Multicultural Film Festival

Victorian filmmakers are eligible for all categories.
Australian filmmakers are eligible for the National category.
Entrants worldwide are eligible for the Chairperson's Refugee Stories Award and the People's Choice Award for Best Short Film.

The MFF 2026 Award categories are:

• Best Victorian Short Fiction
Short fiction films created by Victorian producers, directors, writers or actors. To be selected by the judging panel.
Sponsored by Swinburne University of Technology.

• Best Victorian Short Non-Fiction Film
Short non-fiction films (e.g., documentaries) created by Victorian producers, directors, writers or actors. To be selected by the judging panel.
Sponsored by The Bruce Wong Foundation.

• Best National Short Film
Short films from across Australia in any genre (fiction, non-fiction, animation, music video, or other). To be selected by the judging panel.
Sponsored by SBS.

• Chairperson's Refugee Stories Award
Short films addressing refugee or asylum seeker experiences in any genre (fiction, non-fiction, animation, music video, or other). This category is open to filmmakers from the national category. To be selected by the VMC Commissioners.
Sponsored by the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

• People's Choice Award for Best Short Film (Official Selection).
To be chosen by the audience via live voting at the premiere screening and selected from the Official Selections.
Sponsored by Segmento.

Prizes

All films chosen for the 2026 MFF Official Selection will:

• receive an official MFF laurel, a digital image acknowledging the film’s specific achievement that can be displayed on the film and in trailers, websites and social media
• have their title, crew and cast featured in the MFF Booklet alongside a synopsis and still image
• be hosted on SBS On Demand and available on the VMC’s YouTube Channel (with option to opt-out)
• be promoted to government and non-profit organisations for screening events or broadcasts (see below rules and terms)

All award-winning films will:

• receive a monetary prize of AUD$2500
• receive a one-hour online industry professional development session with relevant SBS representatives to discuss tips and ideas in a Q&A session
• be featured in the MFF Booklet (as outlined above)
• be credited as such in all publications, screenings and broadcasts

Award-winning films in the Victorian categories will:

• receive an Independent Film Financing package from Cinespace mentors and producers, including 5 x 1hr consultation sessions, auspice service support, additional benefits and bespoke support provided
• receive a Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF Membership) valued at $78 with a number of exclusive perks to enjoy

Who can submit a film?
Entry is open to Victorians, Australians and international entrants.

Do I have to be a professional filmmaker? 
No. You don't need to be qualified or experienced in film production. Anyone with a recording device can submit an entry, provided they and their film meet the requirements.

Is there an entry fee? 
No.

How long should the films be?
Films must be 10 minutes or under.

Do films have to be in English?

No. Films can be in any language or have no speaking at all. Foreign-language audio (or important on-screen text) must have English subtitles.

Do films need to address a subject matter? 
Yes. Films should address multiculturalism, social cohesion, and/or cultural diversity and/or feature people with relevant lived experiences. Cultural diversity refers to the differences among groups of people resulting from their racial or ethnic backgrounds, faiths, languages, and/or traditions. Films that showcase the commonalities between people of different cultures are encouraged as well positive stories to celebrate the benefits of multiculturalism.

Do I need to provide anything else with the film at the time of submission? 
Yes. Entrants must provide:
1. A film synopsis of up to 100 words focusing on multicultural content.
2. Stills from the short film.
3. A biography of up to 150 words to describe themselves, including their background.

What do I need to supply if my film is selected in the Official Selection?
MANDATORY
1. A photograph of the main filmmaker attending the premiere.
2. A one line film synopsis.
3. The film script* (Word or PDF)
4. High-resolution file of the film (details on file format further below)
5. High-resolution images of the film (300 dpi resolution, landscape and portrait)
6. Music cue sheets (detailing titles, composers and publishers of all music used)

* For films containing languages other than English, please provide English Subtitles or Closed Captions (SRT file, Word or Excel)

OPTIONAL
7. Poster artwork (PDF, EPS, AI or flattened TIFF, PNG or JPEG) if available
8. Trailer/screener of the film with split track audio (WAV), only if available
9. EPK - Electronic Press Kit, if available

How many films can I submit?
You can submit a maximum of two films, as long as they are significantly different from each other.

What format do films need to be in? 
The films must be submitted in the following format so that the VMC, Swinburne, SBS On Demand and other providers can screen them.
• Standard: Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) 1080p (1920 x 1080).
• Format: 1998 x 1080 (the 1998 format conforms with DCP).
• Aspect: 16:9.
• Audio: Stereo, sample rate 48khz (128 kbps).
• Codec: MPEG 4 (.mp4) 4.5 Mbps.
• Frame rate: 24fps.
• H.264 compression.
• For films shot in SCOPE format, the format needs to be 2048 X 858.

Will I receive a distribution fee if chosen as part of the Official Selection?
No. The MFF will include a premiere, tour screenings and the opportunity to be profiled on SBS On Demand (option to opt-out).

Rules and terms

The MFF is run by the State of Victoria (the State) acting by and through the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) in association with Swinburne University of Technology (Swinburne University). The MFF includes the submission and judging of films, the announcement of the Official Selection, award-winning films and those receiving an honourable mention, and the screening or broadcasting of films by organisations approved by the VMC.

Please visit Film Freeway to read these terms carefully.

If you have any questions, please email the VMC at events@vmc.vic.gov.au

If you have technical questions or difficulties submitting your film, please email Swinburne University at adionysus@swin.edu.au.

2025 awards

2025 official selection

2023 awards

2023 official selection

2022 awards

2022 official selection

We congratulate these filmmakers, whose films are included in the list of 19 officially selected from the total of 346 films entered into the 2022 competition Australia-wide.

5km and 8pm

Written and directed by Le Luo. Produced by Natalia Bornay.

Akosia – Go

Written, directed and produced by Dale Edward Crawford

Am I a Man Yet?

Written by David Koutsouridis. Directed by Chris Kennett. Produced by Bec Petraitis.

Baba

Written, directed and produced by Firass Dirani.

Best Wishes

Written and directed by Zhang Xiaoan. Produced by Su Yang and Zhang Xiaoan.

Beyond The Pitch

Written by Maggie Garcia Pena and Lucia Larotonda. Directed by Maggie Garcia Pena. Produced by Melbourne Social Soccer. Filmmaker Noopur Powale.

Biting the Bullet

Written, directed and produced by Lizbeth Calingasan.

Celebrating Cultural Diversity at Currawa Primary School

Written, directed and produced by Jarod Bacon and students.

Ek Din (One Day)

Written by Marque La Brooy. Directed by Dion Wheeler. Produced by Callum Harrod and Marque La Brooy.

Her, Grace

Written by Gracie Lolicato. Directed by Katrina Lolicato. Produced by Arc Up Australia.

Kariwa

Written, directed and produced by Kiara Rodriguez-Hextall.

Klesha

Written, directed and produced by Rukmal Nirosh Fernando.

Mediterranean Madness

Written and produced by Koraly Dimitriadis. Directed by Artemis Evlogimenou.

Sunset Stories

Written by Jiawen Xue and Todd Manion. Directed by Todd Manion. Produced by Janwun Xue.

The Fade

Written and directed by Thomas Elliott.

The Hold Up

Written and directed by Cassandra Nguyen. Produced by Alison Rodrigues and Cassandra Nguyen.

The Ninth Tower

Written, directed and produced by Kauthar Abdulalim.

To Colombia and Beyond

Directed by Obayda Kannouj. Produced by Pongky Nataatmaja.

Unsaid

Written and directed by Alex Nesic. Produced by Zixuan Li and Dimitrios Stoforidis.

2022 award categories

• Best Short Fiction Film
• Best Short Non-Fiction Film
• Best Open Category Film (animations, comedies, music videos or other)
• Best Emerging Filmmaker (by those who have made one or less films)
• Best Young Filmmaker (ages 4 to 17 years)
• Chairperson’s Choice

Our 2021 Multicultural Film Festival was presented online on Thursday 26 August 2021.

The Multicultural Film Festival was proudly presented by the Victorian Multicultural Commission in collaboration with the Department of Education and Training and in partnership with Swinburne University, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Department of Film and Animation.

The Multicultural Film Festival showcased short films that explore stories of diversity and inclusion. Proudly presented by the Victorian Multicultural Commission in collaboration with Swinburne University of Technology.

Shortlisted films featured characters who are encountering new ways of life, struggling with feeling isolated in a new country or within their cultures’ traditions, or beginning to embrace and celebrate their difference.

Thank you to our event partners, SBS and Mushroom Creative House for supporting the 2021 Multicultural Film Festival.

Best Open Category Film

Congratulations on the honourable mention ‘For Becky’, directed and produced by Chido Mwat.

Congratulations to the winning film ‘Love and Revolution', written by Sara Saleh and Candy Royalle and directed and produced by Jacqui North.

Short Fiction

Congratulations on the honourable mention for 'Mother Tongue', written and directed by Jessica Li and produced by Samantha Kwan and Heshi Wijerathna

Congratulations to the winning film ‘Amar (Moon)’, written and directed by Fatima Mawas, produced by Ade Djajamihardja, Leanne Tonkes, Mitu Bhowmick Lange, Kate Stephens, Leona Hameed

Emerging Filmmaker

Congratulations Sarah Ghassali for 'Don’t Forget Us'. Also written by Gaia Mitting and produced by Natasha Koutoufides.

Congratulations to our winner Xinze Tian ‘Delivery – the people, the story’. Delivery was also produced by Martin Potter.

Best Short Non-Fiction Film

Congratulations to the honourable mentions:

• ‘My Dad Spiro’, written by Diamando May and J.G Alexander, directed by Diamando May and produced by Paraskevas Mourikis
• ‘No More Spectators’ written and directed by Adam McKay and produced by Adam McKay, Aron Clarke and Renai Fejo and ‘Ruby’ written, directed and produced by Sarah Menegon.

Congratulations to the winning film 'I want to make a film about women,' written and directed by Karen Pearlman and produced by Karen Pearlman and Richard James Allen.