Sony is seeking entries for its fourth annual Catchlight Film Festival from short-form film-makers across Australia and New Zealand who record with Sony cameras.
Bangay Lore by Jahvis Loveday, the winner of the 2023 Catchlight Film Festival Fiction category.
The festival is designed to encourage and reward filmmakers at all levels, from passionate amateurs to industry veterans, and showcase the exceptional talent and abilities of cinematographers and filmmakers who are using Sony systems to capture their stories. The 2024 Catchlight Film Festival has expanded and in addition to the existing categories of Fiction (scripted), Non-Fiction (documentary), Student Fiction and Music Video there is a new category – Cinematic Social – designed to recognise striking and beautiful work created specifically for the small screen. The judges will be looking for short form evocative content that has risen to prominence on social media in recent years, most often in the form of travel and lifestyle reels. This content does not follow a typical fiction or non-fiction story line. The sequence of content may follow a theme, idea, location, or concept. The key is the visual identity of the content remains the same which unifies the short film.
2024 also sees a tweaking of the festival’s prize structure for the major categories to better suit the needs of the prize winners. Where previous prize winners would take away $10,000 worth of Sony camera gear, that value is now split into $5,000 worth of gear and a $5,000 filmmaking grant, allowing winners much more flexibility to make the most of their winnings. In addition, the Student Fiction category prize has been brought in line with the other major categories, now awarding the same split of $5,000 in Sony gear and a $5,000 grant prize pack.
Entries for the Catchlight Film Festival 2024 are open now and close for submissions at 12pm AEST on Monday, 24 June 2024. Judging will commence on Tuesday 25 June 2024 with all finalists notified from Monday 29 July 2024. If finalists cannot be contacted by Monday, 5th August 2024 their entry will be deemed invalid and another finalist will be selected in their place. The Catchlight Film Festival Awards ceremony will take place in September 2024, with online screenings in the month preceding. Click here for more information.
