Sydney Film School Film Festival

Sydney Film School showcases the best films produced by second semester students, before they go on to screen at festivals nationally and around the world at their annual Film Festival.

Sydney Film School is internationally renowned for producing top notch short films. Since inception, 32 SFS films have screened in 43 prestigious film festivals locally and abroad with 6 first prizes. Dedicated to the credo of compassion, curiosity and courage through the art of film, Sydney Film School is at the forefront of nurturing the future of the Australian film industry.

Sydney Film School Film Festival runs over 2 days of screenings, where students and graduates will be recognised amid their peers in a post screening award presentation, with Awards including Best Drama and Best Documentary, to name a few. Each category is judged by the teaching staff and outside industry professionals particular to each discipline. Each festival, students also have the chance to win the prestigious Chairman?s Award with a cash prize of $5000, for outstanding filmmaking.

Each Festival to date has invited a high profile industry figure to address the audience of students and guests. Aiming to inspire and inform Key Note Speakers have included eminent Directors Phillip Noyce, George Miller, Tom Zubrycki, Gillian Armstrong, former Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating and renowned actor Barry Otto.

Sydney Film School also invites one student film from another international film school to screen at each festival, as a significant way to strengthen ties between the school and the international community. SFS is extremely pleased to announce the screening of /Farewell /Directed by Irena Skoric from the Drama Academy, Zagreb. The film will be introduced by special guest Goroslav Keller, Consul General of Croatia.

Sydney Film School is one of only two training facilities in Australia that has its own dedicated distribution arm to give ?life? to their student?s films. Graduate films are constantly being exposed to audiences around the country and the world, with many garnering high acclaim and awards.

In 2007 / 08 alone, Sydney Film School films have screened at the following Film Festivals:
May 07 Cannes Film Festival, France
Aug 07 Palm Springs Festival of Short Films, USA
Sep 07 Calgary International Film Festival, Canada
Sep 07 Asian Film Symposium, Singapore
Oct 07 WOW Film Festival, Australia
Nov 07 Kyoto International Film Festival, Japan
Nov 07 San Luis Cine International Film Festival, Argentina
Dec 07 Asian Festival of First Films, Singapore (/Richard/ Winner ? Best Director for Documentary)
Mar 08 Singapore Short International Film Festival, Singapore
May 08 St Kilda Film Festival, Australia (/My Dad Susan /Winner ? Best Documentary)
May 08 Dungog Film Festival, Australia
Oct 08 Kawasaki Film Festival, Japan
Nov 08 One Take Film Festival, Zagreb, Croatia (/7:23/ Winner ? Grand Prix)
Dec 08 Japanese Film Festival, Sydney, Australia

Students from Sydney Film School are spring boarded into the industry through their experiences and connections at SFS. A few recent examples include:
Brian Lye?s documentary/ Mr Hector Dudley/ will be screening at the Museum of Sydney as part of the exhibition /Tails of the City: Sydney?s Passion for Pets /13 December, 2008 ? 22 March, 2009.
Brian Lien?s film /7:23/ - Grand Prix winner: 4^th One Take Film Festival, Croatia November 2008.
Gracie Otto and Michael McLennan were invited to attend the Kawasaki Shinyuri Film Festival in October in Tokyo for a screening of their films /Tango Tois /and /Go Quickly /and partake in a forum speaking about their films, after both won the Best Film Award at the Australian-Japan Student Film Forum at the Japanese Film Festival (Australia) in 2005 and 2007.
Maya Newell?s award winning documentary /Richard/ was released nationally on DVD in October 2008 through Siren Visuals.