Melbourne
Independent
Film Festival
An international celebration of independent cinema, bringing bold filmmakers, original stories and audiences together through the language of film.
SUBMIT ON FILMFREEWAY ↗Cinema without borders.
Melbourne Independent Film Festival connects global filmmakers with audiences through bold, diverse and independent storytelling.
A platform for new voices.
The Melbourne Independent Film Festival is an international celebration of visual storytelling, created for filmmakers who challenge conventions, explore new perspectives and bring original ideas to the screen.
From short films and animation to documentaries, feature films and experimental work, our programming team discovers projects from emerging and established talents around the world.
We believe independent cinema has the power to engage, entertain, experiment and educate.
What filmmakers
are saying.
Every film has a story behind it. Here are a few words from filmmakers who have shared their work with Melbourne.
Bolormaa Luvsandorj
August 2026Excited that our debut short animation “Departure” was selected as a finalist for Best Animation. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to participate. A tremendous honor!
Dianne Lang
July 2026I’m so thrilled for my music video “Bye Bye Baby” to be selected in this festival. I am very honoured to be part of Melbourne Independent Film Festival and will enter again.
Bolero Patrizia Masi
July 2026I am delighted that my film, Rosso Improvviso (Suddenly Red), was selected as a semi-finalist for Best Female Director. This recognition honors the talent and dedication of an extraordinary team. The journey continues!
Ilmar Karuso
July 2026It was an honour to be a part of this outstanding festival.
Masood Ali
2026I was thrilled to see “The Quran” receive an award at the Melbourne Independent Film Festival. The festival’s sincere approach and exceptional judging panel reflect a genuine commitment to recognizing outstanding films.
Stories shared.
Voices celebrated.
Melbourne Independent Film Festival celebrates the filmmakers who bring new perspectives, ideas and stories to the screen.
Festival
Guide
Everything filmmakers need to know before entering the Melbourne Independent Film Festival. Please review the following guidelines carefully before submitting your work.
Short film entries must be under 40 minutes in length. Running time is calculated by timing the head frame to the last frame on the end credits.
The appropriate entry fee must accompany each entry. This nonrefundable fee covers screening and handling costs and will not be returned.
The film or video must have been completed after January 1, 2025.
Films or videos using uncredited, non-licensed, copyrighted musical or literary properties without legal permission and appropriate attribution credits are not eligible.
The competition is open to professional and nonprofessional filmmakers.
This is an online film festival, and there will be no physical screening.
Entries must be submitted in the completed form in which they will be judged.
The festival reserves the right to change the date of the event without having the approval of the submitters.
The decisions of the Jury are final. The Jury reserves the right not to select a winner in any given category.
The Jury reserves the right to change a category to the benefit of the film.
Let's talk cinema.
For festival enquiries, partnerships, filmmaker information or general questions, we'd love to hear from you.
Submit your film through our official FilmFreeway competition page.
Open FilmFreeway ↗
Melbourne
Victoria, Australia
Independent films. International voices. One cinematic community.
Submit Your Film
to Melbourne
Share your story with an international community of filmmakers, storytellers and independent cinema lovers.