A FIRE film still.
By JASMINE SIMMONS
The 70th Sydney Film Festival has announced a number of prestigious awards for the 2023 festival. This will be the 15th year of the Festival’s Sydney Film Prize, containing a pool of over $160,000 for filmmakers.
The awards and prize money for filmmakers and their work are sectioned into various categories. The major awards include an Official Competition and Sydney Film Prize worth $60,000, an Australian Documentary Award worth $20,000, and a Sustainable Future Award worth $40,000.
CARNIVAL film still.
The 2023 Official Competition celebrates 15 years of cutting-edge and daring cinema. The films in competition for this award are: Afire, Art College 1994, Bad Behaviour, Cobweb, The Dark Emu Story, Fallen Leaves, Joram, Monster, The Mother of All Lies, The New Boy, Past Lives and Scrapper.
Festival director Nashen Moodley says these films “push boundaries, challenge norms, and ignite conversations”, offering new perspectives on captivating storytelling. The Official Competition is endorsed by the International Federation of Film Producers Association (FIAPF) and is judged by international and Australian industry professionals.
CAPE film still.
Ten documentaries are in competition for the 2023 Australian Documentary Award. The competing films are: The Cape, The Carnival, Climate Changers, The Defenders, Keeping Hope, Kindred, The Last Daughter, Man on Earth, Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) and Rachel’s Farm. This year is the 10th year celebrating Australian documentaries at the festival and is a significant category for the 70th anniversary. Dr Mitzi Goldman, CEO of Documentary Australia, stated that the prize money for this award has doubled to showcase the importance of documentary filmmakers.
CLIMATE CHANGERS film still.
This year, the Sustainable Future Award has increased its prize from $10,000 to $40,000. The large cash prize is an incentive for filmmakers to produce materials tackling climate change and sustainability. The film that explores social, political, economic, and environmental consequences of climate change and highlights an urgent need for action will be awarded the prize. Competing in this category are Australian films Climate Changers and Rachel’s Farm, and overseas films Against the Tide and Paradise.