The Best Australian Short Film Competition: PerthNow launches country’s richest short film competition

What do Taika Waititi, Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola and Martin Scorsese have in common?

These legendary directors all got their start making short films, and PerthNow aims to unearth the next big thing in filmmaking with The Best Australian Short Film Competition.

In collaboration with SAE Creative Media Institute, the competition features a total prize pool of $77,500, making it the richest of its kind in Australia.

The West Australian redefined short storytelling with its incredibly successful The Best Australian Yarn, now in its second year, and PerthNow’s competition will do the same for short-format films, providing a staggering cash first prize of $30,000.

There will also be significant cash prizes for the best entries in a variety of individual categories, including First Nations, youth, animation and WA-made.

The winner of the SAE Emerging Talent Prize will get a $10,000 partial scholarship towards a bachelor degree in animation or film at SAE.

As fantastic as the prizes are, West Australian Newspapers editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie says there are other equally compelling reasons to enter the inaugural Best Australian Short Film Competition.

“It’s an opportunity for filmmakers to share their stories with a wider audience, to celebrate the power of storytelling through the art of short films, and to serve as a stepping stone for emerging talents,” De Ceglie tells PLAY.

SAE general manager Dr Luke McMillan said his organisation was “thrilled to be supporting up-and-coming filmmakers”.

“We’ve witnessed remarkable growth within the Australian film sector, and, as leaders in creative media education, this expansion has opened doors for our students to craft compelling content that sparks profound discussions and paves the way for successful careers in the industry,” Dr McMillan said.

All short-listed films will be available to view on PerthNow, WA’s No. 1 news and entertainment website, with the public having the chance to cast their vote for the $5000 People’s Choice prize.

Then an esteemed jury of industry experts will determine the winners.

Talking about the jury, any filmmaker would consider themselves lucky just to have their work viewed by this lot, which includes acclaimed WA director Zak Hilditch (These Final Hours), Gold Logie-nominated Indigenous actor Mark Coles Smith (Mystery Road: Origin), award-winning director Nel Minchin, Home and Away star and awarded playwright Kirsty Marillier and Perth Festival film curator Tom Vincent.

SAE film and animation course director Dr Teresa Rizzo will help judge the youth and emerging talent categories.

Coles Smith says it’s an honour to join such a distinguished panel to celebrate and showcase what he believes is “one of the most exciting and unique formats of storytelling for our screens”.

“Short films push the boundaries of creativity and encourage filmmakers, new and old, to focus their expression and distil their statements, to take risks, and explore with purpose, and this will be a wonderful opportunity to support and raise the profile of artists who collectively give voice to the stories of our nation,” the actor tells PLAY.

“When it comes to judging entries, I’ll be looking for work that is clear, insightful, and anchored in emotional truth, while also willing to experiment with the format itself, and my only advice to filmmakers is this: tell the story you want to tell, in the way you want to tell it.”

Marillier is similarly excited about a style of filmmaking she describes as one “that relies on big swings and gut-punching stories” to hook the audience.

“I’ll be looking for something that knows itself,” she says of her judging process.

“A short film with an intriguing storyline, a strong inciting incident and an expressive visual language.”

The South African-born actor, who plays Rose Delaney in Home and Away and penned her maiden play, Orange Thrower, for the Griffin Theatre Company, had one piece of advice for potential entrants: know your audience.

Hilditch, who became the first Australian to write and direct two Netflix original features, and is adapting a Stephen King novel while preparing to shoot his next movie, also has some simple advice: take risks.

“Shorts are about presenting fresh takes on well-worn stories, so, to me, originality is key to a competition like this,” the director tells PLAY.

Hilditch says the short film format was crucial to his development.

“Whether I was making them for the smell of an oily rag, fresh out of Curtin University, or with government funding, there was always so much to learn from each experience,” he admits.

“From the writing process, how to communicate your vision to your crew, to directing actors, each success or failure allowed me a condensed space to hone my voice as a storyteller.”

And he reckons being successful in PerthNow’s Best Australian Short Film Competition would “mean the world” to the winners.

“It’s a tough caper trying to raise money for a short, let alone execute your vision on screen, so a prize like this would be huge for an aspiring filmmaker,” Hilditch says.

The Best Australian Short Film Competition accepts Australian-made short film entries across all fiction and non-fiction film genres, produced from July 1, 2022.

Films submitted must be no longer than 10 minutes, inclusive of credits.

“We are excited to witness the creative brilliance that will shine through this competition and are proud to be part of an initiative that supports and uplifts our local film industry,” De Ceglie says.

COMPLETE PRIZE POOL

• First prize winner – The Best Australian Short Film Prize: $30,000
• The West Australian Short Film Prize (supported by DLGSC): $10,000
• WA First Nations Filmmaker Prize (supported by Screenwest): $7,500
• Next Gen Youth Prize: $5,000
• Best Animation Prize: $5,000
• Future of Film Innovation Prize: $5,000
• Peoples’ Choice Prize: $5,000
• SAE Emerging Talent Prize: $10,000 partial scholarship towards a Bachelor in Animation or Film at SAE

Entries close January 22, 2024. See bestshortfilm.com.au for competition details, terms and conditions.