The Bondi Short Film Festival was established by Francis Coady in 2001. Initially the festival began as a favour to his friends who had missed out on entering films in other festivals in Sydney as they had already screened their films in other states of Australia. Coady thought this was insane and ensured that film makers entering the Bondi Short Film Festival should not be restricted in any way.

“I was watching some incredible short films made by my friends and their associates and no one was able to see these films in Sydney. So I just pulled a party together and screened them. Simple as that! ” said Francis Coady.

Starting at the North Bondi RSL in 2001, the Bondi Short Film Festival quickly out-grew the venue and two years later moved to its new home, the Bondi Pavilion.

“Festival director Francis Coady and team have lovingly sifted through over 200 submissions to bring together this festival’s collection. Unlike Tropfest, which follows an annual thematic inclusion, the Bondi Short Film Festival, which is held in the Pavilion at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, is open to the filmmaker’s discretion, allowing for a wonderful melting pot of ideas including drama, comedy, documentary and animation. When asked what elements really make a film stand out in the initial selection process, Coady has knowingly responded,”Sincerity, strong plot and script. If a filmmaker can make you feel something for the characters in such a short space of time they have done a good job!” – State of the Art critic

Technically an ‘amateur’ competition, the quality of the films in last year’s festival were highly impressive, with each year’s entries becoming increasingly more sophisticated and polished than the last. According to Coady, the medium of short film has become more popular due to the increase in short film festivals – and this has resulted in stiffer competition amongst filmmakers.

Judges from the previous years have included Margaret Pomeranz (Critic – At The Movies), Sam Worthington (Actor – Avatar), and Bruce Beresford (Director – Mao’s Last Dancer. In 2009 Julius Avery’s short film “Jerrycan” took out the award for Best Film. The story gives a realistic look at life in a small town with not much to do for entertainment, it follows the story of a boy, loosely based on Avery’s childhood experiences growing up in a small town, who faces many decisions on whether he should succumb to the demands of schoolyard bullies or risk his life doing so. A story of fear, friendship, acceptance, understanding, growing up, and moral capacity, it was clear to be highly rated by all.

• Website: http://www.bondishortfilmfestival.com/
• Address: 21 Oxford St., Darlinghurst, New South Wales,
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