Understory Film Festival
Understory Film Festival is an annual film event for North Queensland filmmakers, celebrating 10 years in 2023. The festival is centred around the short film component, where various awards, including a $5000 prize pool, are awarded to local filmmakers. Over the decade, the event has received 581 film submissions, screened 181 short films, and presented 103 awards to North Queensland filmmakers.
In 2023, a brand new subsidiary festival, Understory High, was introduced, highlighting the region's best young and emerging filmmakers. Other events include the annual Filmmakers Symposium, where a live industry panel of film professionals come together to discuss all things film, workshops, and in 2023, a film-music hybrid event, Life Sounds Like... (by Ricky Beresford, David Marsden and Oliver Marsden), where 40 Cairns locals shared memories and stories connected to beloved Aussie songs.
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Applications to both Understory High and Understory Film Festival are now open.
Understory Film Festival
Unleash Your Creativity in Far North Queensland
Open to filmmakers from North and Far North Queensland
$5,000 in prizes
Entries close October 7, 2024
Understory High Film Festival
Young Visionaries, Big Screens
Exclusive to high school filmmakers
Entries close September 5, 2024
For any further enquiries, please contact Jan Aird on J.Aird@cairns.qld.gov.au or 07 4032 6656.
Understory Film Festival is proudly supported by Screen Queensland and Queensland Government, and the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Cairns Regional Council to support local arts and culture in Regional Queensland.
Last Updated: 15 July 2024
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