Heathcote Film Festival
| Heathcote Film Festival | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Short film festival |
| Dates | August/September |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Heathcote, Victoria, Australia |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Participants | Over 200 |
| Website | https://heathcotefilmfestival.com.au/ |
The Heathcote Film Festival is a short film festival held annually in Heathcote, in central Victoria. The festival has been operating since 2010. It showcases both international and Australian films, and provides a forum for emerging film-makers.
History
The Heathcote Film Festival was initiated by a small group of community-minded volunteers who were interested in creating an annual event featuring both international and Australian short films.[1][2] The event supports emerging filmmakers, with an award specifically for early-career filmmakers living in Australia.[2] Awards are presented at each festival and include a Jury prize, an Emerging film-maker prize, and a People's choice award, which is voted on by festival attendees. Submitted films must be no longer than 15 minutes.[2] In 2025, the committee received over seventy short film submissions.[3]
The festival screens short films from a range of countries, and covers many different genres, including comedy, animation, drama, and documentary.[1][4] It is held in the Heathcote RSL Hall and now extends over two evenings, one an informal night, and one a formal gala dinner.[4][5] Local wines from the Heathcote region are available on both nights, with many wineries also sponsoring the event.[5][6][2] An article in The Age included the event as one of the "Six reasons to visit Heathcote."[5]
The festival was awarded a Bendigo Bank Community grant in 2024. This enabled the purchase of a projector, sound system, and a large screen, which organisers intend to make available for other community events.[7]
Guest speakers
- Jerry Grayson - Film chopper pilot and former Royal Navy award winner - Saturday, September 1, 2012[5]
- Rodd Rathjen - Australian film director - Saturday, August 29, 2015[8]
Select past winners
Each year at the festival, a Jury Prize and a People's Choice Award are selected.[9]
2024
| Jury Prize | People's Choice Award |
|---|---|
| La Banyera (the Bathtub) by Sergi Marti Maltas | La Banyera (the Bathtub) by Sergi Marti Maltas (Friday)
La Cena (The Dinner) by Jesús Martínez “Nota” (Saturday) |
The Inaugural Emerging Filmmaker Prize was awarded to Ablaze by Danni Fenech.
2023
| Jury Prize | People's Choice Award |
|---|---|
| Yellow by Elham Ehsas | Yellow by Elham Ehsas (Friday)
A Simple F*cking Gesture by Jesse Shamata (Saturday) |
2019
| Jury Prize | People's Choice Award |
|---|---|
| Be You T.Fool by Brendan Pinches | Lost Property Office by Dan Agdag |
2018
| Jury Prize | People's Choice Award |
|---|---|
| Mrs McCutcheon by John Sheedy | Mrs McCutcheon by John Sheedy |
References
- ^ a b "Heathcote Short Film Festival". www.heathcote.org.au. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ^ a b c d "Heathcote Film Festival". FilmFreeway. 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ James, Sandra (2025-06-08). "Film Fest returning in August". McIvor Times. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
- ^ a b "Heathcote Film Festival". www.heathcote.org.au. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ a b c d Cornish, Richard (25 August 2012). "Six reasons to visit Heathcote (Life & Style)". The Age (Melbourne, Australia). p. 6. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Sponsors – Heathcote Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-07-23.
- ^ James, Sandra (2024-04-12). "New equipment a boost for annual film festival". McIvor Times. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ^ Pedler, Chris (2015-08-14). "Colbinabbin director to feature at Film Festival". www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ^ "Past Winners – Heathcote Film Festival". Retrieved 2025-07-20.