New musical feature film Plan Bea goes worldwide

It was supposed to take a year. It took three. Made through COVID lockdowns, changing restrictions and the smell of an oily rag, Plan Bea is the remarkable Australian school musical that has gone from a Sydney school hall to international film festivals – and now to audiences worldwide on Amazon Prime Video. And despite…

Damon Herriman, Will McDonald among CinefestOZ Short Film Awards finalists

Finalists in the 2026 CinefestOZ Short Film Competition were announced today ahead of the Short Film Awards, which will be held Thursday 3 September in Busselton, Western Australia, as part of Australia’s largest destination film festival (28 August to 6 September).  Recognising exceptional storytelling and emerging talent in the short filmmaking sector, 22 films are in the running for awards across seven categories. These finalists were…

Meet the CinefestOZ 2026 Film Prize Jury

Producer Greer Simpkin, one of the creative forces behind the upcoming film adaptation of Prima Facie, starring Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo, will chair the CinefestOZ Film Prize Jury, which will decide the winner of Australia’s richest $100,000 Film Prize at this year’s festival, running 28 August to 6 September in Western Australia’s South West.  Simpkin will be joined on the jury by New Zealand actor and…

Every Australian film screening at Sydney Underground Film Festival

Over the last two decades, the Sydney Underground Film Festival has cemented itself as a force of creativity in Sydney’s arts and culture scene, with programs that continue to promote independent, experimental and provocative filmmaking. Drawn from the highest ever entries, with over 780 films submitted for consideration, this year’s diverse program features films, documentaries,…

What’s On: Tina Arena to take to the stage in Sydney to celebrate the release of Tina Arena: Unravel Me

Tina Arena will join Mary Coustas on stage at special preview screenings and in conversation events in Sydney on Sunday 23 August, to celebrate the upcoming cinema release of the new documentary Tina Arena: Unravel Me. The highly anticipated film received its World Premiere last night at the Astor Theatre as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival,…

Critically-acclaimed satire The Birthday Trip lands in Perth

After defying expectations in the East, critically-acclaimed indie satire The Birthday Trip lands on the West Coast today, screening exclusively at Luna Leederville.  Despite being snubbed by festivals and distributors, the film was self-released by the filmmakers, and has gone on to out-perform films in its weight class from established distributors, garnering substantial critical acclaim…

Mockbuster pulls back the curtain on the chaotic world of DIY filmmaking – Find out where you can see it here!

Umbrella will release Mockbuster in Australian cinemas on August 27.  The wildly entertaining and revealing documentary explores the world of mockbuster filmmaking, with director Anthony Frith joining audiences for an opening week Q&A tour in select cities. Frustrated by a stalled film career and repetitive corporate video gigs, Mockbuster sees Frith brazenly pitches himself to…