Film Prize

The Film Prize brings to the festival Australian filmmakers and actors of international repute, including a Film Prize jury made up of five national and international filmmakers.

The Film Prize Jury is responsible for selecting the winning film. This group attends each one of the films’ screenings. A prominent Chair leads the Film Prize Jury each year. Past Jury Chairs include Richard Roxburgh, Bruce Beresford, Nadia Tass, David Wenham, Gillian Armstrong, Scott Hicks, Sigrid Thornton and Rachel Ward. Subsequent jury members are selected from Australian or International alumni and are recognised leaders in their film field.

Films entered into the prize must screen in Western Australian for the first time and be accompanied at the festival by their producer, director and key actors. Each finalist film is showcased at a red carpet screening and discussed at a post-screening event. The winner is announced on the Saturday night of the festival at an event attended by all key festival guests and VIPs.

Submissions for the 2024 festival have now closed.

A maximum of five films are selected as finalists in the Film Prize. The announcement of the finalists is made approximately six weeks before the festival, allowing for capacity of continued media engagement. The producer, director and at least one key actor of each finalist film are required to attend the festival. This increases publicity and red carpet interest for each film.