Ipswich Film Festival For Youth

Competition dates:

• Competition submissions open – Friday 4 April 2025
• Competition submissions close – Friday 15 August 2025
• Awards ceremony – Date to be confirmed.

Over $3,000 in prizes are up for grabs in 2025.

• Winners of each sub-category will be awarded a $100.00 Mastercard prepaid gift card (nine (9) prizes in total - $900.00).
• Winner of the Best Up and Coming prize will be awarded a $300.00 Mastercard prepaid gift card.
• Winner of the People’s Choice prize will be awarded a $500.00 Mastercard prepaid gift card
• Winner of the Best in Fest (Local) prize will be awarded a $650.00 Mastercard prepaid gift card.
• Winner of the Best in Fest (Regional) prize will be awarded a $650.00 Mastercard prepaid gift card.

All submissions are judged on the following criteria:

• Storyline
• Editing techniques
• Use of effects
• Use of theme

7 to 11 years:

• General Entry

The 7 to 11 Years age group has been kept simple to allow full creative freedom for the youngest festival age group.

12 to 17 years:

• Documentary
• Animation/Stop Motion
• Music Video *Music rights must be sourced and included in the application to be eligible.
• General Entry

Judging categories for the 12 to 17 years age group have been designed to expand on the interests of youths in this age group.

18 to 25 years:

• Documentary
• Animation/Stop Motion
• Music Video *Music rights must be sourced and included in the application to be eligible
• General Entry

Judging categories for the 18 to 25 Years age group have been designed to create an opportunity for tertiary-aged youth to present their filmmaking works.

*Films can be submitted into more than one category.

Bob Blasdall
Cameraman and Editor
Bob started in the television industry as cameraman and later as editor for both the 7 Network and the 9 Network in Australia. He has to the present time edited, directed and edited, or produced and edited in excess of 400 documentaries dramas and lifestyle television series.

Bob has been inducted into the Queensland Advertising Industries Hall Of Fame and was honoured by the Queensland Branch of the Australian Cinematographers Society when bestowed with the Frank Hurley Award for services to the Australian Film Industry.

Bob was further honoured by the film industry when he received the inaugural Kinetone Award for services to the Film Industry at the Warner Roadshow Pacific Film and Television New Filmmakers Awards.

Sarah Dinsey
Writer, Producer and Actor
Sarah is a writer, producer and actor based in Ipswich. After developing a love for acting in her teen years, Sarah joined the Toowoomba Philharmonic Society in 1999, performing in their musical MAME at the Toowoomba Empire Theatre. Sarah then joined the Toowoomba Repertory Theatre; taking part in productions such as Verve, Outside Edge, Table Number 7 and Anyone for Tennis.

In 2001, Sarah moved to Brisbane, switching her focus from stage to screen and appearing in her first feature film, Tin God. Since then, she has written and produced many independent short and feature films, including Letters to Home, One June Afternoon, You Never Know and Echoes of Silence.

In 2020, Sarah was awarded grants from BEMAC, Arts Queensland and Ipswich City Council for her project, Falling in Slow Motion, (based on her real-life experiences with chronic illness). After completion of her proof of concept, Sarah was selected to present her project at a stage panel for Oz Comic Con in 2022, and performed a live table read with her cast for the Ipswich SPARK Festival in July 2023. Falling in Slow Motion is now being developed into a miniseries with Sarah in the role of show runner. Principal photography for the pilot episode is currently underway with support from The Australian Cultural Fund.

Felicity Kranz
Film Editor
Felicity Kranz is an accomplished Meanjin/Brisbane-based Senior Editor with a focus on shortform in TVCs and narrative. She spent a decade honing her skills at Cutting Edge before joining xoPost, where she continues to bring sharp editorial instincts and creative insight to every project. A graduate of Griffith Film School (Queensland College of Art), Felicity is known for her keen attention to detail and unwavering focus on storytelling. With a deep appreciation for the creative potential of music, film and television, she remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the world of post-production.

Amy Parry
Filmmaker and Creative Producer
Amy Parry is an independent filmmaker and creative producer with 20 years of experience across theatre, screen and digital media. In 2024, she worked in development and wrote for the Australian children’s show Bluey and launched Sun Screen Pictures, where she is developing a slate of scripted series and feature films. She is also the creator of the children's YouTube channel Rainbow Bop, which has amassed over 2.5 million views since January 2023. The channel received support from Screen Queensland and Screen Australia’s SKIP AHEAD initiative in partnership with YouTube to produce a six-part kids’ series, currently in production for release in 2025.

Amy was selected for Screen Producers Australia’s Ones To Watch program for 2023/24, where she was mentored by Jo Porter of Curio Pictures. She was also the recipient of the prestigious Screen Australia/SPA Screen Internship opportunity.

Her recent credits include directing and producing the music/medical documentary Waiting Room, executive producing ABC’s A League of Her Own and producing Audible’s top trending scripted podcasts Beyond Strange Lands and Winding Road. She also directed the award-winning comedy short film Cult Following.

Previously, Amy served as Content Director of Development at Screen Queensland, where she played a key role in bringing to screen In Limbo (ABC/Bunya Productions), Black Snow (STAN/Goalpost Pictures) and The Moth Effect(Amazon/Bunya Productions). In 2022, she was shortlisted for a Monte Miller Award with the Australian Writers' Guild for the unproduced supernatural YA series pilot In Your Dreams, co-written with Diya Eid. She has also been a quarter-finalist in The Titan Awards (2022) and Outstanding Screenplays (2023), as well as a second-rounder in the Austin Film Festival for her short film script Dance, Dance.

Amy was previously the creative director of the children’s reading app Kindergo with Like a Photon Creative and has lectured in screenwriting and creative business practice at Queensland University of Technology and Griffith Film School.

Festival Premiere and Discussion
It’s showtime! Join us for the 2025 IFFY premiere! After an official opening, you’ll have the opportunity to hear what the judges think about this year’s entries and even ask them some questions of your own! 
The IFFY Premiere and Judges Panel Discussion will take place on Saturday 11 October at 12.00 pm.

Film Screenings
Your chance to see all selected entries on the big screen! See your own film or come along to enjoy all the other entries for this year, this is the best way to see the talent that IFFY has to offer! 
Screening sessions will be available on Saturday 11 October and Saturday 18 October. Session times are still TBC, please keep an eye on our socials for updates!

Awards Ceremony
The grand finale! Come along and witness the best in fest! We will announce the winners and hand out prizes, with one last chance to see the winning films on the big screen! 
The Ipswich Film Festival Awards Ceremony will take place on Saturday 18 October at 4.30 pm.

See the below filmmaking tips and tricks to get you inspired and ensure your 2025 IFFY film entry is as polished as possible before submission.

Getting Started

• Establish a timeline: the length of time it will take to put together your film is determined by how much free time you have available to work on it. It could take anywhere from 1 day to 6 months to complete. So, if your days are already jam packed with activities, start your film project early or make the most of the holidays and your available time.
• Create your idea: the first step in the filmmaking process is growing your story idea, whether it is based on personal experience or the result of an active imagination. Jot down some ideas and run them by family or friends to get their feedback.
• Script it: once you have settled on your idea, the next step is to create a script. For a 1-3 minute film, the maximum number of script pages should be three. This is based on a general rule of 1 page = 1 minute, but can differ depending on how much dialogue you plan to include in your film.
• Choose your equipment: if you don’t have access to a video camera to create your film, don’t be discouraged! Some great short films have been shot using a smart phone. You can shoot in either portrait or landscape orientation but make sure it’s consistent and keep the camera steady to avoid blurriness.

Storyboarding

• Creating a storyboard: you can download free templates online or start by drawing a series of boxes on a piece of paper. In each box sketch your scenes and give consideration to how close you’ll be to the subject, their position and the angle you’re shooting from.
• It’s all in the details: stick figures will work just fine if drawing isn’t your strong suit, but remember to draw in all of your props. You can then add notes under each scene about location, script, camera movements, etc. The storyboard can be as detailed as you like and will be a useful tool when you start filming.

Filming

• Top 5 tips for filming
  • To get the perfect shot or enhance the mood of a scene, experiment with your camera settings instead of relying on automatic settings.
  • When filming outdoors, shoot with the sunlight behind you.
  • To get creative with your scenes, mix up the angles and level that you film from.
  • Be wary of filming in noisy locations, such as near busy roads, as this can be recorded in your audio and make it hard to hear dialogue.
  • Keep your camera steady, and if possible, use a tripod to avoid shaky video.
• Filming on a smartphone: if you don’t have a camera to film on, don’t sweat it! You can put together a film on your smartphone. To maximise your phone's potential, check out some handy YouTube videos!

Editing

• Paid and free editing programs: editing is an important part of the film making process. You can purchase editing programs such as AVS Video Editor or Adobe Premier Pro but there are also some equally great free programs you can download such as Windows Movie Maker, Lightworks or DaVinci Resolve.
• Editing on smartphones: if you’ve filmed your entry on a smartphone, you might want to try some free apps like iMovie, PowerDirector or Movie Edit Touch.
• Film format: don’t forget that your final submission for IFFY should be in either MPEG4, MP4, MOV, AVI or WMV format.

Music

• Free music: there are many different types of music that you can include in your film. You could try composing and recording your own music or sounds, or download copyright free music from websites. You’re also able to record your own version of a song that is no longer under copyright. If a composer passed away more than 70 years ago, their score is out of copyright and you’re able to reproduce it.
• Music that requires a licence: songs that you hear on the radio are considered ‘published music’ and to use them you’ll need to apply for a licence from APRA AMCOS. Make sure to send us a copy of the licence if you’ve included this music in your entry.

Download the Terms and Conditions for the 2025 Ipswich Film Festival for youth here.