The most unique film festivals across Australia

Mckenna Uhde Mckenna Uhde
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Whether you love oceans or mountains, are curious about Korean cinema or want to learn more about Indigenous cultures in the Northern Territory, there’s a film festival out there for you. Here’s our lowdown.

When it comes to the film festival circuit in Australia, we all know to visit the old standbys – Sydney Film Festival, Adelaide Film Festival and Melbourne International come to mind. But what about more niche or themed festivals, where you can delight in your favourite styles and genres for an entire week straight?
Luckily for you, we’ve compiled some of the most unique film festivals across Australia.
Surely one of these will tickle your film-loving fancy.

Sydney Underground Film Festival

Sydney, NSW

This unconventional film festival held at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville premiers unique independent films that push the limits of filmmaking. For four days, watch a line-up of movies devoted to renewing local interest in experimental film as a part of an international underground film culture.

 

This year’s festival, held in September, took viewers on a journey of intriguing and inspiring works of film, closing its final night with Nicholas Cage’s bloody and harrowing performance in Mandy.
Sydney Underground has become the perfect place for unconventional film-lovers to gather and celebrate the strange and eccentric side of the film world.
For 2019 details, head to the Sydney Underground Film Festival website.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival

Australia tour dates and locations TBA

For all the adrenaline-junkies out there, make sure to catch the Banff Mountain Film Festival as it makes a pit stop in Australia along its international tour, showcasing the best of mountain adventure film.

 

This unique film festival has been running since 1976 with 375 films entered annually, ranging in topics from remote landscapes and cultures to adrenaline-packed action sport.
The festival is held every November in Banff, Canada where 300 films are shown over the course of a week.
Two hours of award-winning content is then chosen to tour 35 countries, with the festival gracing Australian screens throughout April, May and June.

SF3 SmartFone Flick Fest

Sydney, NSW

Inside the Smartfone Flick Fest.

If you’re looking for a challenge when it comes to filmmaking, this one-of-a-kind festival gets creative with some unusual submission parameters.
At the SF3 SmartFone Flick Fest, every film submitted must only being shot on a smartphone or tablet and cannot be more than six and a half minutes in length. Perfect for the short attention span.

 

This festival offers a variety of masterclasses alongside the film premiers and makes for an exciting and one-of-a-kind event. It’s the place for film lovers to experience the future of technology and its partnership with top-notch filmmaking.

Cradle Mountain Film Festival

Cradle Mountain, Tas

In its fifth year, Cradle Mountain Film Festival showcases some of the best mountain film from around the world. Created by the Cradle Mountain Canyons, an adventure tourism group, the CMFF aims to engage viewers through the power of art and film as well as offer an insight into the Tasmanian mountainside.

 

This event wants visitors to experience filmmaking second to mountaineering. Enjoy the self-guided Mountain Huts Film Trail, canyoning, yoga and cold water therapy in addition to family-friendly mountain films in the Forest Yurt Cinema. The next edition runs from 29–31 March 2019.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Korean Film Festival in Australia

Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane

A glimpse into the Korean Film Festival in Australia.

The Korean Film Festival will be hitting Australia for the 10th year in 2019, showcasing the latest Korean filmmaking along its Australian tour.
Korean Film Festival strives to reach Australian audiences through universal themes and genres, with 22 films and special guests throughout the four locations.
Visiting Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane, the festival offers a vibrant selection of films sure to delight fans of Korean culture as well as introduce Korean cinema to a broader Australian demographic.

 

Showcasing indie flicks, rom-coms and more, the festival schedule never disappoints and offers a unique experience that will take you on a journey – you’ll forget you’re even in Oz.

Tasmania Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival

Launceston, Tas

Held in May and the only annual film festival in the region, the Tasmanian Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival brings over 30 award-winning films and documentaries from across the world to Launceston.
The four-day festival strives to create a community experience featuring the best of local food, wine and film.

 

Expect a variety of films from a number of unique categories such as Stories of Us showcasing Tasmanian and Australian stories, Eat/Drink/Live featuring fine food, wine and sustainable living, and Call of the Wild telling stories of extreme adventures in the mountains, sea and air. These stories are viewed on the big screen while enjoying the best of Tasmania dining at this experiential film event.

Environmental Film Festival Australia

Melbourne, Vic

The Environmental Film Festival Australia entertains Victorian audiences each year in October with films traversing the relationship between humans and their environment, in an effort to raise awareness for environmental issues around the world.

 

This festival challenges viewers to reflect on the natural world and discuss positive change, by partnering inspirational filmmaking with panel discussions and debates.
Australia has some of the most distinct and stunning natural environments in the world, thus making the perfect location for an environmentalist platform.
Viewers are encouraged to take what they learn from these events and try to make small differences each day toward sustainability. You will visit this captivating event as a viewer and leave motivated to make change.

Queer Screen’s Mardi Gras Film Festival

Sydney, NSW

Sydney is known for its iconic Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and this film festival fits appropriately into the week’s LGBTIQ pride festivities, running each year in autumn as part of the city-wide celebration.

 

Celebrating its 25th year in 2018, Queer Screen’s Mardi Gras Film Festival showcases queer filmmakers and artists who share the diversity of sexualities and gender identities on screen.
This annual festival reflects the greater Mardi Gras theme as an eccentric and colourful installation into one of Sydney’s biggest events.
Experience Mardi Gras with inspiring tales of diversity by some of Australia’s best filmmakers.

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Human Rights Arts & Film Festival

Melbourne, Vic; Launceston, Tas; Canberra, ACT

The Human Rights Arts & Film Festival, a not-for-profit arts organisation, stands out for its seamless incorporation of human rights into the film industry.
This annual event held in May and June explores diverse and inspiring Australian human stories through film, art, music and forums.
Films shown this year included a multi-generational family fighting for Indigenous rights, and the inspiring story of OzHarvest CEO Ronni Kahn and her latest crusade.
The festival aims to engage audiences of all ages with social justice and human rights issues, with the help of local and national artists. It’s an art and film frenzy with a wonderful message.

Fleurieu Film Festival

McLaren Vale, SA

The incredible Fleurieu Film Festival.

With all the excitement around feature film festivals, we often forget to celebrate short film. Luckily, the Fleurieu Film Festival, held next on 9 February 2019, does just that.
Though still in its early years, the short film celebration has become immensely popular for its chosen films as well as its community-feel.

 

The festival provides a relaxing experience set at the Serafino Winery where food, drink and entertainment go hand-in-hand.
Awards and screening nights offer award-winning wines and dinner included with your ticket overlooking the distant South Australian hillside – the ideal way to experience short film.

Ocean Film Festival Australia

Every state and most major cities

The awe-inspiring Ocean Film Festival.

The Ocean Film Festival Australia tour makes sure to hit nearly every major city in Australia, advocating for our oceans’ protection.
This inspiring festival shares stories of exploration and education with over two hours of inspirational and entertaining ocean-related content.
Both Australian and international filmmakers are showcased each year in March covering a range of topics including oceanic environment, marine creatures, ocean related sports, coastal cultures and ocean-lovers.

 

This is the perfect festival for nature-lovers and advocates, as well as those who yearn to learn a little bit more about our incredible oceans.

Travelling Film Festival

NT, QLD, NSW

Following years of success at the Darwin International Film Festival, a platform has now been created by the Darwin Film Society to showcase inspiring film work exclusively out of the Northern Territory.

 

Hitting 18 towns nationwide, the Travelling Film Festival aims to share stories from the Northern Territory with the rest of Australia.
This event enhances the diverse culture of the local community through alternative feature filmmaking, much of which comes from regional and remote NT.
The Darwin Film Society has created a truly unique film experience encapsulating what it means to be a part of the Northern Territory.

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Mckenna Uhde

Mckenna Uhde

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Exploding supernovas & gold fever: discover the past at this outback Qld town

    Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
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    Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.

    While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.

    Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.

    Getting there

    car driving along Capricorn Way in queensland
    Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)

    You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.

    Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.

    Best accommodation in Clermont

    Theresa CreekDam in clermont
    Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.

    Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.

    To stay closer to town, opt for a central hotel to base yourself between exploring and fossicking, like Smart Stayzzz Inn and Clermont Country Motor Inn.

    Things to do in Clermont

    three people on a tour with Golden Prospecting
    Join a tour with Golden Prospecting.

    One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters, Four Mile, Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings. To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting. They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.

    Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum. Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.

    The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.

    Bush Heli Services flying over clermont queensland
    See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.

    Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services. Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.

    Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs. The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.

    Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont

    meal at Commercial Hotel
    Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.

    Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.

    Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.

    For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.

    Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.

    Discover more of The Mackay Isaac region, and start planning your trip at mackayisaac.com.