Each year, Sydney Film Festival presents a diverse slate of features, documentaries and short films from around the world at venues across Sydney. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the 2022 Sydney Film Festival. Entries are open to features, documentaries, and short films.

Submissions for the Festival are being accepted through Film Freeway and will close on 25 February 2022 for international productions, as well as Australian productions, Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films, Sustainable Future Award and Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary.

The 2022 season will mark the 53rd year of the Festival’s Australian short film competition, making it the oldest short film competition in Australia. Since 1970, the competition has served as a launch pad for emerging Australian film talent, spring-boarding countless directors, producers and actors towards international success.

Entries are open to features, documentaries and short films in all categories of the Festival program, including:

• Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary competition, open to Australian documentaries of any length, winner receives a $10,000 cash prize. Winners are Academy Award-eligible.
• The Sustainable Future Award, presented to a narrative or documentary film of any length that deepens our knowledge and awareness of the impact of the global climate emergency. The director of the film receives a $10,000 cash prize, made possible by a syndicate of passionate climate activists led by award sponsor, Amanda Maple-Brown.
• The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films Live Action Award and Best Director (the Rouben Mamoulian Award) – both winners receive cash prizes of $7,000, sponsored by Dendy Cinemas, who have supported the Awards for 34 years. Winners are Academy Award-eligible.
• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Yoram Gross Animation Award, named in memory of the Australian animation producer and director Yoram Gross, provides a $5,000 cash prize to the best Australian animated short film. Winners are Academy Award-eligible.
• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Screenability, a non-competitive program for screen practitioners with disability, open to productions from Australia and overseas.
• ​​​​​​​First Nations program: submissions are encouraged from First Nation filmmakers around the world.

The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films and the DAF Award for Best Australian Documentary competition are open exclusively to Australian productions.

Before entering, Festival organisers urge all entrants to review the submission requirements closely, to ensure all entries meet premiere status and broader eligibility requirements. A small fee applies. Head to https://www.sff.org.au/info/submissions/ for full eligibility criteria and submission details.

DEADLINE
The closing date for all entries is 25 February 2022.