Sydney Film Festival Competition

About

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 2025, over 200 productions from over 70 countries were selected for the festival, attracting an audience of over 130,000.

Awards & Prizes

The festival presents awards as follows:
Official Competition ($60,000 cash prize) for ‘cutting-edge, audacious and innovative’ feature films; Documentary Australia Award ($20,000, Academy Award® qualifying); Sustainable Future Award ($40,000); Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films for Best Australian Fiction ($7,000, Academy Award® qualifying), Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Australian Director ($7,000), AFTRS Craft Award for Best Practitioner ($7,000), Yoram Gross Animation Award for Best Australian Animation ($7,000, Academy Award® qualifying), The Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award for Screenwriting ($7,000) and the Sydney Film Festival First Nations Award ($35,000).