Dear Asian filmmakers, the Sydney Film Festival (Australia) is accepting feature and short films until February 27, 2026.

About the festival:
Since its inception in 1954, the Sydney Film Festival (SFF), recognised by the Federation Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films (FIAPF), has increased in size and reputation to become a leading international film festival in Australia. The festival takes place each June at venues across Sydney. The SFF program celebrates the best of world cinema, screening features, documentaries, short films, retrospectives and a series of industry and public talks. In 2023, over 250 productions from over 70 countries were selected for the festival, attracting an audience of over 110,000.

Important: Films may only submit to the 2026 Official Competition by invitation from the SFF. You may submit your film to other categories if you were not invited:
– International Features (Fiction and Documentary, over 40 minutes)
– FLUX: Art+Film International Shorts under 15 minutes (experimental works, including works by art practitioners)
– Freak Me Out International Shorts under 15 minutes (horror, underground, genre or cult arthouse films)

Eligibility (for international films):
– The festival accepts short films under 15 minutes in length, and feature films (fictions and documentaries) over 40 minutes in length.
– Films must have been completed after 1 June 2025 and must not have been released theatrically outside their country of origin more than 12 months before the start date of the 2026 Sydney Film Festival. SFF reserves the right to make exceptions, by invitation only.
– Feature Films submitted must have at least NSW Premiere. Meaning the film has not been screened in the State of New South Wales (includes Sydney) to a public audience, of any size.
– Short Films submitted must have Sydney Premiere.
– Works that are solely promotional, educational, or scientific in nature, including music videos, are not eligible for selection for the SFF.
– Submissions must be done via FilmFreeway.
– Entries must be in English or with English subtitles.
– Submission Fees:
* International Feature Films: $ 64 USD
* FLUX: Art+Film International Shorts: $ 37 USD
* Freak Me Out International Shorts: $ 37 USD
– Deadline: February 27, 2026
– Notification Date: May 1, 2026

We recommend filmmakers to read the full Rules and Regulations here: https://www.sff.org.au/info/submissions/

To submit to this festival please visit: https://filmfreeway.com/SydneyFilmFestival

We remind readers that the 73rd Sydney Film Festival will take place from June 3 – 14, 2026 in Sydney, Australia.

Looking for a festival distributor? Learn more about our services here

To see other Calls please follow the next link: “Call For Entries”.