Prefers NSW premieres for major titles and awards cash prizes.
