Regional film festivals in Australia listed here include events in places such as Byron Bay, Gympie and Port Douglas, as well as festivals supporting local or regional filmmaking communities. A regional focus does not necessarily mean entries are restricted to local residents. Check production connections, local award eligibility and accepted formats before choosing a category and submitting.
├─┤ 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.
| Festival | Dates by month |
|---|---|
| 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.). | |
| NiSFFSubmissions: opens Dec 2025 (approx.); closes 10 Nov 2026. Opens Dec · Closes early Nov. Festival: 20 Nov 2026 – 21 Nov 2026. | |
| Understory Film FestivalSubmissions: opens Jun 2026 (approx.); closes 12 Oct 2026. Opens June · Closes Oct. Festival: 21 Nov 2026 – 21 Nov 2026. | |
| CFFSubmissions: opens Feb 2026 (approx.); closes 1 Nov 2026 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens Feb · Closes early Nov. Festival: Jan 2027 (approx.). | |
| PFFSubmissions: opens Feb 2026 (approx.); closes 4 Dec 2026. Opens Feb · Closes early Dec. Festival: 8 Jan 2027 – 12 Jan 2027. | |
| FFFSubmissions: opens Jun 2026 (approx.); closes 1 Dec 2026. Opens Jun · Closes early Dec. Festival: 6 Feb 2027 – 6 Feb 2027. | |
| GIFFSubmissions: opens Mar 2026 (approx.); closes 13 Jan 2027. Opens Mar · Closes Jan. Festival: 12 Mar 2027 – 19 Mar 2027. | |
| SWIFF / NextwaveSubmissions: opens Jun 2026 (approx.); closes 25 Oct 2026 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens mid-year · Closes late Oct. Festival: Apr 2027 (approx.). | |
| GPFFSubmissions: opens Aug 2026 (approx.); closes 29 Jan 2027. Opens Aug · Closes late Jan. Festival: 15 Apr 2027 – 18 Apr 2027. | |
| Vision Splendid Outback Film FestivalSubmissions: opens Aug 2026 (approx.); closes 1 Jun 2027. Opens Aug · Closes early June. Festival: 25 Jun 2027 – 3 Jul 2027. | |
| CinefestOZSubmissions: opens Feb 2027 (approx.); closes 1 Jun 2027 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens Feb · Closes June 1. Festival: Aug 2027 – Sep 2027 (approx.). | |
| FSFFSubmissions: opens Mar 2027 (approx.); closes 25 May 2027 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens Mar · Closes late May. Festival: Aug 2027 (approx.). | |
| Heart of GoldSubmissions: opens Mar 2027 (approx.); closes 30 Jun 2027 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens Mar · Closes mid-year. Festival: Sep 2027 – Oct 2027 (approx.). | |
| VSFFSubmissions: opens Feb 2027 (approx.); closes 7 May 2027. Opens Feb · Closes early May. Festival: 3 Sep 2027 – 5 Sep 2027. | |
| DIFFSubmissions: opens Mar 2027 (approx.); closes 18 Jun 2027. Opens Mar · Closes mid-Jun. Festival: 9 Sep 2027 – 19 Sep 2027. | |
| Fraser Shorts Film FestivalSubmissions: opens Oct 2026 (approx.); closes Sep 2027 (approx.). Opens Oct · Closes Sept. Festival: Oct 2027 (approx.). | |
| Port Shorts Film FestivalSubmissions: opens Apr 2027 (approx.); closes 1 Sep 2027 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens Apr · Closes early Sep. Festival: Oct 2027 (approx.). | |
| 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.
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Short film
Entries open Mar 2027
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.
Details for Made in the West Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Short film
Closing soon · entries close 10 Nov
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.
Details for Newcastle International Short Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Short film
Entries open Jun 2027
Short films by North and Far North Queensland filmmakers, including residents from Townsville through Cape York, the Gulf and Torres Strait Islands. Accepts documentary, animation, drama, experimental work and music videos; Best Film and People's Choice each receive a $2,500 cash prize.
Details for Understory Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Genre, identity & specialised
Entries open Feb 2027
Central Queensland festival screening features, documentaries, shorts (under 30 min), and experimental video art. Offers over $4,000 AUD in cash prizes across world-open and dedicated Central Queensland (CQ) categories. No premiere required for short films.
Details for Capricorn Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Short film
Closing soon · entries close 4 Dec
Iconic outdoor short film festival on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, judged live by a panel of celebrity judges with up to $30K in cash and prizes.
Details for Peninsula Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Short film
Closing soon · entries close 1 Dec
South Australia's premier outdoor short film festival held in the McLaren Vale wine region. Screens short fiction and documentaries with cash prizes and awards across Australian and international categories. Max 15 minutes.
Details for Fleurieu Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Genre, identity & specialised
Open for entries · closes 13 Jan 2027
International and Australian shorts, including regional and Gippsland categories, with features considered by arrangement. Previously screened and publicly available films can be considered without a premiere requirement. Student rates and a free local youth category are available.
Details for Gippsland International Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Genre, identity & specialised
Entries open Jun 2027
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.
Details for Screenwave / Nextwave Youth Film Fest Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Genre, identity & specialised
Open for entries · closes 29 Jan 2027
Regional Victoria's premier LGBTQIA+ film festival celebrating queer cinema from Australia and around the world. Accepts narrative features, shorts, documentaries, animation, and web series.
Details for Geelong Pride Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Genre, identity & specialised
Open for entries · closes 1 Jun 2027
Australian independent features, documentaries and shorts screened in outback Queensland. Short-film entries are limited to 10 minutes; feature-length work is also accepted.
Details for Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Major
Entries open Feb 2027
Premieres Australian and French-Australian features, documentaries, and shorts across regional WA. Home of the prestigious $100,000 AUD CinefestOZ Film Prize; Western Australian premiere required.
Details for CinefestOZ Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Genre, identity & specialised
Entries open Mar 2027
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.
Details for Far South Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Short film
Entries open Mar 2027
Regional Queensland festival celebrating heartwarming, inspiring, and uplifting short films from Australia and worldwide. Features fiction, documentary, animation, and student works. Max 30 minutes.
Details for Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Short film
Entries open Feb 2027
National short film festival premiering 2 to 5 minute Australian stories in Hobart before a nationwide tour. Competition films must incorporate the annual signature theme ('TURN' for 2027) and premiere at the festival. Free to enter across 18 & Under and 19 & Over categories.
Details for Very Short Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Deckchair Cinema photo by DaHuzyBru, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized).
Major
Entries open Mar 2027
Iconic outdoor cinema festival held at the waterfront Deckchair Cinema in Darwin. Features international, Australian, and Southeast Asian cinema; selected shorts receive a $100 screening fee.
Details for Darwin International Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Short film
Open for entries · closes Sep 2027
Short films across fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, environmental, First Nations, music video and student categories. Screenings take place in Maryborough and Hervey Bay. Only films made in the Fraser Coast region qualify for the local category.
Details for Fraser Shorts Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Short film
Entries open Apr 2027
Tropical outdoor short film festival in Far North Queensland and an official AACTA Awards qualifying event. Features Open, Local, Music Video, and Reel Futures youth categories under the palms at Rex Smeal Park.
Details for Port Shorts Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
Major
Open for entries · closes 31 Aug 2027
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.
Details for Byron Bay International Film Festival Submit (external site) Website (external site)
