Understory Film Festival
Understory Film Festival is an annual film event for North Queensland filmmakers, celebrating 10 years in 2023. The festival is centred around the short film component, where various awards, including a $5000 prize pool, are awarded to local filmmakers. Over the decade, the event has received 581 film submissions, screened 181 short films, and presented 103 awards to North Queensland filmmakers.
In 2023, a brand new subsidiary festival, Understory High, was introduced, highlighting the region's best young and emerging filmmakers. Other events include the annual Filmmakers Symposium, where a live industry panel of film professionals come together to discuss all things film, workshops, and in 2023, a film-music hybrid event, Life Sounds Like... (by Ricky Beresford, David Marsden and Oliver Marsden), where 40 Cairns locals shared memories and stories connected to beloved Aussie songs.
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Local creatives celebrated at annual film festival
More than 500 people descended on Munro Martin Parklands on Saturday 18 November for the annual festival, which showcases the talents of local filmmakers.
Young & emerging filmmakers on show at the 2023 Understory High
In 2023 we shook things up by adding an entire new subsidiary film festival, especially for budding high school students.
For any further enquiries, please contact Jan Aird on J.Aird@cairns.qld.gov.au or 07 4032 6656.
Understory Film Festival is proudly supported by Screen Queensland and Queensland Government, and the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Cairns Regional Council to support local arts and culture in Regional Queensland.
Last Updated: 23 November 2023
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